by Tonie Chacon
Megan smiled back, feeling warm inside. She hoped she hadn’t blushed.
“All right then, ladies, let’s put the two of you here.” He pointed to a spot on the floor. Alice stood on the spot he had indicated. Alice held out her hands and Emily took them into hers.
“You look beautiful,” Emily said, smiling at Alice. “But I wonder, the hairpin? It is a striking piece. But why did you not wear the snowflake?”
Alice put her hand to her hair. “Oh, I borrowed this hairpin from Frances. It matches the dress. I thought the snowflake was a bit much with everything else for my outfit. I hope you don’t mind?”
If Megan didn’t already know about the special friendship the two women had, she would have known it then. They looked like women in love. She glanced at Frances to see if she had noticed anything. She had, and she clearly wasn’t happy about it, but she didn’t seem surprised. Was Megan the only one who didn’t know about special friendships between women? And who was Frances’s pout about? Alice? Or Emily?
“All right, hold it there please. Do what you just did. Hold it. Look at each other. Keep holding hands. Yes, that’s it.” Poof! Another flash and another cloud of blue smoke rose up. “Now, one of you sit and the other stand behind. Good, now lean down and pretend to whisper something into her ear. There, that’s it. Perfect. Hold it.” Poof!
“Goodness gracious,” Frances said. “How many photographs are you taking?”
“Right, that’s enough of the two of you. Now let’s get the other two in here and do it again. I hope you were watching. All right, you and you here, and you looking at them. Raise your arms like you are describing something. You know, talk with your hands. Good, hold it, hooold it.” Poof! The blue smoke rose above in a circular pattern once again. “All right, how about this time I put you here, and you and you over here, facing each other? Hold it.” Poof! “Good, good, these will be available for your review here tomorrow afternoon, after two p.m., then. Sign here, madam, and here with your cabin number and I shall get started on these at once. Thank you for your time and graciousness.” He bowed and stepped back, then wandered away completely.
The women left the studio and gathered in a small circle all talking at once and laughing. Alice pointed to some deck chairs and the others followed.
“I certainly hope he got some good shots, with our best side showing, of course,” Emily said haughtily.
“Which is my best side?” Frances asked. “This?” She posed one way. “Or this?” She posed in a different manner completely, mostly showing off her backside doing her best to pose sexy.
They all laughed at her and then started a discussion about her derrière. The dinner bell gonged with two short rounds, indicating that the meal would be served in a half hour. They wandered toward the elevator. They all rode up to A deck and got out to walk Emily to her suite. They said goodbye to her and Megan and Alice walked Frances down to her suite, and then they descended the grand staircase to their own room.
ALICE CLOSED THE door to their cabin and looked over at Megan. “Would you like another lesson on kissing? We do have a little time.”
“All right, if you think it’s a good idea? I wasn’t sure the way you were eyeing Emily in those pictures we just took,” Megan said.
“But, I was thinking of you,” Alice said. She had thought of nothing else since they were interrupted by Frances. Megan’s appearance in Alice’s dress was very distracting. Even now, she had difficulty keeping her eyes away from Megan’s magnificent bosom.
She took Megan’s hands and drew her down to her bed. Alice leaned forward to capture Megan’s lips with her own. How nicely they fit. It felt so wonderful. She wondered if Megan was feeling the same vibrations in her soul as she was. Alice had decided to let Megan take the lead. If she wanted more, she would take it. Her body would show her what she needed.
Alice felt hands on her backside, and her kiss turned into a smile. Megan wanted more. The hands moved to Alice’s front and stopped. “I don’t know what I’m doing,” Megan said, “but it feels good. I love the way your mouth feels with mine.”
Alice kissed her to shut her up. “No talking please, unless you can tell me with your tongue.” Alice kissed her again and probed just a bit with her tongue to see how Megan would react. Her insides tingled as Megan’s tongue tentatively touched hers. She reminded herself to let Megan take the lead. We have time, she kept telling herself. She wanted to touch Megan in certain places but she dared not. Let Megan find her pleasures on her own. She would just guide her. My Lord, this was harder than she had ever imagined. She wanted to hold Megan’s breasts, to feel the full weight of them in her hands. She brought her hands up Megan’s back and pulled her closer. Her palms came up Megan’s sides to her bosoms.
Stop! Alice pulled back. Megan was breathing heavily, her breasts rising with every intake of air, her eyes watching Alice, so eager. Lord help her.
What was she doing? Megan had never even been kissed before today, and here Alice was almost ravishing her with no finesse at all. They needed to stop.
Alice sat up. “My dear, there’s so little time before the dinner hour. I want my first time with you to be very special.”
“I already know it will be. I’m willing to skip dinner, how about you?” Megan said breathlessly as she went to kiss Alice once more.
“No. I need to make it right for you. It’s not time yet. We have our whole lives ahead of us. Patience, Megan, it’s a virtue.” Alice kissed her quick.
Megan sighed. “Yes, but why does dinner have to be now?”
Chapter Sixteen
12 April 1912 — Evening
MEGAN LOOKED AT her friends gathered at the table after dinner. “Colin mentioned that he’d be playing in the Second Class lounge tonight. Would anyone like to join me there?”
Alice smiled over at Megan and said, “It does sound like fun. They might play that song I’ve been listening for. You know the one that goes like this, hum, hum m hum.”
“Yes, we remember,” Megan said quickly, cutting her off from humming more. Megan grinned at Frances and tried not to laugh. Alice joined in their smiles, though she wasn’t in on the joke.
“Why would we go down there?” Ethan asked. “Just for your brother? I like you and everything, you know, but it is Second Class.” Ethan gave a small jerk, as if he had been kicked from under the table.
Emily smiled sweetly over at him. “Perhaps we can persuade this group to play that little game? Hmm? The one we played when you met Geoffrey?”
Ethan smiled.
“Yes, we will join you, won’t we Ethan?”
“Yes, that does sound fun,” Ethan said through his teeth.
They were all laughing when they entered the Second Class dining lounge.
Megan compared the two dining areas she had been to. They were alike in the décor of the etched window panel screens and the wood brocaded chairs. The tables were still covered in white linen but the plates were of a different design. They also had folded the napkins on top of the plates like little pyramids. All very elegant, and it ran the width of the ship. They could sit on either side they wanted.
“This isn’t so bad, now is it Ethan?” Emily asked.
“No, I suppose not,” Ethan replied. “Let’s get to drinking so I can forget where I am and have some fun.” He went to the bar and talked with the waiter.
They sat down far in the back and waited for others to arrive. A waiter arrived with two pitchers of beer and six mugs. Ethan followed and poured the brew into the glasses. Megan was busy handing them out when Colin arrived, holding hands with Alexandria.
Megan said, “Good, you are both here. Just in time for the first toast. Excuse me sir, but we need one more glass please, thank you. Now, everyone, here is to you, my brother Colin, for a fine fare of music that you will play. Drink up, there is more to go around.” Megan drank her whole glass.
“My goodness, it’s good and cold,” Ethan said. “Don’t know why the English like their beer wa
rm. I do not, but it’s all right, as long as you keep drinking.”
Round two progressed with more toasts and more pitchers. Finally Colin said, “No more for me, I need to keep some wits about me. I do have to play tonight.”
“No, you really don’t,” Megan said with the bluster of two full glasses of beer in her belly. “You have no promises to keep to anyone but yourself. You are not a member of the orchestra so you don’t have to go play. You want to go play. There’s a big difference.”
“Well, before you leave,” Emily said, “could I entice you with an experiment on kissing? Interested, hmm?”
Megan’s ears perked at the idea of kissing. The idea of someone else’s lips on hers, besides Alice’s? Hmm.
Colin replied, “Well, I think it depends on who is doing the kissing. I have to tell you right now, I won’t kiss my sister. Do I get to kiss you?”
“All in good time,” Emily said. “You may not know this, but Ethan and I are twins. The reason I want to do this little experiment is that I’ve always wondered, being a twin, whether we do these things alike, and I wonder if it is the same for all siblings. Kissing, that is.” Emily smiled. “You and Megan for instance. The only way I know to find out if you kiss alike is for one person to kiss you both and compare. I will not be kissing my brother either, in case some of you were wondering. Ethan and I already know we have different kissing styles.”
“I get it,” Colin said. “I don’t have to kiss my sister, but you do.” He howled with laughter.
Megan’s cheeks got hot at the thought of it. Kissed by two women in one day? She could hardly wait.
“Why don’t we four set our chairs in a row and each sit down?” Emily asked. “Me, Ethan, Colin, and Megan. Each one of us will take a turn kissing the others. Kiss, then switch, kiss, and then switch again, like trading dance partners.” They set up their chairs as directed. “Oh, don’t forget to drink in between, that’s very important. Then we will tally up the scores to crown our best kisser. Are you all game?”
“Yes, it sounds like fun,” Frances said. She turned to Alice. “And you’re not my sister.” She smiled brightly at Alice.
“Now, it’s my game,” Emily said, “so I will go first.”
Emily rose, took a huge swig of her beer, and wandered over to Colin. Before leaning down, Emily looked at Megan and smiled, as if she knew how anxiously Megan awaited her turn. Emily leaned down to put her mouth upon Colin’s. For a moment nothing could be seen happening, but then Colin took over matters and pulled Emily onto his lap.
“Say,” Colin said, finally raising his head, “I like this game.”
“Well, umm, yes,” Emily said, pushing herself up from Colin’s lap, “that was lovely. Let’s move on.” She stumbled back to her glass and drank hungrily. She set it down and stood before Megan’s chair.
“I’ve not had but a few kisses in my lifetime,” Megan warned, “so I’ve not had the practice of most, I expect.” She closed her eyes as Emily’s mouth came down on hers. Another pair of soft lips, and she felt a tongue slightly probing an invitation, much gentler than Uncle Max. She opened her mouth slightly, and Emily’s tongue swept in and just about devoured her. She moved her tongue to meet Emily’s and the two brushed. No one had told her about this. This feeling of, she wasn’t sure, but she liked it. She was just about ready to do like Colin and pull Emily into her own lap when the kiss abruptly came to an end. Megan touched her lips. She was certainly receiving an education this day.
“All right then,” Emily said breathlessly, “that was, both of you, lovely. Just lovely.” She sat down and put her fingers to her own lips. “Who’s next?”
Ethan rose and started over to Colin. Emily said, “Ethan,” and he veered instead toward Megan. She smiled brightly up at him, her cheeks glowing hot.
Ethan leaned down and put his lips on hers. Hmm, they were softer than she thought they would be. There was no tongue probing, like with Emily. It was just a brotherly kiss, really. He finished quickly, stood back, and turned to Colin.
Colin sat there looking a little scared, and Megan tried not to laugh. He hadn’t thought about the whole agreement. He’d thought only about kissing the women, not of kissing Ethan. He made a mad dash for his glass. Draining it, he said, “More please.” He drank down another, straightened his shoulders, and said bravely, “I’m ready if you are.”
Ethan lowered his mouth to capture Colin’s in his. Ethan seemed more excited about kissing Colin than he had been about kissing Megan, and Megan wondered if he and his sister were twins in that manner too, in preferring to kiss their own gender. How curious. She’d never even known there were people like that, and now she seemed to be surrounded by them.
Colin, however, was having none of it. He kept his face scrunched up tight and his lips locked as if Ethan were trying to poison him. Ethan gave up, and Colin expelled a huge sigh of relief.
Ethan exclaimed, “My Lord. It wasn’t that bad. I’ll have you know I have been told by many that I am a fabulous kisser. Don’t listen to him ladies. You can all try me yourselves and then we will decide.” Ethan walked back to his chair and sat down.
A laughing Alexandria stood and said, “Oui, I would like the opportunity to kiss. Let me be next. I like this game. Just let me finish my beer and I will start with you.” She pointed at Ethan and moved her finger down the line until she got to Colin. “And I shall finish with you.”
Alexandria giggled as she kissed Ethan and Emily and Megan. By the time she got to Colin, which was her goal all along, her face was flushed. She was a dainty girl, and young, and she’d had too much beer and too many kisses in far too short a time. She had barely touched her lips to Colin’s when she suddenly put a hand to her mouth and bolted from the room.
“Hey, wait.” Colin jumped up and ran after her.
“Oh dear,” Alice said. “We’re down to only one gentleman.”
“That’s all you ever had,” Ethan said, and Emily slapped him on the arm.
Alice rose and started toward Ethan, but first glanced down the line at Megan and Emily. She winked.
Megan caught her breath, but she heard Emily gasp at the same time. Megan peeked at her. She was smiling. Which of them was Alice’s wink intended for? Emily thought it was for her, but Megan wasn’t so sure.
Alice gave Ethan a quick brotherly kiss and moved on to Emily, who opened her arms wide. Alice placed her hand on the base of Emily’s neck and pulled her close. Megan was close enough to see their lips meet and move and she could tell when their tongues touched. Megan licked her own lips and awaited her turn.
Finally Alice stood before Megan. She gave Megan a smile as if to say, relax, it’s just me. Megan smiled back and tried to send her a look that said, yes, please kiss me. She closed her eyes and waited. Alice leaned down and captured Megan’s lips in a soft kiss, barely grazing but oh so electrifying. Megan wanted more. She opened her lips and felt Alice’s tongue. The kiss deepened and Megan found herself lost in the feel of Alice’s mouth. Oh, how they fit.
Alice broke the kiss and stepped back, wobbled a bit, and said, “Where’s that brother of yours? I need to do some comparrishoms.” Her speech slurred a bit.
“I’m right behind you,” Colin said, returning to the group. “Alexandria’s getting some fresh air.”
“There you are,” Alice said. “Give me those Mahoney lips. I’ll tell you if they drip like honey or not.” She grabbed Colin’s jacket and pulled him to her. She latched her mouth to his and appeared to suck the life out of his face.
Megan watched in dismay. Was she going to have to worry about Colin too?
“Whoa, whoa, slow down, you wild thing, you,” Colin laughed. “I already have one sick female on my hands. I don’t need two. I just came back to grab Violet.” Colin stuck his hand under the table and came out with his violin case. Colin gave Wally, the conductor, a wave and took his leave with Violet.
Ethan stood up at this point and said, “I think I shall adjourn to the Turkish baths. I
was meeting some others there after midnight and it’s that time now. It has been a pleasure. Thank you for the most enjoyable experiment. Emily, I’m sure you will give me the details of the tally of the votes.” He bowed and did a military about face and walked away.
“So, it’s just us girls, once again,” Emily said. “That was a delightful experiment. Did anyone learn anything? I must say that you all have incredibly warm, soft lips. It was a pleasure I will think about for years.”
“Wait,” Frances wailed. “I never got a turn. It’s not fair.”
So they all remained sitting and let Frances kiss them one at a time. Only Emily appeared to enjoy it, but even she had lost much of her interest. “I’m tired,” Emily said. “Would someone escort me to my suite?” She glanced at Alice.
Megan felt a sense of let down as she waited for Emily and Alice to go off together again, like they had last night.
But Alice didn’t speak. Instead, Frances said, “Yes, I will. You are on my way anyway.” Frances stood up, wobbled a little, and grabbed for Emily to steady her. “Hold my hand so I can help you, Emily. Oops, it seems that the drink has gotten the better of me. Thank you for helping me. Oh, that’s right, I’m supposed to help you. Ha ha to you.”
As they stumbled out, Frances said, “You know, you have the most amazing lips. They are so soft. Do you realize how soft they are? No, of course you don’t. They’re your lips. You’ve always had them. Hee hee.”
Emily turned back to Alice, raised her eyebrow, mouthed something, and nodded.
Megan looked at Alice, but Alice did nothing to indicate she agreed or had even seen. She simply took a drink from her glass and watched them walk away.
Megan turned to Alice and said, “Are you sure you’re all right? You look a bit pale.”
“No, no, I’m fine, but I do think I should stop drinking. I’m thinking a stroll about the deck should suffice in helping me gain my wits about me. Join me.” She strung her arm through Megan’s and tugged her along with a slightly uneven gait.