Chapter 8

Past

It was strange. This was the first time she'd ever woken up in the morning with her bed partner beside her (that time with Dave didn't count. They hadn't gone to sleep until 4 am, and only slept for three hours). After a while, lying there, doing nothing, it came to her. The strangeness wasn't because it was a different bed in a different room, and it wasn't the touch and warmth of that naked body pressing into hers. It was the smell. Stacy had her own unique smell. With the two of them sharing warmth under the covers all night, both had released their bodies' odours, which became trapped in the sheets. It was a pleasant smell, faintly musky, with a hint of her friend's perfume.

Moving carefully, she rolled into the older girl, resting her head in the crook of her friend's arm and caressing one of Stacy's breasts with her hand. She loved the feel of this body beside her, so warm and silky soft, naked, with skin contact from head to toe. Sighing contentedly, she fell back to sleep.

There was a delicious tickling sensation running through her body when Betty woke up again. Without opening her eyes, she couldn't tell where it came from. There were tingles on her lips, in her nipples, in her clit, and deep in her vagina. Everything was sensitized, responding to... something... nice.

Opening one eye, she looked down her body to see what was doing this to her. She was still stretched out full length along Stacy's side with her head resting on her friend's shoulder, but now Stacy's arm was hugging her as well, holding her close. So that was it. Stacy was using one finger to brush and tease just the tip of her one exposed nipple. How that managed to echo all through her body she didn't know.

"Mornin' sleepyhead. Your turn to wake up feeling good. I'm not as nasty as you are though. I wouldn't start without you."

"Whatever you're doin', it feels good. How long you been doin' it?"

"Ages and ages. I bet your whole body tingles by now."

"Yeah. How'd you know?"

"Are you kidding? You don't think I just woke up and suddenly wondered what would happen if I... ?"

"Somebody did it to you too, right?"

"Mmmm hmmm. I know exactly how you feel."

"I've never had this done to me before. I guess I have a lot to learn."

"True, but I think we'll enjoy every minute of it. I've had some really good teachers. Not much luck with lovers, but most were excellent bedmates."

"Anastasia, does this mean we're bedmates now?"

Replying after a sigh and a long pause, she spoke in a quiet, serious voice.

"No, Elizabeth, it doesn't. At least, I hope not."

"Why?"

"You nasty creature you. These questions will be the death of me. Elizabeth, I don't want another bedmate. I've had plenty of those."

"Then, what?"

"Do I have to spell it out again? I would like us to become lovers. I'm very much attracted to you, and I like you a lot. It's hard to define, but I want you with me."

"I'm glad. I needed to hear that. Remember, I am a young, inexperienced, rather naive, insecure little girl."

"Here I am, opening myself up to you, and you feed me a line like that. This time you don't get off the hook. You owe me some honesty now."

"Kiss me first, so I feel better."

"Mmmm, thank you. Anastasia, I'm not sure I want to be your lover yet. You hurt me last year, and that's hard to forget. I still don't know who you are inside. Until I do, I'm not willing to make a commitment. I hope you can settle for having me as a bedmate, at least for now."

"If that's what you're willing to give me, for now, I'll accept. But when you make up your mind, one way or the other, you have to promise to tell me."

"I promise. Now you have to make me a promise too. You can't let my dad know about us. He's absolutely strange when it comes to 'those horrid and disgusting lesbian affairs' - his words, not mine. I'd be in really big trouble if he ever found out."

"All right. My dad doesn't know about me either. He thinks I'm going to go to university to meet Mr. Right. If he thought I was going just for the education, he'd disown me. Of course, it's easier hiding things from him because he lives three hundred miles away."

"You mean, you've been hiding yourself from him for years? He doesn't even suspect?"

"That's right. He's so old-fashioned, I think the shock of finding out who I really am could give him a heart attack. At first, I hid it from him because of my pain and humiliation. Now I'm using him to get through college. I'm ashamed of what I'm doing, but it's the only way I'll ever be free enough to live my own life. After I've graduated, I will tell him. No matter what the consequences."

"So how come you're here and not at home?"

"I can thank my mother for this. It's one of the best things she's ever done for me. When dad got promoted and transferred, she convinced him that I should be allowed to finish my senior year here, rather than going to a new school in a new town with all new people. I'd be moving back here in less than a year anyway to go to college. It would be just a little bit early. It was touch and go, but, even though they're divorced, he still has a lot of respect for her opinion."

"Next time you talk to your mother, give her my thanks. She kept you here so I could meet you."

"Maybe I will, at that."

"Anastasia?"

"You're starting to scare me with these questions. What would you like to know this time?"

"How did it feel, yesterday, when you did me the first time? I mean, it's not every day you get to deflower a virgin."

"Virgin?"

"Yeah. You're my first woman, ever."

"I kinda got the impression that I was your first lady bedmate, but never really thought of you as a virgin. Is that how you felt yesterday?"

"I really did, and I wanted it to be special. That first time with a guy was pretty awful, so yesterday was really special for me. Thank you."

"Elizabeth, what we did yesterday was special for me too. You are the first... bedmate... I've ever had these types of feelings for. It was something I'll always remember. Even though you are a rookie. Now then, it's time for your next lesson."

This lesson involved the proper use of lips and tongue when meeting a pussy for the first time. Betty was incapable of paying close attention at times, so Stacy thought it only fair that she repeat the lesson immediately, with Betty trying to duplicate some of it herself. They both ended up tired and feeling good.

After a quick shower and breakfast, Stacy dropped Betty off at home. Dad was there, as usual. Her story was that after the party closed up at two am, she slept on the couch. He seemed to accept the story without question. She felt guilty about lying to her father, but knew the truth would be much worse.

Over the next several months, their intimate times were fairly rare, both from lack of common available time and the need for secrecy. They were definitely learning experiences for Betty. She learned how different it was making love with another woman, as compared to Dave or those other guy's she'd been with, and what her lips and tongue could really do to Stacy. She especially enjoyed the easy intimacy, the relaxed way they had with each other. Nothing was forced or taken, it was always shared.

Her date for the junior prom was Robert. It took some convincing, but after telling both Robert and Jordan about her last experience, and getting Jordan to agree first, Robert finally assented. Now that was a prom night she'd have fond memories of for the rest of her life. After 'accidentally' letting it slip that Robert wasn't really her boy friend (they'd already arranged this) he was hounded by a half-dozen girls looking to get to know him better. As agreed, though, he danced with Betty during all the slow songs and kept close tabs on her the rest of the time, forestalling any attempts by her former beaus to corner her.

They slipped out quietly, after the last speeches but before the dance really wound down. Joined by Dave and Rosie, they drove down to beach drive (it should have been called river drive) for a walk in the moonlight. It made her glad to see those two having so much fun together. Stacy and Jordan were there, as planned, and the six of them paired off.

Robert and Jordan disappeared for a while, Stacy and Betty went for a walk holding hands, and Dave and Rosie, after getting over the shock of seeing the two girls kissing, and promising to keep their damned mouths shut, sat on a sheltered bench to enjoy each other's company. Now Dave and Rosie thought they had a better understanding and appreciation for what Betty had done for them.

The two girls found a dark, secluded, sheltered spot and stood there, just holding each other for a while. Stacy asked if this was a better prom than the last one, and Betty said yes it was, especially the last part, the moonlight stroll. Stacy pulled a small white flower from Betty's corsage and wove it into her chestnut hair, above her left ear. "From now on Elizabeth, no matter what happens, you will always be my 'Little Blossom', my beautiful, innocent, delicate flower." She finalized that promise with a long, soft kiss.

Summertime was a little better for them because Betty had more flexibility about when she'd be available. It still didn't seem like they could get physical nearly as often as they'd like to (or sometimes almost needed to). Betty's part-time job was expanded to nearly full-time covering for co-workers on vacation, and, along with dad and Patsy, she spent almost every other weekend at her father's favorite beach resort.

Stacy spent several weeks visiting with her father, and another couple of weeks visiting her mother. She was also putting in as many hours as she could as a teacher's aide in summer school and as a study coordinator at the university. The pay wasn't that good, less than Betty was making as a glorified coffee girl, but it was more rewarding.

They had one very close call with Jonathan just before school started. It was early on a Friday afternoon, when Betty thought the two of them would have several hours to themselves at her place. They were in her bedroom, on the bed, just getting started, when her dad arrived home early. Stacy was already topless and only had time to grab a pillow for decency's sake as he walked in on them. Thinking fast, Betty had just enough time to stand up and kick Stacy's bra and blouse under the bed.

"Dad! You're supposed to knock first before you open the door! Now look what you've done. You've embarrassed Stacy!"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I was just wondering what you were up to."

The only thing he was sorry for was that he hadn't been a few seconds faster. He'd caught a glimpse of Stacy's tits before she got the pillow in front of her and wished he had managed to get a better look, only partly because he thought her nipples looked wet. He had his suspicions about Stacy and, when he'd seen her car out front, had walked in quietly, hoping to catch them 'in the act' as it were.

"If you must know, we're trying to find something of mine that will fit her. Now would you mind getting out and closing the door? You're causing a draft."

They found something that fit Stacy, and 'spilled' some cola on her blouse and bra as an excuse for why she needed something. They had to wait until her nipples returned to normal before heading out. Betty had an argument later with her dad about him spying on her and said 'what were you hoping to see, me or one of my friends naked or something?'

Jonathan started to find more and more excuses to be with his daughter, occupying her time, keeping her busy and away from Stacy, but trying not to be obvious about it. He still couldn't do much about her occasional lunches and dinners with Joyce, but he'd think of something.

It was slow, subtle, and it worked. They started to get out of the habit of seeing each other regularly, because neither seemed to be able to find much in the way of common free time. Betty thought this might be Stacy's choice. Maybe Stacy was hinting that it was time to move on. Meanwhile Betty was feeling lonelier and more distant from Stacy every day. They were lucky if they saw each other once a week, sometimes missing a week, and rarely being able to get intimate. Betty couldn't find any way to speak freely about what she was going through. That empty feeling inside her was returning, and she couldn't figure out why.

Present

Stacy leaned back into the couch. "Whew. Where does she get the energy? She tired me out, and I wasn't even doing the shopping!"

Sitting down and curling up beside her friend, Betty replied. "I think she saves it up for the weekend. I'm not sure. She's always been like this, ever since I've known her." Stacy wrapped an arm around Betty.

"I wonder about her though. When we were modeling these things, (fondling Betty through her skimpy garment) she was definitely getting hot. Do you think she's secretly bi?"

"You heard her last night. She said no. She might have been fibbing though."

"Then again maybe not. Maybe she just likes to look at pretty girls in skimpy outfits, without wanting to touch."

"Yeah, could be. Sort of like you and those kisses Woody hands out. I can see you really like them, but you've never seemed interested in men before."

"I'm still not, especially with you here. But that doesn't mean I can't enjoy a really good kiss, knowing there's no pressure on me to do anything else. You still haven't gotten a good kiss from him though."

"I thought that one this morning was wonderful. You mean he gets better?"

"You caught him by surprise. He wasn't ready to give you a real kiss. Next time, you'd better hold on tight. He wraps his arm around you for a reason. He doesn't want you to fall down when he's finished. I've seen it happen."

"Oooh, I can't wait. C'mere, you. I want you to get as good as him, and that means you'll need a *lot* of practice."

"Mmmm. I think I could get used to this. Y'know, Stace, it feels strange. I know that we could sit here all night, just kissing and feeling good, but I can't seem to really relax tonight."

"Okay Betty, what's the problem."

"I'm not sure it's a problem. A little piece of me is still worried about my father and what this will do to him, and how moving out will affect my life from now on. I've lost the security of my home, and that scares me a little. Joyce is helping with getting me, I mean us, set up here, but she's using my mother's money. Soon I'll be talking with her again. After five years! That scares me a little too. So much has happened lately, it's becoming a little dreamy, sort of like one of those cheap novels you read. I mean, I'm sitting here with you, in *our* apartment, making kissy-kissy, and it just doesn't seem real somehow. I feel like I should be waking up soon to find myself still at home in bed. Am I making any sense?"

"Well, it sounds like you just need to get used to the fact that you've moved out. It will take a while. After all, this is only your second night away from home, and things happened very quickly. Remember, two weeks ago your father didn't even know about us, and three days ago you were still living happily at home."

"It did happen kind of sudden, didn't it. One minute I was arguing with dad, the next minute I was out of the house, probably for good. Deep inside, I don't feel it yet."

"I know. There's just too much, too fast, to absorb it all right away. Don't worry, you'll catch up. It took me a while too, and I was only a bit older than you when I moved in here."

Stacy started nibbling on Betty's ears and neck, keeping them both silent for a few minutes. Well, silent except for the odd moan or sigh.

"One thing I do know, Stace, is that I'd rather be sitting here with you right now than be anywhere else in the world. What's going to happen now?"

Past

The proverbial shit hit the proverbial fan one Saturday late in October.

Jonathan had promised Patsy an evening of dinner and dancing. This would leave Betty alone in the house all evening, since her dad had never returned from one of these dates before one in the morning. She called Stacy and, amazingly, she was free as well. Stacy promised to be over around eight. Dad usually went out between seven and seven thirty, so this left a half-hour safety margin.

They hadn't seen each other for almost two weeks, and hadn't been intimate in over a month, so when Stacy arrived they went straight to the bedroom for some much-needed physical contact. Betty wanted to talk as well, but afterwards, when lust didn't cloud her mind. She wanted to know why the two of them were growing so distant.

It was about an hour later when they were interrupted. Both were sweating, lying naked on Betty's bed with Betty's face buried in Stacy's snatch, working her towards her third release.

"WHAT THE FUCKING CHRIST IS GOING ON IN HERE!!!"

Jonathan had come home early. Patsy, claiming fatigue, had begged off dancing and gone home. Neither of the girls would have noticed a brass band marching past the bedroom door, and were oblivious to the sounds he'd made driving in and opening the front door. The noises they were making were unmistakable. All he heard, though, was another woman's sounds of pleasure, not his daughter's. Giving in to his fears, he peeked into her bedroom. His darkest suspicions were now confirmed in the worst way.

It was a very loud and long series of arguments. He'd almost thrown Stacy out the door naked, but thought better of it. He let her get dressed at the front door with him standing in front of her yelling the whole time. His temper and language were horrid, calling both of them some of the worst things imaginable. There hadn't even been time for Betty to throw on a robe, trying to catch up to her father when he dragged Stacy by the arm out of her room, so she was also naked, covered with both of their juices, crying, and yelling at her father. Only when she went back to get Stacy's clothes did she take time to slip on her housecoat.