Keep Her Forever

by Maria Jackson

  After pulling on a deep red V-neck, I put my hand on my hip and gave my reflection a wink. I felt different. Good. Sexy.

  A knock came on the door. “What’s going on in there?” Topaz called.

  “I’m loving what you picked for me.” I spun to look at my ass in the jeans I’d just put on. “Going to take almost everything, aside from a couple that didn’t hang right.” Even the fit was almost always perfect.

  “Good. You better model for me at home.”

  A few minutes later, I came out and took my purchases up to the counter. Before I could take out my wallet, Topaz was handing her card to the cashier. I yelped and tried to block her hand, but she was too quick. The lady gave us a patient smile as she swiped the card.

  “You didn’t have to do that,” I said as we made our way out to our cars.

  “I wanted to.” Topaz paused at the head of a row of cars. “I’ve been thinking. I wasn’t sure about keeping Diamond before, but I wouldn’t feel right letting anyone else have her. I think I’d like to adopt her. I want to keep her forever.”

  “That’s a good idea. You should keep her.”

  She put her arm around my waist. “What about you? Even after you’ve seen me at my worst, can I keep you too?”

  I didn’t have to think twice. I may have seen her at her lowest earlier than I would’ve liked, but now I knew her—the real her, not the one she wanted to show the world. And I still liked her… maybe even more than like.

  I leaned into her, my head on her shoulder. “Yes, Tope. You can keep me, too.”

  TWENTY-THREE—TOPAZ

  I shifted the plastic bags in my hands as we walked in the front door. Heidi carried two or three more. She’d been surprisingly willing to consider new things, and I was going to love seeing how she looked in the new clothes.

  “Yes, we’re back,” Heidi said to Diamond, who was jumping onto her leg. “You’re going to get your food and go outside. Give us a minute to put these clothes away.”

  “I’ll take them upstairs and you can deal with her and the puppies.”

  “You don’t have to do that. You already paid for the clothes.”

  “It’s all right. I don’t mind at all.” My intention all along was to make it a present. It’d be more than worth it for how her new look was going to turn me on. Hopefully her new style wouldn’t lead to anyone else trying to steal her.

  “All right.” She gave me a meaningful look. “Why don’t I just meet you upstairs after?”

  My pulse sped up, and I nodded. I took the stairs two at a time, the bags heavy in my hands. When I got up there, I tore the tags off the clothes and threw them in the laundry hamper, finishing right before Heidi made it to the door.

  “How are you feeling?” she asked.

  “Still kind of sad,” I said. “But… better.”

  “Me, too.” Her arms were around me, and I leaned my head on her shoulder. She felt so solid and supportive, like I could rely on her being there.

  “I need you,” I said. I really did. I needed to feel her skin against my skin, her warmth heating my body. I wanted to be with her and, for a few minutes, not be alone.

  Her hands found the hem of my shirt, and we kissed until we had to break apart. She pulled hers off next and then we stood for a few minutes, just touching and stroking each other.

  I’d never get enough of her body. She was perfection. I loved every curve, every nook and hollow. I ran my hands over the freckles on her shoulder. I’d already memorized every one.

  “Do you want to have sex?” Heidi whispered.

  The answer was yes. It felt almost necessary. I needed to bring Heidi pleasure, to be close with her.

  I nodded. “I’m not going to fuck you,” I warned. “This is going to be… making love.”

  “That sounds like exactly what I need.” Heidi’s eyes were sincere and vulnerable.

  “Let’s take this slow,” I said, stripping off one article of clothing at a time. Heidi’s body emerged, piece by piece, each more amazing than the last.

  She did the same to me, and then I switched out the light. I wanted it to be dim in here, romantic.

  A second later, we were both on the bed, and I bent to kiss Heidi’s neck. She let out a few little gasps, making choked sounds of pleasure as I moved my hand down between her legs. She was already wet for me, and I took a second to stroke her clit lightly before sliding my fingers inside.

  Her tightness and heat made my groin ache. I never got used to feeling her like this. The sheer eroticism of being inside her had me yearning for more.

  Heidi shivered on the end of my fingers, and then she was reaching between my legs. The contact made me squirm and gasp. She stroked at me, tracing circles with the tip of her fingers, then pressing inside.

  She seemed determined, so I let go of her and lay back, spreading my legs wide. She pushed in further, filling me with her fingers. Just as I was starting to moan, she did something new. My legs shook, and my fingers tore involuntarily at the sheets.

  “What are you doing to me?” I panted.

  “Secret gay stuff. You’ll learn how to do it soon enough, if you want to find out.”

  I did, I definitely did. But right now, I could only lie back and enjoy it. My hips bucked up from the mattress, my butt dragging along the sheet. I was so turned on, like never before. If any part of me was still thinking about my recent troubles, those worries disappeared now. I couldn’t focus on anything but Heidi’s hands on me.

  Then with another stroke of those fingers, everything seemed to combust. My body seized and shook, and a shameless groan came out of me as I came back to reality.

  “What… was… that?” I panted, rolling over.

  She gave me a self-satisfied smirk. “Allow me to introduce you to your G-spot.”

  “That was my G-spot? It’s always been there? And I never knew about it?”

  She nodded, clearly laughing at me. “I didn’t give you a new body part, no.”

  “But I had no idea. That’s what I’ve been doing to you all this time? When I curl my fingers inside you, you don’t go out of your mind like that.”

  “Oh, I do.” She put her hands on my thighs, squeezing them gently. “I’m more used to it, but trust me, you’re blowing my mind every time.”

  I sure had a lot to learn. “You feel like teaching me any more of that secret gay stuff?”

  “My pleasure.”

  She dipped between my legs, setting her tongue on me as she gripped my thighs. The soft caress was relaxing after the powerful climax she’d just given me. I moaned softly, enjoying the way she knew just how to handle me.

  As her tongue flicked expertly, I thought about how grateful I was for what I had. I’d come so close to losing it—first through stupidity and suppressing my sexuality, then through stupidity and suppressing my emotions. I almost drove her away because I couldn’t just speak to her. But now I was sure we’d never be apart.

  She eased a finger or two into me, and I groaned and writhed some more. My throat was tight, and I barely recognized the sounds that were coming out of me. She pushed her fingers into me deeply, making me remember what she’d done a minute ago.

  “You okay?” Heidi asked, moving up to kiss me.

  “I have a question,” I gasped out. “Is it possible to hit my G-spot when you’re doing this?”

  “When I’m doing what?”

  “You know.” Struggling to breathe, I gestured at us. “This.”

  “What, this? What are you talking about? I can’t quite understand.”

  She was evil. I tried to sigh, but it came out as a long, drawn out groan. “When you’re licking me, okay? Is that what you want to hear? I want to know if you can hit my G-spot while you’re licking my clit.”

  “Well, all you had to do was ask,” Heidi said.

  She adjusted her hand ever so slightly, and then the world went white.

  TWENTY-FOUR—HEIDI

  The white box shifted on the car seat and I glanced ove
r at it, slightly worried it’d get squashed before I got home. It didn’t matter that much, it wouldn’t take away from the taste, but I wanted to see Topaz’s face when I took it out. I was sure she’d want to take some pictures with it, too.

  After pulling into the driveway, I turned the key in the ignition and got out, balancing the box carefully in my hands.

  When Topaz saw me, she raised an eyebrow. “What’s that?”

  I pulled it away from her, giving her a flirty smile. “It’s not for you.”

  She pried at the top. “Oh, no? Who’s it for?”

  I set it down on the floor in front of the whelping box. As soon as I opened it, five excited puppies and one larger dog ran up to it, sniffing and panting. “It’s for them,” I said.

  “You got the dog cake?”

  “Of course I did. How could I not do anything for their monthday? Especially when we won’t have them for much longer.”

  Topaz’s face fell, and I wondered if I’d said the wrong thing. But she brightened a moment later. “We have to enjoy our time with them.”

  “Exactly.”

  I watched with glee as the puppies took stock of the cake. It was frosted with blue icing and looked just like a real cake, but it was made of dog food and treats underneath. On top, it read “Happy One Month Birthday.”

  The puppies seemed to be figuring out what the cake was, and they got icing all over their little faces as they examined it closer. They were looking more and more like real dogs, but they were still miniature.

  “Oh my gosh, let me get some pictures of it!” Topaz ran for her camera.

  As they ate, I got down on the floor next to them. Topaz soon joined me. I toyed with Dorkbrain’s tail, and Topaz rubbed Dumbnuts’ belly. Dingbat ran from one end of the cake to the other, and Dillhole planted himself face down in the middle.

  The puppies were tiny and squirmy and ridiculous, and I loved every one of them.

  Diamond sniffled around, making sure the cake was safe before she’d let any of her kids try it. She took a tentative lick, at last deciding she approved. Then she took larger bites, making sure to leave enough to share with her children.

  They’d been eating some solid food, although they still nursed quite often. We’d keep them for another couple of weeks before they got adopted.

  “You know what this means, don’t you?” Topaz asked, looking at me adoringly.

  “What’s it mean?”

  “If this is their one-month birthday, then our one-month anniversary is next week.”

  “One month, huh?” I bit my lip. “One month since our first date?”

  “Exactly.”

  “So, if we’ve been dating for one month, does that mean…”

  Her mouth opened slightly. “What? That we need to go on a special date?”

  “I was going to ask…”

  We still hadn’t used any labels about our relationship, and I figured it was about time to start. My uncertainty about Topaz’s feelings was gone. No one could make love like we had the other day without being at least a little bit in love.

  She fit me perfectly… in more ways than one. I just needed to hear that from her lips before I could completely relax into my new identity as half of a couple.

  “I want to take you out for a surprise date,” she said.

  “Really?” My question was forgotten. “What do you want to do?”

  “It wouldn’t be much of a surprise if I tell you.”

  I got home from work on the thirtieth, wondering if Topaz was going to follow through on her promise. She hadn’t mentioned a surprise date again, and we’d spent every moment of our free time together.

  If she didn’t have anything planned, I intended to take her out for a nice dinner. I had no issues with doing that for a one-month anniversary. This was by far the best relationship I’d ever been in. But part of me hoped she’d have something planned.

  When I got in the house, Topaz looked me up and down. “Good, you changed out of your uniform.”

  I’d put on one of the outfits she’d picked out for me: a striped button-down with straight-leg jeans. “Yeah, I wasn’t sure if you wanted to do something. Happy one month, by the way.” I kept my tone casual, just in case.

  “Glad you’re wearing something decent, because I need a good picture with you.” The excitement in her voice made me look at her carefully. “My blog followers are pretty curious about you,” she continued.

  “You came out on your blog?”

  “I posted that I’d been dating someone for a month, and they somehow figured out you were a girl. Anyway, let’s take a selfie.” She pulled me in and held up her phone.

  I gave a big smile to the camera, which wasn’t hard to do. Topaz put a smile on my face every single day. “Dating someone,” though… She didn’t say girlfriend…

  “There we go,” she said, clicking a few times to post the picture. “That was your first surprise.”

  I made a mental note to check her blog and see what her followers thought. Hopefully I’d be stylish enough for them. “Do you think they’ll like my look?”

  “Uh… maybe. I mentioned you’re a work in progress, so they all know you’re my newest pet project.”

  “Fair enough. What’s the next surprise?” I kind of hoped it involved food, and I wasn’t disappointed.

  Topaz opened the door to the cupboard, behind which there were a couple of take-out bags. “I had to hide them so you wouldn’t smell it,” she explained. “I hope it’s still hot. Two more surprises after this.”

  Now that the food was out, my mouth watered more with every sniff. “Beef and broccoli? With black bean sauce?”

  “I know what you like,” she said with a wink.

  “You sure do.”

  We sat down and ate, although I was still wondering what the other surprises might be.

  By the time we were finished eating, I was dying to know. “What’s the next surprise?”

  “Well, this one is probably more exciting for me than for you, but I think you’ll be happy for me.” She pulled out her phone and opened a series of text messages. It seemed to be a group chat with her mom and dad.

  “I texted them about Christmas,” she said. “I figured it might be easier to write to them than to talk on the phone. That way they wouldn’t react based on their immediate emotions. And as much as they pretend not to have any, I know they really do.”

  If they were anything like her, they might have responded without understanding their own feelings. Topaz was right. If they had time to process what she said to them, they might be able to understand it better and give her a more measured reaction.

  Topaz: Hey Mom, hey Dad. I just wanted to say hi. We haven’t talked in a couple days, and I wanted to send you a message that you can read and respond to when you’re calm.

  Topaz: My sexuality is not a phase, and it’s not going to change. You can’t get rid of it by pretending it’s not for real. I can’t change who I am, so you’re going to have to either accept me or lose me.

  Topaz: I really hope you aren’t the type of parents who’d uninvite me from Christmas and disown me for something like the way I was born. I can’t help who I am or who I love.

  Topaz: Please remember I’m the same daughter you’ve always had. Nothing has changed except that I’m being honest with myself and with you. I’m here if you want to talk.

  A few hours had passed before her parents responded, according to the timestamps. I glanced up at Topaz before reading on. “I was so nervous waiting for the answer,” she said. “I really thought I might lose them forever. But that’d be better than faking who I am to make them happy.”

  “You did good,” I said, then scrolled down to read what they said.

  Mom: Well, you don’t give us much choice. We do love you, you know, and nothing would ever change that. You could be a murderer on death row and as your mother, I’d still love you.

  Dad: We don’t agree with this new direction you’re taking in life. B
ut we will do our best to support you.

  Mom: Perhaps we can talk about this over dinner sometime. We’re not quite ready to meet the new person in your life yet, but you can tell us about her if you’d like.

  Topaz: That sounds like a good start. She’s amazing, by the way. You’d like her if you gave her a chance.

  “This is a big surprise for me,” I said, my heart swelling as I saw the joy on Topaz’s face. “I’m so happy for you—and a little bit for me, since your parents don’t hate me anymore. I’m excited for the next surprise!”

  Topaz was clearly very good at surprises, because she kept quiet about what it could be. She took me into the car without giving me the slightest hint. Even as we started to drive, I had no idea what could be coming next.

  I started to get an idea about ten minutes in, when the paths we were taking began to look familiar. But it wasn’t until we pulled up in front of the animal shelter that I became certain.

  “Okay, I know where we are now,” I said, looking around at the one-story gray building I knew so well. “But what are we doing here?”

  “You are really bad at getting surprised.” She rolled her eyes at me, then ran ahead.

  “Hey, this is my date. You’re supposed to at least pay attention to me!”

  She turned back to look at me. “Hurry up, then! I’m too excited to walk slowly.”

  The lady at the desk greeted both of us, recognizing my face, but quickly recognizing Topaz’s name as well. “You’re the one I spoke to on the phone,” she said. I glanced at her name tag, refreshing my memory—Sharon. I’d dealt with her a few times over the years.

  What had Topaz been calling her about? I followed the two of them through the building, all the way back to the dog enclosure.

  “What are we doing back here? What’s going on?” I had too many questions.

  “This is Anabelle,” the lady said. “She’s going to be so excited to meet you.”

  “What?” I looked at Topaz. The first answer only brought up more questions. Didn’t we have more than enough dogs already?

  Anabelle was a German shepherd. Like Diamond, she’d clearly been through a lot. She looked a little roughed up, with a scar on her ear and one glassy eye. She had to be half blind, but she was gorgeous.