She remembered when Bill had convinced her to go to the lesbian bar in Rochester, where to her surprise, he’d been welcome. She’d been a nervous wreck. There were too many women too close to her, and Bill had mischievously slipped away a couple of times. She could’ve wrung his neck for that alone.
Chris chuckled as she recalled getting laid in the bathroom for the first time ever. That event was all the enticement she’d needed to keep returning to Angie’s Bar.
* * *
The miles to Rochester passed quickly. Before she knew it she’d arrived at Angie’s Bar. She parked behind the old brick building close to the main entrance. A door in the front made it resemble an average bar.
Two burly bouncers stood at the entrance; the men had orders to turn away people on the premise that the building’s occupancy had reached its limit. The bouncers also directed the lesbians who frequented the bar to the rear entrance. The practice kept everyone safe and ensured the patrons’ anonymity remained intact.
It had been a few months since Chris had been here. She’d been too busy with breeding, foaling, putting up hay, training, and other projects that kept her occupied and devoid of energy. Although she was tired, that morning’s events still had her keyed up and she was ready to blow off a little steam.
She could feel the deep bass of the music pounding in her ears and chest as she slipped through the door. The lights were low and pulsing, and a few couples were dancing closely. She walked up to the bar where a large tattooed woman stood mixing drinks and pulling beer from the taps.
The woman’s hair was short and shaved to her scalp. A light chain dangled from her left earlobe to her studded neck collar. Several rings glinted on her fingers, and a multitude of bracelets jangled from her wrist as she wiped the bar. Her piercing brown gaze constantly swept over the establishment, making sure everyone stayed within the boundaries.
“Hi, Angie.” Chris sat down on a bar stool and yanked a five dollar bill from her pocket.
“C-Breeze! Welcome back, beautiful,” Angie yelled over the music. “It’s been awhile. Where’ve you been?” She poured Chris a beer from the tap, placed the glass in front of her, and took the bill at the same time.
Chris nodded her thanks. Angie had given her the nickname “Breeze” shortly after she began coming to the bar, commenting that she was like a breath of fresh air. Anonymity was very important to Angie’s patrons, therefore nicknames were the only form of recognition used.
“Working, mostly,” Chris replied, shrugging. She took a long drink and looked around, careful not to stare at the couples along the dark walls.
“The girls have been asking about you.” Angie leaned over the bar to be heard. She let out a suggestive chuckle that revealed uneven teeth.
Suddenly Chris felt warm breath on her ear. Ample breasts pressed against her back. Cool hands rubbed circles on her shoulders before making a long, sensuous trip down her arms.
“Hello, lover,” said a low, female voice. Her breath smelled of beer.
Chris recognized the voice as Sky’s, a woman she knew from previous encounters—a tall redhead with amazing green eyes. She was a bit plump but not what Chris would call fat. Her round face and slightly slanted eyes made her incredibly seductive.
Sky was always attentive and good to Chris. She was also exceptionally skilled with her hands. Just thinking about what Sky could, and hopefully would, do with them, sent a shiver down Chris’s spine that went straight to her crotch.
“Hey, Sky. How’re you?”
“Much better now that you’re here, sweetness. Want some dark time?”
“Yeah.” Without a glance at Sky, Chris finished her beer and got up from the stool. She walked to one of the darker walls to find a private place to stand. As she turned around, Sky leaned into her. She was pushed against the wall and felt something pressed between her lips. A pill.
She swatted the hand away and wiped her lips. “What the hell, Sky?”
“Come on, Breeze, it’s just a little E. It’ll make it so much better.”
“No. I don’t do that shit. You know that.” Chris turned her head to the side.
“If you’ve never done it, you don’t know how good it’ll make you feel. It keeps me going for a really long time.”
“Damn it, no. Can’t you just forget about it?” Chris took hold of Sky’s wrist and held it until she felt the woman relax.
“Fuck, Breeze, you could try something new once in a while. Fine. One of these days I’ll get you to do it.” Sky pressed her lips against Chris’s neck and then flicked her tongue to Chris’s earlobe. She licked her way along Chris’s jaw line before attempting to claim her lips.
Chris turned her head to the side again. “I don’t do that either, Sky. How many times do I have to tell you?” She never allowed anyone to kiss her on the lips. She believed kissing was an intimate gesture, too intimate for the casual sexual pleasure she sought in the bar.
“Can’t fault a girl for trying,” Sky whispered.
Chris closed her eyes and relaxed, happy the drug and kissing issues had passed. Sky’s hands rubbed her arms, once again sending chills up and down her body. She gripped Sky’s shoulders when she felt her T-shirt lifted up to expose her breasts and stomach.
Sky leaned down and teased Chris’s nipple erect with her tongue, circling her other nipple between two fingers while Chris gasped and moaned. Her legs went weak when Sky cupped her breast and gently squeezed the soft flesh. Sky continued to suckle her nipple while at the same time releasing her other breast to undo her jeans.
Once Chris’s pants were unfastened, Sky returned to kneading and squeezing her breast. Chris leaned against the wall for support, and her breath quickened in anticipation as Sky’s skillful hands flitted over her stomach and came to rest on her hips.
Chris grabbed the back of Sky’s head and pulled Sky’s mouth tighter to her breast. Her breath quickened as she took hold of Sky’s hand and slid it to the wetness between her legs. Her heart beat in time with the fast music as Sky’s palm pushed against her.
“Go inside me,” Chris whispered and gasped when Sky did as ordered. Her instincts took over. She thrust her hips forward in a mute demand for more.
Sky pushed her fingers inside, and her thumb began a slow, circular motion against Chris’s swollen clit. “Oh, babe, you are so beautiful,” she whispered.
Chris began her gradual rise to climax and pulled Sky closer. The orgasm came too quickly and left her breathless. Her legs buckled. If not for Sky pressing tightly against her, she would have fallen to the floor.
“Oh, baby, it’s been way too long,” Sky murmured against Chris’s shoulder.
“Yeah, it has.” Still trying to catch her breath, Chris slowly opened her eyes and found she was able to focus on her surroundings. “Thanks. That was amazing as always.”
“Why don’t you take me home with you sometime?” Sky said close to Chris’s ear. “We could play for hours, you, and me.”
“You know I don’t ever take anybody home with me.” Chris zipped up her jeans, tucked in her T-shirt, and abruptly turned back toward the bar.
“I know. I just want you all to myself,” Sky said between the heavy beat of a bass line. But she left Chris alone, apparently having spotted someone on the far side of the room.
Chris felt uncomfortable with Sky wanting her to do drugs. The thought of using them and losing control of her own body was not an experiment she was willing to make. She didn’t want Sky to do drugs while she was with her, either. But what could she do? Sky’s body; Sky’s choice.
Still, the woman was unpredictable and sometimes volatile even without the influence of drugs. Chris decided she would have to watch her step around Sky to ensure she didn’t do anything stupid like sneak illegal drugs into Chris’s beer.
She noticed other women checking her out while she sat chatting with Angie and drinking another beer. She turned down several invitations from various other women before emptying the glass. She got up from th
e stool, bid Angie goodnight, and walked out the door.
Chris drove home alone, satiated. Sky had been right about one thing… it had been a long time.
Chapter 5
Chris fought the urge to go back to sleep and slowly opened her eyes. A glance at the alarm clock revealed she’d woken up at her usual time. Still a bit tired from her late night in Rochester, she flung back the covers. She sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed her face.
Ignoring the pile of smelly clothes on the floor, she shuffled to her closet, glad she’d taken the time to shower off the odors of stale smoke and beer before she’d gone to bed last night. She pulled on clean cargo shorts and a light blue shirt and joined the dogs downstairs.
While coffee brewed and the dogs ate their breakfast, Chris yawned, closed her eyes, and waited until the clanking of dog bowls stopped. She poured hot coffee into a travel mug and sipped it black. The caffeine began to kick in as she grabbed her boots and followed the dogs outside.
Bird song filled the air as they walked to the barn. The humidity had lessened, and the temperature promised to be cooler than the past few days.
Unfortunately, according to the weather report she’d heard on the way home last night, the threat of rain still remained. “We’re either going to have to grow a set of gills or I’m going to start building an ark,” Chris said to the dogs. All three looked at her as if in agreement. The Labs seemed like they were smiling as they panted, while Sadie darted into the barn, possibly searching for tasty morsels left behind by the cats.
Chris walked inside and found the horses waiting impatiently for her as usual. “Yeah, yeah, I’m coming. It’s not that you guys don’t have any grass in your pastures.” She walked into the feed room and called out, “And based on all the ribs that aren’t showing, I can see you’re all starving, too.”
She dished out the feed and followed it with the hay. As she passed Ruby’s stall, she glanced at the mare to make sure the poultice remained securely on her foot. She also noted Sierra seemed to be eating normally again.
After she finished with the feeding, Chris grabbed the muck bucket and fork. Top Hat’s stall was the first she entered. The horse had slept lying down during the night, so Chris fluffed her bedding. As she moved the fork around, something clinked against it.
“What the…?” Chris reached into the sawdust and pulled out a stethoscope. Top Hat watched intently as she chewed her hay. “Dingbat must have dropped this while you were terrorizing her, you vicious beastie, you.” She slipped the bell deep into her pocket and let the rest dangle. She would drop the stethoscope off at Doc’s office on her way to the feed mill.
Muck bucket dumped and all tools stashed, Chris headed to the house. She found the dogs already sitting by the truck.
“You girls think you’re so smart.” She laughed, amused at their anticipation. “I’ll be back in a minute.” She went into the house to get her keys and wallet. As an afterthought, she refilled her travel mug with coffee and headed out to the truck. She needed to be wide-awake this morning.
She sipped the hot, bitter coffee as she opened the crew cab door and waited while the dogs jumped in. All three settled and were asleep before she made the turn onto the main road. She headed for the feed mill to pick up pre-ordered grain for her usual Thursday morning “date” with her neighbor, Frances Cook.
The eighty-one-year-old woman had a few old Thoroughbreds that she and her late husband had rescued several years ago. Frances believed in feeding her horses freshly milled grain and only kept a week’s supply on hand. In addition to picking up the grain for her, Chris did odd jobs around the farm and sometimes joined her on a ride in her Gator to check the fence lines, usually making repairs as they went.
Frances kept company with a Blue Heeler dog named Daisy that loved running through the fields chasing rabbits and hunting for mice with Sadie, Cagney, and Cedar while the women chatted and worked. Chris not only enjoyed the company, but Frances reminded her of the grandmother she’d left behind so long ago.
After finishing her business at the feed mill, Chris headed to Doc’s. She turned into the clinic drive and noticed a Ranger truck parked next to the building. A small, faded, rainbow sticker was affixed to the truck’s rear bumper. She briefly wondered who owned the vehicle.
Donna was on the phone when Chris opened the door, but otherwise the office seemed empty. Doc’s vet truck was already gone, which came as a relief. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to see Mary Jo so soon after their less-than-enjoyable first meeting.
While Chris stood waiting for Donna to end her call, a casual glimpse through the open door to the area where Doc Hall kept hospitalized horses revealed a horse pacing back and forth in its stall. A glance in Donna’s direction assured her she had time to walk over and check out the horse.
“Hey, big guy,” Chris said, ambling over to the stall. “What’s making you so antsy?” The horse stopped pacing and came closer to the front of its stall. She saw it was a gelding as he poked his nose through the metal bars. She touched him with the back of her hand, reached through, and slowly stroked the side of his face. As she continued talking quietly to him, the big horse sighed in response, and rested a hind leg to stand completely relaxed.
“You sure have a way with horses,” a familiar voice said from the doorway.
“Hi, Donna. I hope you don’t mind me being in here. He was running back and forth, and I didn’t want him to hurt himself.” Chris continued the light petting and watched with satisfaction as the horse’s eyes grew soft.
“Please, I wish you could be here every time a Nervous Nelly comes in. This guy will be going home in a couple of days, and I think he knows it. Anyway, what brings you here? Richard and MJ had to head out to an emergency. He’ll be sorry he missed you.”
An amused grin lifted the corner of Chris’s mouth. So the truck outside does belong to the new vet. “That’s okay. I just wanted to drop this off.” She pulled the stethoscope from her pocket and handed it to Donna. “I found it in one of my stalls. Doctor Cavanaugh must have dropped it and not realized it.”
Donna laughed. “Oh, Richard told me she figured out she’d lost it when they were heading down the road from your farm. He told me what happened. I think she was too scared to ask Richard to turn around and get it. Is everything okay?”
It didn’t bother Chris that Doc had told Donna about yesterday’s events. Those two knew the most important things in her life were her dogs and the horses in her care.
“Oh, God, yeah. I can’t help being overly protective sometimes. If you would, tell her to stop by sometime, and I’ll show her around to try and make it up to her.” Still grinning, she added, “Although I doubt Hattie will accept her. You know how she is.”
“I’m sure Mary Jo would appreciate that. Thank you. I’ll see that she gets this.” Donna juggled the instrument in her hand, before sticking it into her smock pocket.
“Thanks, Donna.” Chris gave the horse a last pat and headed toward the door. “It’s great to see you again.”
“Same here, Chris. You take care, now.”
Chris got into her truck and drove the last few miles to Frances’s farm. Just as she pulled into the driveway, Daisy ran to greet the truck. Chris braked to a stop.
“Looking for a ride, little missy?” Daisy barked once, so Chris opened the truck door to allow the dog to jump up and over her lap. Daisy rode shotgun the rest of the way down the drive, looking straight ahead as if directing her to the house. Chris’s dogs were mindful of their manners and waited anxiously in the back.
Chris brought the truck to a stop in front of the barn. She got out and let the dogs pile out to run and play. She reached back in, grabbed her empty coffee mug, and sauntered to the porch where Frances waited for her.
“Good morning, Frances,” Chris said, always happy to see her friend. She walked up the three steps to give her a hug and a kiss on the cheek.
“Good morning back at you,” Frances said, laughing. “I swear Daisy kn
ows what day it is. She no sooner finished her breakfast when she went hightailing it down the driveway to wait for you. Come on in, I have a fresh pot brewed.” She led the way into the house, turning back to say, “Unless you want a Bloody Mary to cure that Wednesday night hangover.”
Chris smiled. Frances knew about her secret trips to the bar in Rochester. “I think I’m good this morning, thanks. I only had a couple beers last night.” Her smile broadened at the memory of what else she had gotten at the bar. She followed Frances into the kitchen, which smelled of freshly baked scones and bacon.
“Well, sit down, hon, and eat up,” Frances said. “We have some fence to replace down by the stream. That gulley-washer the other day took about thirty feet with it.” She had already set the table in anticipation of Chris’s arrival. From the stove, she brought a dish of scrambled eggs and a plate of bacon, as well as scones still warm from the oven. The aromas made Chris’s mouth water.
Chris eagerly filled her plate with a scone, a handful of bacon, and scoops of cheesy eggs. Frances refilled both their coffee mugs and sat down to watch as Chris attacked her breakfast.
“My Lord, girl,” Frances said, “don’t you ever eat? You’re skinny as a rail. I don’t know how you manage to do all that work by yourself.” It was the same lecture Frances gave Chris every Thursday morning, so it came as no surprise when she added, “And I wish you wouldn’t go carousing at that bar all the time.”
“Frances, we’ve had this discussion before. I need to go out and have a few beers sometimes,” Chris replied through a mouthful of scone.
“I think you should try to find a woman to stay at home with.” Frances cocked her head to the side. “I only want you to be happy, dear. And safe, too. I didn’t worry so much when our dear Bill was alive and went with you.”
Frances had known Bill well, and it hadn’t taken her long to put two-and-two together and figure out that Chris was a lesbian, and that she and Bill went to gay bars. Frances never minded their lifestyle, making Chris wonder if the old woman had a gay family member no one ever talked about. But she was too polite to ask.
Laurie Salzer - A Kiss Before Dawn Page 4