Chapter 208

It was almost two weeks since Randi had shredded Laura's back with her fingernails in the middle of a searing, sexually-charged catfight that had erupted into hours of some of the most thrilling fucking Laura had ever experienced. Meanwhile, as she healed, Deshona Reed had been calling her nearly every day. Laura had lied and prevaricated, all the while longing as desperately to see Deshona as Deshona was to see her.

But even though she was genuinely, authentically in love with Deshona, since she had seen her last Laura had fucked with Randi, Earlene, Tiffany, Sholandra and Danny, and Kendra. And before she would see her again Tiffany called, wanting to have another booty contest, and she spent a devastatingly exciting afternoon-after school-fucking with Mavis, her darling teenager with the 'fuck-me' eyes.

When she called Deshona that evening, finally ready to see her again, her back healed completely, Deshona was strangely distant and cold.

"I need to see you," Laura said. "God, I've missed you. When can I see you?"

Silence. Then painful silence. "Oh... maybe Friday," Deshona finally said, very remote.

Laura tried not to panic. "What's the matter?"

Silence. "Nothing."

This was Tuesday. Waiting until Friday was unendurable. They had already waited nearly two weeks. "Deshona, I have to see you. I... love you."

"Maybe we better give the 'L' word a rest for a while."

"Something is wrong."

"No," Deshona said, airily. "Call me Friday. We'll see."

"Don't hang up!" Laura said, now beginning to panic. She calmed herself, her voice. "Please don't hang up."

"I wasn't."

"You're so distant... so cold."

"That's what you liked about me, wasn't it? The challenge?"

Oh god, Laura thought. She's pulling away. She's suspicious, jealous. "I love you," she repeated. "It has nothing to do with a challenge. I'm dying to see you... to-"

"Don't go on," Deshona interrupted.

"Deshona, what's the matter?" Laura almost whined, hating herself both for whining and for giving Deshona cause for suspicion.

"Are you sure you weren't seeing... some other people during the past week or so?" Deshona asked calmly, with almost eerie coolness, like a clever prosecutor.

Laura had to compose herself in order not to protest too much and thereby seem guilty. She swallowed. "No one. I've been dying for you the whole time."

More silence. Again, painful silence. "I see."

"I want to drive down and see you right now," Laura said.

"Oh no, don't do that."

"Why? Is there someone else there?"

Deshona giggled softly. "Actually, there is."

Laura's heart sank. Her stomach churned with what felt like battery acid.

"I got a dog," Deshona laughed softly. "You better not come. She's very jealous."

"Just like you," Laura said. "I'm coming."

"No, don't. I don't want you to. I'll let you go now. Call me Friday. Or maybe Saturday. Bye, Laura."

Laura couldn't recall when she had last been so agitated. Her mind seemed a total blur as she drove to Burlingame, finding the way up into the hills where Deshona's house was as if by instinct or unconscious memory. She parked outside and called Deshona on her cellular phone.

"Laura?" Still distant, suspicious, aloof.

"I'm outside your house," Laura said. "In fact, if you look out the window, you can probably see my car."

"You shouldn't have come. I don't want to see you. Tonight," Deshona added as an afterthought.

"Please. Please just talk to me. I can explain everything. Just let me."

Laura wondered if that were the wrong thing to say. Did it now sound like there was something that needed explaining? As she had all evening, Deshona was not responding. There was total silence on the line. Laura could not even hear her breathing.

"I'm going to come up the steps and ring the bell," Laura said. "Please let me in. Please."

"Don't, Laura-"

But this time Laura cut her off first, shutting off the phone and getting out of the car. She realized her hand was trembling as she touched the car door handle. Get control of yourself, she thought. Be calm. If you believe it yourself, you can be convincing to her. I never slept with anyone since we were last together. No one. Just you. I love you.

She took a few deep breaths as she climbed the steps and pushed the door bell. Inside there was the muffled sound of a large dog barking. After an eternity, Deshona Reed opened the door. There was no expression on her face, which was as cold and impassive as Laura remembered it being for so long before the ice had thawed. The freeze was back. She didn't open the door widely either.

Laura was very submissive and placatory. She realized that unspilled tears were shining in her eyes. "Can I come in for a minute... only a minute?"

The dog growled and snuffled uncomfortably at Deshona's feet. It was a huge dog, a Rotweiler. She saw Laura's eyes looking at the dog. This softened her a little, and she opened the door wider.

"She won't hurt you. It's Molly, my new dog. Say hello to Laura, Molly."

Laura gave them both a tight smile. "Can I come in?"

Deshona shrugged, a shockingly unconcerned kind of shrug that made Laura feel pain in the very middle of her body, in her heart, in her stomach, in her brain. "You came all that way..." Deshona muttered, standing back to let her in.

It was a warm night, and Deshona was wearing shorts. Like Sholandra, she wasn't tall but had spectacular, beautifully shaped legs. She was darker than Sholandra too, and the smooth black skin of her legs shone in the soft interior light. Instead of the loose sweatshirt she had worn in the past, she was now wearing a white man's dress shirt unbuttoned down to the cleavage between her magnificent breasts, which swayed under it when she walked.

Knowing that she herself was under suspicion of being a sex maniac and two-timing lesbian who especially loved black women (all true, she thought with chagrin), Laura tried not to look too hungrily at Deshona. But the woman was so beautiful and fetching that Laura knew only a dead person wouldn't notice.

"You look... very beautiful," Laura said softly.

Deshona looked bored. "Thank you."

She made no move to ask Laura to sit, or to offer her anything. She just stared at her, seemingly without interest, waiting for Laura to speak. Laura was desperately uncomfortable, wanting Deshona, and wanting to break through the ice barrier, and feeling guilty for all the things she could not admit.

Laura felt a big tear sliding down one cheek. She hadn't known she was actually crying until now. She did know from experience that she had the ability to pull off a cheap manipulation with the best of them, and she hoped she wasn't doing it and yet hoped it would succeed. The tear slid down to her chin, where it tickled. She wiped it away.

"Don't cry, Laura," Deshona said softly.

Laura sucked it back. "I won't," she said, courageously.

"Come on in here. I'll get us a glass of wine," Deshona said, reluctantly giving in.

"You don't have to."

"Oh? You want me to let you go back out and drive all the way back to San Francisco feeling like that? I told you not to come."

"I had to."

Deshona poured each of them a glass of red wine in an expensive crystal goblet. She smirked at Laura as she offered her glass for a toast. "How's your friend with the braids?"

Laura returned the same tight smile she had given her at the front door. "Haven't seen her since you and I talked to her," she said with a straight face, taking a sip. "Is she the reason you're being so cold to me? I told you it was over."

"Over isn't always over," Deshona said, turning away, betraying the pain she felt for the first time.

Laura hated herself for what she heard coming out of her mouth. "Maybe you aren't over the guy who ran off with the blonde."

Now Deshona's eyes blurred briefly as she turned her face back to Laura. "I am."

"So am I." Oh god, I'm such a liar! Laura thought.

But she would do almost anything to get Deshona to warm up to her again. She understood the fear of rejection she had because of her ex-husband. And now, Deshona clearly suspected Laura of sleeping with others behind her back. Laura was desperate to deny it, but Deshona was very smart and also had the radar of the once-betrayed.

Deshona bit back her incipient tears. She bit her full, sensual lower lip, which Laura so desired to suck, and raised her glass again. "Here's to... being over it."

Laura clinked it gingerly with her own. They sipped, eyes locked together. Laura sat her wine glass down on the bar table, next to the open bottle. Her eyes burned into Deshona's. You can't deny me, she tried to say with her eyes. You want it. You've wanted it during this whole time we were apart. You're horny, you want me.

"Will Molly get upset if I kiss you?" she asked softly.

Deshona was implacable. "I don't want you to kiss me."

Laura bit the inside of her own lip, feeling another big tear slip out and slide down her cheek. "Is it over for us, then?"

"You tell me."

Laura was a little afraid of the dog, which sat quietly at Deshona's feet. A Rotweiler. She doesn't know me. But I have to risk it anyway.

She reached out one hand, one finger, and caressed Deshona's phenomenally smooth dark cheek, next to her mouth with infinite tenderness. I really do love you, you know, her eyes said. Laura's eyes then dropped to Deshona's sensual mouth. I'm going to kiss you. I'm going to force myself on you. If you really want to reject me, you better get ready to do it convincingly.

She brought up her other hand and held Deshona's face while quickly leaning close. Her mouth covered Deshona's, kissing her heatedly, ravenously from first touch of their lips. The dog whined softly at their feet. Deshona, surprised, awkwardly turned her mouth away from Laura's for a second in order to set her crystal goblet down on the table too.

Her eyes were throbbing and pulsing with both love and sex as she turned her face back to Laura. Laura quickly mashed her lips into Deshona's again, sliding her tongue deep into the girl's mouth, embracing her in an iron grip, her fingers digging into the springy flesh of Deshona's back.

"Take me into your bedroom, or I'm going to rape you right here," Laura panted hotly into her ear.

For the first time, Deshona smiled and giggled softly. "You're worse than a man."

"No... I'm better."

Laura unbuttoned the first button of Deshona's man's dress shirt, which revealed the beginnings of the deep cleavage between her marvelous breasts. She dropped her lips to it.

"God... are you really going to rape me?" Deshona asked softly. "Maybe I should let you."

"Better lock up the dog first," Laura said before giving her another scorching kiss.

She ran one hand down to Deshona's beautiful ass, squeezing the cheeks through her shorts, then let it fall further, to the smooth back of Deshona's bare thigh. Molly whined again.