Mended Hearts

by Sarah Markel

  Before they left for the evening, Kelly suggested they do some cleaning, worried that Dej or even Zane might get sick again once they came home. When Alex agreed, the two women set about disinfecting the whole house. Once finished, the two women sat at the kitchen island to discuss their dinner plans. “I want to go somewhere romantic.” Kelly said, brushing her foot over Alex's calf. Smiling, Alex suggested "There's a French restaurant downtown that I've never been to.” Nodding, Kelly's face lit up. “Oh my God, I love French cuisine!” She exclaimed, making Alex laugh. Taking out her phone, Alex called Judy. “Hi Judy, its Alex. I was wondering, have you and Lauren been to that French place over on Columbia yet?” Alex listened while the other woman spoke, absently rubbing Kelly's knee. When the two women finished their conversation, Alex clicked off and brought up Google on her phone. Punching in the name of the restaurant and the city, she found the phone number and called to make reservations. When she was finished, Alex laid her phone on the counter and stood, pulling Kelly with her. “Our table will be ready at five thirty. We better get ready and head out.” She said, pulling Kelly up the stairs.

  Saying nothing, Alex pulled Kelly into the master bathroom and turned on the shower. After taking off her own clothing, Alex turned to Kelly and smiled, wiggling her eyebrows. Laughing, Kelly stripped off her clothes and together the two entered the shower. Once the shower door was closed, Alex stepped up close to Kelly's back and wrapped her arms around the woman. Without a word, she placed a kiss at the base of Kelly's neck, making the other woman moan. “Honey, if we start, we are going to miss dinner.” She said as she brought her hand up to cup the back of Alex's head. Groaning, Alex turned the woman around and stared into her eyes. “Oh well, we can always hit the taco truck instead.” She replied playfully. Raising her eyebrows, Kelly warned playfully, “Taco truck is not romantic. French restaurant is romantic.” Hanging her head in mock shame, Alex muttered "Sheesh so picky.” Laughing, Kelly smacked her playfully on the ass. Getting a smile and a kiss in return, the two women finished their shower.

  While Alex stayed in her room to get dressed, Kelly went into the guest room to do the same. After combing through the closet and considering each of her new outfits, Kelly made her decision. “Babe, I'll meet you downstairs.” Alex called from the other side of the door. Kelly looked at the clock on the nightstand, and seeing that it was nearly 4:45, she quickly brushed out her hair, letting the long black curls cascade freely down her back, and applied her makeup. When she was ready, she headed down the stairs. Hearing Kelly behind her, Alex turned and felt her jaw hit the floor. Kelly had chosen a knee length crimson red dress. The dress was paired with matching stiletto heels, a small black clutch, and a lightweight black lace shawl. “Wow, Babe. You look stunning.” Alex said breathlessly. Kelly blushed and smiled. “You don't look so bad yourself, Honey.” She replied. Alex had chosen a black and white satin top and black slacks. Looking Kelly up and down, Alex smiled. “We'd better go before that dress ends up on the floor and we end up hungry.” She said, holding the door open. Smirking impishly, Kelly purred as she walked past Alex, hearing the woman groan as she locked the door. After holding the car door open for Kelly, the two women headed into town.

  Once they arrived at Le Poisson Mignon, the pair was shown to their table by an attractive brunette with a faux French accent. “My name is Marci and I will be your serveuse this evening.” The woman said, handing them each a menu. As they perused the menu, Alex suddenly realized that she knew nothing about French food. Sneaking a peek at Kelly over the top of her menu, Alex felt a twinge of embarrassment. “Babe, I gotta be honest. I have no clue what this menu says, and I don't really know anything about the food.” She said, worried that Kelly might laugh. Laying her hand over Alex's, Kelly smiled reassuringly. “It's alright, honey, if you have a question I will answer it for you. Do you want some recommendations?” She asked. Shaking her head no, Alex said "How about you find two things you like, order one for me and one for you and we can share?” Kelly smiled, pleased that Alex trusted her judgment.

  When Marci returned, she noticed the two women holding hands and voiced her disgust. “Are you two like, lesbians or something?” She asked, her fake accent gone. Kelly saw Alex's expression become defensive and was afraid the woman might make a scene. “Yes, we are. Is that a problem?” Kelly answered. “It's disgusting is what it is. I'm not going to serve a couple of dykes.” The waitress spat with disdain. “Now wait just a damn minute!” Alex said loudly. “Honey, let me handle this.” Kelly cut in quickly, “Marci, please send the restaurant manager over here.” After rolling her eyes and scoffing, Marci went off in search of her manager. Kelly glanced at Alex, noticing that the woman was struggling to control her temper. “Alex, it will be okay. I've dealt with this before and I know how to handle people like her.” She said calmly, reaching across the table to lay her hand gently on Alex's arm.

  A moment later, a tall, well-groomed man with a thin mustache came over and introduced himself. “Bonjour ladies, my name is Henri. I understand there is a problem?” He said, his French accent obviously authentic. Kelly looked at the man coolly and replied, “Parlez-vous francais, Monsieur?” After receiving a nod, Kelly continued, “Est-ce que votre politique tolere la discrimination contre vos clients?” A look of shock passed over the man's face and he quickly replied, “No, Madame. We accept all people as our guests and treat them as family.” Kelly continued her icy stare as Marci the waitress rejoined them. “Eh bien, votre serveuse, Marci, a insiste pour qu'elle ne sera pas nous sert ce soir parce que nous arrive d'etre lesbiennes.” She said flatly. Outraged, Henri turned on Marci, firing her. When the woman left, Henri turned back to the couple, reassuring them "I am so sorry. This will not happen again. I will take your orders and be your server personally this evening. I would like to pay for your meal myself, dear ladies.” Smiling politely at the man, Kelly placed their order. When the man hurried off, Alex looked at Kelly with interest. “Wow, Babe, I didn't know you spoke French. What did you say to him?” She asked. Kelly chuckled and explained. “First I asked if he spoke French. Then I asked if it was policy to discriminate against their customers. Then I told him what Marci said about not serving us because we're lesbians.” Chuckling, Alex shook her head, “You amaze me, Babe."

  Chapter 35

  "Please, babe! Come on, it's killing me!” Alex begged as the women drove home. Kelly had refused to tell Alex what the two were eating, only referring to the French name for each dish. Laughing, Kelly finally gave in. “Are you sure you want to know?” She asked ruefully. “Yes! The food was delicious, but I would really like to know what I ate. Wait, we didn't eat a kitten or something did we?” Alex replied, suddenly uneasy. Kelly snorted, shaking her head "No Honey, we didn't eat kittens. Okay, are you ready?” She asked. When Alex smiled, Kelly continued "You had Coq au vin. It's just chicken that’s been braised in red wine with mushrooms and pork fat. The appetizers were Escargots de Bourgogne and Cuisses de grenouille, which are snails in parsley butter and fried frog legs.” Stopping at the look of horror on Alex's face, Kelly chuckled "You asked, honey. My food, which you seemed to really like, was Blanquette de veau, which is veal in a white cream sauce.” She finished. Dramatically, Alex slowly turned her head to look at Kelly, a look of mortification plastered on her face. “Do not, under any circumstances, tell Dej what we had for dinner. She will flip her lid that we ate Kermit.” Kelly laughed and agreed, picturing Dej's horrified face in her mind.

  After they arrived home and had let themselves into the house, Alex grabbed Kelly's hand and pulled her close. “I've been waiting all evening to do this.” She whispered as she leaned in and claimed Kelly's lips. Moaning into the kiss, Kelly pressed herself against Alex. When they parted, Kelly replied "I've been waiting all evening for you to do that.” The two stood there for several minutes, staring into each other's eyes. “I love you.” Alex said. Smiling, Kelly replied "Honey, I love you too... but I have to take these heels off, they're killing me.�
�� Chuckling, Alex let her go and went to sit on the couch. Once she had slipped out of her shoes, Kelly walked over and stood in front of Alex. Looking up at her, Alex asked "What's that look for?” Referring to the sly smirk on Kelly's face. “Nothing. Why don't we go change and we'll watch a movie?” Kelly replied. Agreeing, Alex let Kelly pull her up and the two headed upstairs.

  After changing into a pair of sleep pants and a tank top, Alex went back downstairs to pick a movie. As soon as she sat on the couch, she heard Kelly come down the stairs and started to turn around. “Don't turn around, Honey.” Kelly said. “Close your eyes.” She whispered, close to Alex's ear. Shivering at the feeling of Kelly's breath on her neck, Alex complied. Kelly walked around and knelt down between the woman's legs, running her hands up along the tops of Alex's thighs. “Ok, open them.” She whispered. Alex opened her eyes and sucked in a breath at what she saw. Kelly was wearing the black and magenta lace negligee that Alex had tried to talk her into buying. “Oh wow!” Alex breathed. When she reached out to trace her fingers along the shoulder strap, Kelly pulled back "No touching, sweetheart. Just sit there and relax and I promise you will enjoy this.” She instructed, standing up. Alex groaned, but did as she was told.

  Kelly went over to the coffee table and took her phone out of the clutch. After a moment, Drive by Melissa Ferrick began to play. Slowly, Kelly began to sway her hips in time with the music. Holy shit, she's going to give me a lap dance! Alex thought to herself. Kelly slid her hands up her thighs and sides, cupping her breasts, the whole time keeping eye contact with Alex. “God, baby, you are so fucking sexy.” Alex said breathlessly. Oh damn she is such a tease! She thought when Kelly placed her hands on Alex's knees and bent down to flick her tongue over her ear. Alex could feel herself throb as her libido kicked into high gear. She bit back a groan as Kelly slid onto her lap and once again matched her hips to the beat of the music. As Alex brought her hands up to Kelly's hips, the woman pulled back and wagged her finger, “Uh-uh, baby. No touching.” She purred in a tone that shot straight to Alex's pulsing center. Sliding her hands under her own thighs, Alex watched as her lover continued her seductive dance, the blissful torture of it all making her moan.

  When the song ended, Kelly leaned down and laid claim to Alex's mouth in a fiery kiss. Pressing her breasts against Alex's, Kelly broke the kiss and whispered into her ear, “You can touch now.” Filled with excited anticipation, Alex lifted her hands to Kelly's hips. Staring into her lover's eyes, she let her hands roam slowly, blindly committing every lace covered curve to memory. When her hands reached Kelly's breasts, she cupped the pliant globes, squeezing gently and making Kelly moan. Smiling to herself, Alex pulled the material down, exposing Kelly's perfectly taught nipples. Rubbing her thumbs over the erect nubs, Alex looked up into Kelly's eyes as she leaned in to flick her tongue over them. Kelly tipped her head back and moaned loudly, the sensations from Alex's tongue scorching through her like embers from a fire. “This has to go.” Alex said, lifting the negligee over Kelly's head and dropping it onto the floor behind the couch. Replacing her hands on Kelly's breasts, Alex massaged them gently, watching Kelly's face as the woman arched into her hands. Leaning forward, Alex traced her tongue along the swell of each breast. Letting her hands slide down the woman's body, Alex closed her lips over Kelly's nipple, making her cry out. Just before Alex could slip her fingers beneath the lace G-string, Kelly leaned herself forward and crushed her lips to Alex's. Breaking the kiss, Kelly used her teeth to tug on Alex's bottom lip, causing the woman to growl. Smiling at her lover, Kelly whispered, “I want you... inside.” Feeling her pulse race, Alex grabbed Kelly's hips and stood, careful not to drop her. Kelly wrapped her legs around Alex's waist and stared into her eyes as she made her way towards the stairs.

  Once in the bedroom, Alex pressed her lips to Kelly's and carefully laid the woman down, careful not to break the kiss. Settling herself between Kelly's thighs, Alex finally broke the kiss, staying close to the other woman's lips and said breathlessly "I want to taste you first.” Biting her lip, Kelly nodded, her heart racing. Alex smiled and leaned her head down to kiss along Kelly's neck and collarbone. Trailing kisses down between her breasts, Alex paused when she reached the band of the G-string. Smiling, she met Kelly's gaze and held it as she lowered her head to take the band between her teeth. Gasping, Kelly watched as Alex used her teeth to tug the material down over her hips. Once she had removed the panties, Alex repositioned herself and lowered her head to place a kiss just above Kelly's swollen sex. As she used the tip of her tongue to massage the engorged nub waiting between her lover's thighs, Kelly fisted her hands in Alex's hair and cried out. Seeing that Kelly was ready to climax, Alex lifted her head to look into her eyes as she slid her fingers deep inside her destination. As soon as Kelly felt her lover's fingers working inside her, she cried out, the force of her orgasm causing her to arch her back and scream Alex's name.

  When the shudders of release had subsided, Alex moved up to lay on her side next to Kelly. Propping her head on her hand, she noticed a tear escape from Kelly's eye. Concerned, Alex asked "Baby, are you alright? Did I hurt you?” Wiping away the tear, Kelly shook her head, “No honey, you didn't hurt me. I'm just so happy I found you.” Smiling down at the woman, Alex kissed away her tears. “Me too, Baby, me too."

  Chapter 36

  Kelly woke with a start from her dream the next morning. She had dreamed that Alex had asked for her hand in marriage, but on the day of the wedding, Lilly showed up and kidnapped her. Shivering as she looked around, she cuddled up to Alex's back, draping her arm over the woman's side. Pressing a kiss to the base of Alex's neck, Kelly whispered "Good morning, love.” Alex groaned, pulling the covers over her head. Chuckling, Kelly reached up and squeezed Alex's bare breast. Groaning again, Alex's eyes shot open and she rolled onto her back to look up at Kelly. “Morning, Baby.” She said sleepily. Laying her head on Alex's shoulder, Kelly smiled, enjoying what it felt like to be held.

  In the past, she had been the one to hold her lover on the rare occasion they stayed the whole night. She had been experiencing so many firsts with Alex that at times it was overwhelming. “Did you sleep alright?” Alex asked, bringing her out of her thoughts. “No, not really, I had a nightmare.” Kelly replied. “Do you want to talk about it?” Alex asked, concern in her voice. “No, I don't remember what it was. I'll be fine.” She lied, not wanting Alex to know she was still worried about Lilly. Pulling Kelly close, Alex kissed the top of the woman's head. “I'm sorry you had a nightmare, babe.” She said. Kelly looked up at her and smiled, “No need to be sorry, love. It wasn't your fault.” Alex let out an exaggerated sigh of relief, “Whew, that's good to hear. I thought maybe my sex skills were off and gave you nightmares.” Kelly snorted, playfully poking Alex in the breast. “Oh no, ma'am. Your skills are nowhere near off. I might not be able to walk today, but you definitely did not cause the nightmare.” Puffing out her chest, Alex beamed with pride. “Ahh thanks, babe. It always makes for a good morning when one wakes up to an ego boost like that.” She said.

  Laughing Kelly got out of bed and headed for the bathroom. Looking over her shoulder, Kelly asked, “What time do we have to go pick up the kids?” Sitting up in bed, Alex replied "About ten. We're supposed to pick up Zane and head over to Angie's. She and Steve have something they want to tell us, so she figured we could all have lunch and talk.” Nodding, Kelly went about doing her morning routine. When she had finished showering and brushing her teeth, she opened the bathroom door to find Alex scrambling to get dressed. “What's wrong?” She asked, alarmed. “We're late!” Alex replied, pointing to the clock on the dresser. Checking the time, Kelly was shocked that it was nearly 11:00. While Alex went into the bathroom to finish getting ready, Kelly went off to do the same.

  Ten minutes later, the two pulled up in front of a small bungalow style home painted pale green. Before Alex could get out, Zane came trundling down the walkway and got into the car. “It's about time, Mom.” He said, nonplussed
. Apologizing to her son, Alex pulled away from the curb and headed for Angie's house. When the group arrived, Alex let them into the house and called out an apology to Angie. Sending Zane off to find the other kids, Alex and Kelly went in search of Angie. Finding the woman sitting with her husband on the back deck, the pair offered another apology. “It's ok Sis, next time I will just assume you are going to be an hour late.” Angie replied, smiling playfully. Alex sat next to Steve and pulled Kelly down into her lap. Smiling at the two women, Steve playfully threw his arm around Alex's shoulder and asked, “How you doin?” Punching the man playfully, Angie told him to shut up. Alex and Kelly snorted in unison, causing the four of them to laugh uproariously.

  When they had calmed down, Alex asked her sister, “So what did you want to talk to us about?” Excusing himself, Steve went into the house and brought back a bottle of wine and a six pack of beer. “Well,” Angie said once the group had their drinks, “as you know, my and Steve's anniversary is on Tuesday.” Getting a nod from Alex and congratulations from Kelly, Angie continued. “Well since school doesn’t get out until Friday, we decided to put off leaving for our trip until Saturday morning. We were wondering if you two wouldn't mind watching the kids for us so we don't have to beg and plead to find a babysitter.” She finished looking pleadingly at her sister. Looking to Kelly for her opinion, Alex noticed the confusion on her face. “What's wrong babe?” She asked. Shaking her head, Kelly smiled, “Nothing's wrong, and personally I wouldn't mind watching the kids, but why would you have to beg and plead?” Laughing out loud, Steve answered, “We have gone through just about every person in this city who provides child care. And not a single one of them is still willing to watch the kids again. Our boys have done a wonderful job of scaring away potential caregivers.” Laughing at the look of resignation on Steve's face, Kelly replied "Well if Alex doesn't mind, I'm in. I will watch the kids for you. How long are you going to be gone?”