by E. C. Towers
“Jessica. Please. Wait up. “ Linda stopped and caught her breath.
“Yes?” the girl crossed her arms, suddenly very pissed off.
“Oh, wow…arms crossed. You’re not...uh, you don’t want to talk to me, I suppose?” Linda stammered, not knowing why she had even sought her out to talk.
About what, the girl wondered? About how they both fell for the same guy? What was she planning on saying?
“Look, I don’t know what you have to say, but I have to go. I have school in like 20 minutes,” she lied.
“Oh,…do you...would you like a ride?” Linda asked.
Jessica chuckled and walked away from her.
“Can you please come by to my yacht after school?” Linda yelled out after her. “Please?”
Jessica stopped and turned to look at Linda again. She sighed, nodded and waved briefly to let her know that the request had been heard and agreed to. Jessica would be crazy agreeing to meet with Linda on her turf, but what choice did she have? As much as she dreaded having a conversation with her, Jessica was also equally curious as to what Linda would want to talk about. Was she going to ask her to step back and leave Hardie alone? Was she going to step back and let the woman have Hardie to herself? Did she even want Hardie anymore?
Unfortunately, the answer was a disappointing yes.
21
The Devil You Know
Jessica’s brother crashed, head first into Hardie’s stomach. It didn’t do much except slam Hardie’s back into the kitchen sink. He tried to push Trent off, but Jessica’s brother was surprisingly compact and strong. A wild punch hit Hardie in the eye before receiving a find blow to his midsection. He doubled over as Trent also managed a good shot of his kidneys.
“You like fucking around with my sister!? Right under my nose, you sonovabitch! I trusted you! Who the fuck do you think you are fucking MY SISTER!?”
Jessica’s brother was enraged, and Hardie couldn’t get his bearings together to explain to they guy that he was doing more farm more than simply fucking his sister and that her feelings were mutual. By the look in his eyes, unfocused and extremely bloodshot, there was no point in talking to him.
“Don’t do this, man,” Hardie pleaded as he gave Trent a good shove, pushing him across the kitchen and away from him. “I want to talk to you, but you’re hung over and tired. Let’s just get you to bed, okay?”
“Get me to bed? Like you got into bed with my sister, you piece of shit! Now you want to fuck me too, you son of a bitch!”
Trent charged into Hardie again, who stepped forward, moving slightly to the left and tripping the guy. Jessica’s brother stumbled and hit his head on the edge of the granite kitchen counter, knocking himself out. He crumbled onto the floor like a stack of bricks.
Hardie let out a sigh of relief. He wasn’t happy that Jessica’s brother had knocked himself out, but he was happy that he didn’t have to be the one to do it. So much for sleeping for the rest of the day, he thought. He realized his residency at this apartment was limited. With Jessica hating him and her brother wanting to kill him, Hardie had officially made himself homeless. He picked up Trent and dragged him into his bedroom. He took off his shoes, checked for any serious damage, found none and put him to bed. Hardie packed as much as he could into his backpack, just enough stuff to see him through a few days until he could find another place.
* * *
Linda was driven back to her boat, changing out of her stifling, tailored suit into her pearl white, silk pajamas the moment bedroom door shut behind her. She brushed out her hair and decided to get a bottle of wine to accompany her on the top sun deck, hoping to make the best of the remaining day. If Jessica shows up, great; but if she doesn’t, well… Linda knew she couldn’t do much about it. She had figured that by talking it out with the girl, they could both find an answer on how to deal with their little love triangle.
But she was on the defensive, and rightfully so. In the brief time that Jessica had spoken to her, the hurt and the tone in her voice was of that of a girl who had fallen madly in love. She didn’t want to want Hardie, but she did.
It’s just like me, she thought. Did that mean Linda was in love with Hardie? She wasn’t sure about that but was mature enough to admit that she hadn’t felt this way about anyone in a long time, including her husband. Even after having been married for so many years, she had never felt drawn to a man as she was now with Hardie. There was some basic primitive need for him that had blossomed from her initial lust. He was what men used to be, and should always be; gentle but strong, softly spoken but commanding, and respectful yet caring for women.
Linda wanted him, and she was positive Jessica did too. This meeting might not have been such a good idea after all, and just as she finished her thought, there was a tone from the guest monitor on the dock.
* * *
How did that moment just slip through his fingers? Tim looked down at the now empty street where Jessica and Linda were talking to each other before heading their separate ways. He was torn as to which one he should follow and decided not to follow either of them. He was tired. He needed to go home, jerk it around for a few, and think some more about how to get Linda alone. First, he was going to walk by Jessica and Hardie’s place, just to see if cop cars had surrounded it yet. He shivered as he recalled the quiet anger that permeated the room when Tim told Jessica’s brother that Hardie was sticking the pole sausage to his sister. No matter how big Hardie is, that raw, uncensored rage that Jessica’s brother was feeling could topple twenty Hardies.
As he got closer to the apartment complex, he found it surprisingly quiet. He heard the sound of the leaves as the breeze blew and it sounded creepy like bugs, as if he was walking through a swarm of Japanese beetles. These goddamn trees were never quiet. Add to them the fucking birds, who chirped incessantly, and he got even more annoyed that there were no cops here to distract him from the irritatingly happy sounds of the outdoors. Did Hardie kick his ass and leave? Tim couldn’t see Hardie beating him so senseless that he had to run away from it. Hardie was the kind of self-righteous idiot who would turn himself in had he hurt Jessica’s brother.
Tim walked up to their apartment and put his ear to the door. Nothing. There was no yelling; there wasn’t even talking. Tim put his hand on the doorknob and tried to turn it.
It turned easily, and the door opened to let Tim in. He immediately saw Hardie standing in the kitchen with a bag. Hardie looked up, clearly surprised to see him.
“Uh, what are you doing here? I don’t think I heard you knock.” Hardie was confused. What the fuck was Tim doing at his house?
“What the hell happened to Trent?” Tim blurted out, not knowing what else to say about the fact that he had just walked into their house.
“He’s in his bedroom, passed out. He has a hangover, and he just went back to bed,” Hardie explained. Since when was Tim friends with Jessica’s brother?
“He went to bed, huh?” Tim glared at Hardie.
“Yeah, back to bed. Wait a minute; you still haven’t told me what you’re doing here.”
Upon further inspection, Tim noticed that Hardie’s shirt was torn and that he had the makings of a black eye. Jessica’s brother might have gotten a few licks in before “going back to bed.” Tim had nothing to say to Hardie’s question and just walked out the door. This was turning out to be a day where all his plans went down the shitter.
* * *
Jessica took a deep breath and buzzed the ship’s intercom. She couldn’t believe she was here. She was at the foot of Linda’s yacht. Never in a million years did she ever think she would be willing to walk aboard the most infamous boat in the harbor. Jessica was surprised when she saw Linda coming to the door herself; she thought for sure that she would have a butler or sex slave answer the page, but it was just the woman herself. Linda extended the ramp stairs so Jessica could come inside. The girl walked into an immense and elegant furnished but fairly normal looking living room. What had she expected? Were t
hey going to discuss Hardie while they sat on sex swings? Once inside, she couldn’t help but notice the wonderful slight smell of lilac in the air. It seemed familiar, and she suddenly realized that she had faintly smelled the same fragrance on Hardie. It made her stomach turn.
“Thank you so much for coming, Jessica,” Linda smiled, leading her near the bar where she motioned for the girl to sit on a high-backed, velvet couch that curved in a loose arc. It was Linda’s favorite couch to sit in, as its very design encouraged conversations and eye contact, with the high backs providing a certain amount of privacy.
Jessica took a seat, and Linda sat down just a little ways to the side of her. They could speak comfortably here, but not be faced so adversarially.
Linda cleared her throat and broke the silence. “Jessica…listen, I’m sorry…” she paused, thinking of exactly what she was sorry about. Just as she was about to confess that she didn’t know how to begin, Jessica suddenly spoke.
“No, wait. I just don’t know if I can do this yet.”
“Do what?” Linda asked.
“This. You, talking. Me, listening. Me inevitably realizing that you’re not this horrible slut witch who I’ve envisioned in my head since finding out about you and Hardie. I mean, I know why Hardie likes you, because, well,…look at you! To be quite honest, I’ve had a much harder time figuring out why he’s with me.”
Linda couldn’t quite believe what she was hearing. How could this beautiful, smart, fresh-faced girl possibly think she wasn’t worthy of the love she clearly deserved?
“That’s funny because I’m having a hard time trying to figure out why Hardie hasn’t broken it off between us completely,” Linda replied.
Jessica looked at her like she had just vomited up her dinner. “I don’t know what to make of you right now, and like I said, I don’t know if I’m ready to come to that realization yet. “
Silence.
Jessica wanted just to get up and walk out of here, but she was shocked at herself for wanting to stay more. They both waited anxiously for each other to somehow break the energy between them, full of anticipation and excitement. They had both expected hostility from the other, but found none, and the next move was unknown to each of them.
“Listen, how about we just take some time and relax a little. I’m going to make myself a drink. What would you like?”
Jessica, who didn’t drink on a regular basis, simply replied, “I guess I’ll have what you’re having.”
“Two Vodka tonics it is.”
Jessica cringed. She would need to take restrained and limited sips, so she didn’t end up drunk and belligerent, which tended to happen whenever she had vodka. Shortly afterward, Linda came back with two drinks, handing one over to Jessica, as she returned to her seat.
They both drank in silence for a few minutes, and Linda took it upon herself to break the ice once more.
“We both like Hardie.”
“Yeah. We do. What should we do about that?”
“I don’t know. What do you love about him?” Linda whispered the question, genuinely curious but unsure as to whether or not she was prepared to hear Jessica talk about their intimate encounters.
Jessica sighed, “He makes me feel….enough. Like me, I’m enough. He’s thoroughly satisfied with who I am, including my flaws, and that I’m enough. He makes it seem like I’m more than enough, that I had exactly what he was looking for. But I guess I felt wrong.”
Silence. Jessica turned to Linda, “Same question to you.”
“I love him because, well, I feel the same as you. He truly and genuinely cares about who I am, and couldn’t care less about what has happened in the past. He makes me feel present. He makes me feel alive and appreciate the present, which I hadn’t done in a long time.”
After revealing their feelings for Hardie with each other, they spent the next couple hours talking and removing the coat of armor they had both created to cover their souls from the world. They compared emotional scars from past lovers and were surprised to find out that they had more in common than they anticipated.
After a while, they decided to lighten up their mood and take their minds off Hardie for a bit. After refreshing their drinks, Jessica and Linda took their vodka tonics up to the deck to get some fresh air and enjoy the stars. Linda easily finished off her second drink, enjoying the moonlight that shone on the polished wooden floor. She looked up and took a deep breath. Linda was trying to clear her head, wondering if the vodka tonics had anything to do with the fact that she found herself inexplicably drawn to Jessica, sexually. This marvelous girl was wonderfully intelligent; vulnerable and somewhat naïve in the ways of sexual experience. It was an exciting combination to find where she hadn’t expected to, and Linda understood why Hardie would fall in love with her.
Jessica looked up at the stars that Linda had her eye on. So beautiful, she mused. She wondered if she’d ever seen this many stars out in her life, though the notion was silly, considering the marine layer rolling in masked much of the sky.
After a while, she sensed that Linda was looking at her. Jessica turned her head to confirm that her feeling was right. Linda held her gaze until Jessica finally made eye contact. She was afraid that her feelings were in full view, and she looked away quickly, hoping Jessica would not see that she had been staring.
“What?” she asked.
“What do you mean?” Linda asked.
“You were looking at me,” Jessica smirked with a hunch that she knew why Linda was looking at her. Perhaps she was merely hoping it was because the woman was feeling the same attraction. Jessica had found herself being drawn to Linda more and more as they talked, even when she was secretly loathing the woman being involved with Hardie. She had to admit to herself that she was a little bit intrigued and excited that Linda had approached her to meet.
Before she could think about what she was doing, Jessica grabbed a hold of Linda’s shoulders, pulled her in until she was inches away from her face. The women both couldn’t stop themselves from kissing. They quenched their mutual curiosity with short, tender kisses that then became longer, hungrier kisses. Their bodies fit into each other like they were connecting pieces of a puzzle. Jessica slowly kissed and trailed her tongue down to Linda’s neck and breathed in that familiar lilac scent. Linda arched her back, grinding forward into Jessica, as she reached up her shirt to unhook her bra. Jessica leaned back and allowed Linda to slip off her bra along with her top. Linda cupped the girl’s breasts gently as she leaned down and lightly kissed her nipples, teasing her with light flickers of her tongue. The heat of her mouth and the soft, wet tip of her tongue drove Jessica wild with passion. She grabbed Linda’s head and pushed her down on her breasts, forcing them into her eager mouth. They slowly fell back on to the wooden deck floor where Linda kissed and licked Jessica’s breasts as if they were the most delicious treats she had ever tasted.
22
What Was Needed
Tim laid in bed and stared at the ceiling, unable to sleep, still seething with anger that he had come so close to being on Linda’s boat but somehow lost the opportunity so quickly. Frustrated, he rolled off his bed, grabbed a cigarette and a lighter off his nightstand, and walked out onto his balcony to have a smoke. Seated in his Adirondack, Tim lit his cigarette and took a big drag for comfort. He held the first breath in for a moment before exhaling a plume of smoke into the night sky. He got a bit dizzy from the first race of nicotine, as he hadn’t had a cigarette for a few hours. He was so wound up by his failure with Linda that he had completely forgotten to smoke, which was the first time in a long time he had ever forgotten to have a cigarette. He reveled in the brief lightheadedness he felt before relaxing back into his chair.
He didn’t need his telescope to see the darkened yacht in the harbor, and that Linda had turned in for the night. Everything was completely dark, no parties, no dinner guest; she must be asleep. Dammit, he thought, he wasn’t getting on that boat tonight, but he still held hopes that he would ge
t there sooner or later. Hopefully sooner, much sooner; he’d try his luck again tomorrow. With one last drag off his cigarette, he rose to begin the walk back to his room, noticing that his telescope was a little askew.
“Damn, those seagulls,” he thought. They had a habit of using his telescope as a perch if he forgot to put it away, which he’d managed to last night. Tim repositioned where he liked, pointed directly at Linda’s yacht. He had leaned down to looked through the peephole to make sure he had a clear view when he saw something unexpected. There was movement on the outdoor roof deck. He adjusted the lens to focus on the movement and saw Linda on top of a woman, kissing her breasts.
“Holy shit,” he inhaled.
* * *
Linda lifted herself up off of Jessica and began unbuttoning her blouse. Jessica sat up to watch Linda fumble with the buttons until her top came completely off. The moment existed outside of time for both women, and all they could think of was each other’s bodies. Linda kissed Jessica as the girl reached around her to unhooked Linda’s bra. Her breasts tumbled out, and Jessica caressed them as if she’d been waiting forever for these prizes. Her thumb ran lightly across the soft nipples in a circular motion, with just a slight touch that barely grazed the tops.
Linda felt Jessica’s hand trail down to the waistband of her skirt. She found the bare spot between Linda’s skirt and her stomach and ran her finger slowly across, back and forth, inching her touch lower until her fingers reached Linda’s panties. Completely devoid of any inhibitions, thanks to the vodka tonics, she slipped her entire hand down and cupped Linda’s trimmed and delicate pussy. Jessica pushed her palm against the heat of the sweet nether mouth and slipped a finger inside. It was like bursting through a dam, her wetness encouraging her to move even deeper. Linda arched her back and groaned as Jessica buried her face into her breasts. Slowly licking and kissing her gentle mounds, she could hear Linda’s heartbeat quicken as she put pressed her thumb against her throbbing clit.