Chapter 17

Devlin looked out the window at the snow piled in drifts across the streets. In the streetlight it was hard to see, but she didn't think the snowplow had been down here yet. I don't think I'm going to the hospital to see Sue, she thought. And Danny may not make it in to town from Toluca, either.

"Whazzit?" Connie asked from her bed.

"There's a lot of snow," Devlin said. "I don't know if there are going to be any classes today."

"Good. Sleep in." With that Connie rolled over and pulled the covers up.

Devlin slipped on her exercise clothes and grabbed her portable CD player. Snow or not, she had her exercises to do. As she tied her dance slippers she wondered how Connie kept in shape. In her case it was a constant battle, 45 minutes of exercise every weekday and careful eating. Connie nibbled constantly and the only exercise she got was when she walked to class. And she was as thin as a rail. It didn't seem fair.

The exercise room was dark, which wasn't surprising. She was usually the first one down here. Devlin began with her limbering, stretching the muscles and tendons that hadn't been used this way since Friday. She felt a little sore, some of the muscles that hadn't been used much in the last two years had certainly been worked hard this weekend. She had done her kegel exercises every morning, maybe she ought to step those up a bit to get that part of her back in tone.

She pulled a CD from the holder and dropped it in. These weren't labeled, so she didn't know which one it was--it could be any of the 30 she had. She put her hand on the bar and waited. The piano started in the background, and in her mind a voice snapped "First position!"

A hot and sweaty 45 minutes she was disappointed when the recording came to an end. You could lose your mind in Dance as thoroughly as you lost it in sex, maybe that's why she liked both. She was collecting her things when another girl showed up, sweats, leotard, headband. They nodded, as they did every morning. Desrah's routine was pretty much the same. Occasionally they worked out together, but almost never on Mondays. That was the day Desrah liked to sleep in.

Connie was asleep again. Devlin grabbed her shower things. The hallway was empty. When she opened the door to the bathrooms one of the showers was going. She pinned her hair up and laid her things out in the shower stall. The water was nice and hot when she slipped under it.

She shaved her legs like she did every Monday. She thought about shaving her pubic hair, but decided not to. It might appeal to Krissi, but she'd tried it and decided it wasn't for her.

She always thought she'd fall in love, she just never thought it would be with a woman. You don't think about such things. A guy, yes. Most of the gossip in the dorm was about who was going out with which guy, what gals saw in different guys, things like that. Gals were always trading tips on clothes, make-up, hair, nail polish, lipstick, things like that. What did you say, "I met the nicest gal, yesterday. Her skin was so soft, her lips were so sweet, the cute little rosebuds of her nipples were such a delicate shade of pink"--no, some things you couldn't say.

It always took her a while to dry her hair. It seemed to take longer this morning, and to brush it out afterwards, too. As she did so she tried to picture the reactions of the other gals on the floor if she told them about Krissi. Until this weekend she fit into an accepted stereotype--practically everyone on the floor knew about Jeff. They knew that the two of them slept together from time to time. Other gals did things like that, it was just one of those things a gal did. Of course they didn't know about Danny three days a week, and she wasn't about to tell them.

As she walked back to her room she could hear the first stirrings around her; here an alarm, there a radio playing softly, a voice, a door opening and closing, the dorm was coming to life. Connie was still asleep. Devlin peeked out the window, still no snowplow. She could see little curlicues of snow off the tops of the drifts. She plugged in her earphones and turned on her radio. After several minutes of pointless talk and a few commercials, the announcer finally got around to confirming what she'd suspected--no morning classes, the Bone was closed, but the food services in Linkins were open. The police were advising people to stay home.

She glanced at the clock--7:45. Probably no Danny today. All right, she could live with that. After this weekend she didn't feel any real desperate urge to get laid. She should spend the time studying... and with Krissi, if possible. Though she should probably give her time to write, not do what she wanted to do, take her to bed and lose herself in Krissi's blue eyes.

She dressed slowly. At one time she'd been worried about dressing fashionably. Those days were long gone. Now she was practical: jeans, blouse, turtleneck sweater, sweatshirt, heavy wool socks over her jeans and her heavy boots over her socks. She felt like she was packed in--she was packed in wool come to think of it.

She left a note for Connie--"No morning classes"--and wrestled on her heavy winter coat, hat, muffler and gloves. She thinned out her pack until she had just the necessities, then waddled out the door and down the stairs to the front door. She eyed the unbroken expanse of snow stretching out from the front door. She took a deep breath, pushed open the inside doors, and paused to make sure her face was covered--only her eyes were visible. She made a note, find her sunglasses so the glare off the snow wouldn't blind her.

The wind cut through her like a knife. Even through all the layers she felt the cold. She bent over and forced her way directly upwind. After a few yards she got in the lee of the next building. She breathed carefully; years ago she'd learned the hard way that it was a bad idea to take deep breaths when it was this cold. She gritted her teeth and repeated that for the next building, and the next until she finally reached Linkins.

Once inside she took off her hat and shook out her hair. She looked around, finally spying Krissi just coming in another door. "Hi, stranger," she said shyly, walking up behind her.

"Good morning," Krissi said. She was dressed in pink like she was going off on a ski trip. Everything was pink all the way down to her boots, and on her it looked right. "You look radiant on this beautiful February morning."

"Such a brisk and bracing day," Devlin said. "Wonderful morning."

"You almost said that with a straight face. How's your friend in the hospital?"

"I didn't go," Devlin said. "It's clear across town, and I'm not taking my car out in this."

"I don't blame you." Krissi finished stripping off her outer wear. "Oh, let's see, what do I want?" she asked as she stared at the food.

"I'm having my usual," Devlin said. "I'll get us a table in the corner."

"Sure, I'll be over in a few minutes."

Devlin was stirring her yogurt when Krissi set her tray down. "So how's Jeff?" Krissi asked.

"I don't know. I haven't talked to him in a couple of days."

Krissi stirred her hot cereal thoughtfully. "How serious are you about him?" she finally asked. "Most girls I know would have been on the phone to their boyfriend just after getting back, if for no other reason than to say you got back all right."

"Things are... things are... I don't know, things are difficult between us right now."

"Problems?"

"We can't ever seem to get time alone. His church has tutors helping him, and they're always there, every night, even on the weekends. About the only time I know I can see him is for a few minutes here and there between classes; I have an Econ class in the same building he has a Calculus class."

Krissi nodded slowly. "How much do you two have in common? Same interests? Same friends?"

"Not really. He has his Church all of the time. Between his tutors and Church he doesn't have much free time. And the friends we've made, most of them are from his classes."

"Uh huh." Krissi took a sip of her coffee. "So, what do you want to do today? All recovered from the weekend?"

"I was a little sore, but not as much as I thought."

"I hope it was nothing I did."

"I think it was from muscles that haven't been used for a while, or at least used that much."

"Are you sure you're getting enough men in your life?"

Devlin paused, the spoon halfway to her mouth. "I don't think I've had that sort of worry for a long time."

"We can get tired down there, too, you know."

"I realize that, now." Devlin smiled as she resumed eating. "I guess I'll have to exercise those muscles more often."

Krissi looked up from her oatmeal, her eyes twinkling. "Does that suggest what I think it suggests?"

"You can think whatever you like," Devlin said. "But the last time I checked you didn't have a certain something that I was thinking would help my exercising."

"It's always better to exercise with a friend," Krissi said. She ate in silence for a minute. "We have a semester break in a few weeks, what are your plans?"

"Same as last year," Devlin said. Krissi raised an eyebrow. "Last year I hung around campus for 20 days. It was boring, but it was a break."

"Didn't you visit your Mom or something?"

"She works nights, graveyard shift. That means she's asleep when I'd be awake. No, I see her about one weekend a month." She studied Krissi's face. "You have something in mind."

"Could be," Krissi said. "Have you considered going somewhere on your time off, some place warm?"

"Where? If you're thinking of the Gulf Coast, most places will be crawling with students, and while I'm into sexual debauchery, I'm not into it with people who aren't careful." She thought a moment. "Nor am I into alcohol that much."

"Not where I'm thinking."

"Oh?"

Krissi picked at her food for a bit. "Last year, during Spring Break, I went to this one place down in Florida. I was there 10 days, it cost me, counting air fare, about $1,000."

"Yeah? And... ?"

She pulled a small picture album out of her purse. "I took some pictures."

Devlin opened the book. The first picture was of a small island covered with trees. You could just make out a dock and the roof of a house. The second picture was of the house. A few people were barely visible sitting on the porch. The third picture was of the inside of a bungalow. The bed frame seemed to be made out of driftwood, with displays of conch shells on the dresser. The fourth picture was of Krissi, naked, standing next to a guy, also naked. They both had on dark glasses, and Krissi's hair was swept back with a bandanna. They were both holding drinks.

"Who's the guy?"

Krissi leaned over and looked at the picture. "That's Rocky," she said. "I have more pictures of him."

"Not bad looking," Devlin said.

"Not bad in other ways, too," Krissi said, smiling.

Devlin gave her a mischievous smile and turned the page. Krissi was flat on her back with her legs wrapped around Rocky's hips and her hands on his shoulders. They were staring at each other intently. "I see what you mean," Devlin said.

In the next picture Krissi was on her hands and knees with Rocky behind her. His face and chest were red, her mouth was open, her eyes were closed and her nipples were sticking out like little thumbs. In the picture after that Rocky was on his back and Krissi was riding up and down on his clearly visible cock. Her breasts were in his face and he had clearly caught her nipple with his lips.

"From the look on your face this had to be taken at a climactic moment," Devlin said.

"Which one?" Krissi craned over for a better look. "Yeah, I was climaxing when that one was taken. I had the camera set up with the automatic timer turned on, and I was lucky to get that one. I think I climaxed about a half-dozen times with him. If I remember right, he came three times by the time we were done." She took a bite from an orange slice. "Most of those 10 days were like that."

"So it's 10 days of sex, sun, sex, swimming, sex, barbecuing, sex, drinking..."

"And sex. Don't forget that. That was very important, and very little drinking. All I wore for 10 days were flip-flops and a bandanna for my hair. I wore the bandanna to keep my scalp from getting sunburned."

"Sounds fun. Who all is involved?"

"Believe it or not, it's not really a couples only thing. Oh, there were several couples, but a lot of these people are singles in the lifestyle."

Devlin looked surprised. "I didn't know there were that many of us."

"The trouble with being single in the lifestyle is that if you're a guy some people think you're looking to get laid..."

"And that if you're a gal you're looking for a husband," Devlin finished. "I know, I've run into that before several times. How did they find these people?"

"Well, actually, most of the people there aren't really committed to the lifestyle, not like, say, you are, or me. Mostly they're college aged and casually involved."

"In other words, they want to get laid with no strings attached." Devlin looked up, a slight smile on her lips. "So, when do we go?"

Krissi laughed. "You're decisive, I like that."

"About some things, sure."

"You know exactly what you want."

"Other than you, sure. It's about 6 or 7 inches long, maybe a little longer. And by preference it's attached to someone with a nice back, a firm butt, good shoulders, a muscular chest and a trim belly."

Krissi laughed. "And should this paragon actually be good looking?"

"Preferable, but that's not required. I can always close my eyes. I've been with some guys who could stop traffic with their faces, literally, and maybe they did. But where it counts they've been just fine. In the dark, who can tell?"

Krissi finished the muffin she'd bought. "What was that bit before you got into describing your ideal male?"

"I had planned to spend the morning studying."

"Accounting, or anatomy?"

"Well, French, I'm not doing as well as I'd like in French."

"That sounds exciting." She looked up, her eyes twinkling. "I've taken some French, actually I sort of grew up learning to speak it. You could practice with me. They say French requires you to be very deft with your tongue."

"So they say," Devlin said, keeping her face straight. "What were you planning on doing this morning?"

"Well, I'm actually ahead on all my course work, so I was planning on spending the morning writing. But if I have a better offer..."

"Let me stop by my dorm room first," Devlin said. "I need to get my French book." She thought a moment. "And I'll need to get my Accounting book. Afternoon classes haven't been canceled, yet, and I have Accounting in the afternoon."

"So I'll help you count to 10," Krissi said. "You know, we women should be better at Accounting than men."

"Oh?"

"It stands to reason," Krissi said. "A guy can only count to 21, but a woman can count to 22. Right?"

Devlin thought about it, counting to herself. "Oh," she said. She stuck her tongue out. "That's bad."

"Shall I prove it to you?" Krissi said. "I'll count to 22 with my tongue, all right?"

Devlin could feel something stirring deep inside her, and she suddenly realized she wanted to lose herself in Krissi. She knew she should study, but the temptation to play with Krissi, and be played with, was overwhelming.

She swallowed. "I-I think that's a good idea." She could feel her pulse hammering, and see Krissi's pulse fluttering in her neck. "Why don't we?"

When Devlin and Krissi stopped at Devlin's room Connie had finally gotten up. She was in her robe and slippers, sipping on hot chocolate and staring at the snow. "Hi, guys," she said, looking up. "How is it outside?"

"Bad," Devlin said. "Connie, this is Krissi. Krissi, Connie."

Connie picked up a note she'd laid next to the phone. "Before you go, some guy called, a Dan Harrison; said he can't make your lunch appointment due to bad weather."

"He's the guy at the bank I'm financing college through," Devlin said. "All right, I'll give him a call and reschedule. My mother found him for me."

Connie nodded. "You guys going out again?"

"Going over to Krissi's to study," Devlin said. She grabbed her French and Accounting books. "I'll see you later."

"Whatever," Connie said, waving.

"Banker?" Krissi said as they rode the elevator down to the first floor.

"Sure," Devlin said. "He's the banker, I'm the bank. He makes a deposit two or three times a week."

"Oh, that banker. He pays you?"

"No, he's my Mom's next door neighbor. He helped us set up the accounts I'm using to finance my education. His wife's the one who had back surgery that I didn't get to visit this morning."

Krissi nodded. Devlin would have said more, but she buried herself in her muffler and pushed open the front door. Twenty frozen minutes later they were in Krissi's apartment building, stomping the snow off their boots.

"It is downright nasty out there," Krissi muttered. "I'm half-frozen."

"Let's make some tea," Devlin said, eyeing an older woman who was peering at them from the front apartment. "Some hot tea should help thaw both of us out before we crack the books."

Krissi blew on her hands. "Just holding the cup should help."

The woman quietly closed her door. Krissi didn't say anything until they were in her apartment. "That's Mrs. Marquardt, my landlady. She has a thing about us inviting men into our apartments." She quirked a brief smile. "Another gal, though, is acceptable."

While Krissi started the teapot, Devlin emptied her pack. When she pulled off her boots and socks she wiggled her toes in pleasure. "Why didn't you tell me your apartment had warm floors?"

"You like that? That sold me on this place right away." She bent down and took off her own boots and socks. "Heavenly bliss."

She turned back to the cupboard to get out the cups. Devlin stepped up behind her and slipped her arms around Krissi's waist. She kissed the older girl just beneath the ear, once, lightly, more a caress than a kiss. Krissi pressed backwards into Devlin, drawing one of Devlin's hands up to her breasts. She turned around, and they kissed once, briefly, lips brushing each other.

Krissi drew a ragged breath. "Why don't you get the bed ready," she directed. "The tea will be ready in a minute."

Devlin closed the curtains and plumped the pillows on the bed. She didn't know what the procedure was for sharing sex with a woman. With a guy it was simple, she'd undress and flop back on the bed with her legs apart. He'd join her, figuratively and then literally. And after a time or two he'd doze while she just rested. But with another woman? Neither one should fall asleep. Oh, passing out from a climax was possible, but nobody was going to cum and fall asleep right away. She decided she would like it if there was the right ambiance, the right lighting, the bed carefully formed, the lights off, things like that. She set about getting everything ready. Of course Krissi might like it with the curtains wide open in front of as many people as possible, but somehow she doubted that.

Krissi brought both steaming mugs into the bedroom. She carefully set the alarm clock for 12:30. She looked around the bedroom, nodding. "I like it," she said.

She walked over to Devlin, who was sitting on the edge of the bed. She drew her to her feet, then pulled Devlin's sweater up. Devlin let her, shaking her hair out when she was done. Then she returned the favor.

Krissi was wearing an undershirt beneath her sweater. Devlin traced the edge of the cups of Krissi's bra through the fabric. "I heard you sell bras," Krissi said. "I suppose yours fits perfectly."

"Of course," Devlin said. She unbuttoned her blouse and tossed it to one side. "See?"

Krissi hefted Devlin's breasts, feeling and squeezing them through the fabric. "You convinced me."

"Let's see what we have here to work with," Devlin said. She helped Krissi off with her undershirt. "As I thought, your bra's just a little small."

"I've never found one that fits me exactly," Krissi said.

"Now you have," Devlin said. "We'll make some time together and get you properly fitted." She slipped a finger under the top edge of the cup and ran it across the soft flesh. "In the mean time, let's get you out of that thing."

Yesterday she'd had only the vaguest impressions of Krissi's breasts, soft, round, full and very white. Now she could appreciate them, their size, their shape--round and full, the wide pink areola with the nub of her nipples just poking into view. She massaged them lightly, then a little firmer as her confidence grew. She enjoyed how they felt in her hands. Though she had her own, it still amazed her that she could push them and they'd spring back into place.

"Here," Krissi said after a bit. "Let's get your harness off. I want to see your beauties." In moments she began caressing Devlin's breasts. Then she leaned over and kissed them. "Has anyone ever told you how beautiful these are?"

"Just guys wanting to get laid," Devlin said. She liked the attention Krissi was paying them. Most guys stopped briefly at her breasts before diving between her legs. Maybe it was because Krissi had her own soft pair. She'd wondered what a gal's breasts felt like, you never took time to squeeze your own, somehow that always seemed wrong. The only time you admitted touching them was when you were "examining yourself" in the shower.

"You know," she said, putting her hands over Krissi's. "You're very good at that."

"Your nips seem to think so, too."

"Oh, them," Devlin said. "They have minds of their own."

"And I know what they're thinking," Krissi said. She began to flick her thumbs across Devlin's nipples, lightly, maddeningly. They tightened, and it felt like every sensation in her chest was concentrated in her nipples. Krissi fondled and nibbled them, drawing them out into long dark peaks.

Devlin returned the favor, working on Krissi's breasts and nipples. The girl's flesh was so white, almost translucent... porcelain. She'd thought that before, now, in the clear light of day she decided that was the perfect explanation. And Krissi's nipples responded, the pink growing darker as blood rushed to them.

Krissi began to playfully rub her nipples against Devlin's. It was like nothing she'd ever felt before, being rubbed by something both hard and soft at the same time. And so female, Devlin thought. I could never do this with a guy.

The phone rang, a hard jarring of reality. Krissi looked torn. Finally she smiled. "Don't go away," she whispered. "I'll be right back."

Devlin lay back on the bed. Her nipples were so tight they ached. She cupped her breasts, playing with them. Her hand drifted lower, encountering her jeans. In sudden decision she peeled those off. That was better. She didn't want to take off her panties, she wanted Krissi to do that. Besides, it was like there was a threshold in her mind. It was somehow all right to play with each other's breasts, but once either of them took their panties off, that moved everything to a whole different level. That was an open acknowledgment that their relationship was sexual. It was, but she thought both of them wanted to take things slowly, step by step. Yesterday they'd both been swept up in the moment. This was different.

Krissi came back, muttering to herself. "Does your company do telephone solicitation?" she asked.

"No," Devlin said. "No, we don't."

"Good. Jeeze, that makes me mad. For crying out loud, can't we have a little privacy?"

"Apparently not," Devlin said. She drew Krissi down beside her on the bed and began massaging the girl's back and shoulders. She dropped a kiss on the back of her neck. "See? It's gotten you all tense. You should relax and ignore them."

She could see Krissi close her eyes, rocking back slightly against the gentle pressure of Devlin's hands. Then she lay back on the bed. Devlin moved above her, kissing her tenderly, her hands stroking Krissi's face, her lips nibbling at the soft pulse that fluttered in the hollow at the base of her neck. Slowly she kissed her way back to Krissi's pale porcelain breasts. She teased the blonde's nipples till they stood stiff and hard against her. She gently squeezed the fullness of Krissi's breast flesh, molding it, shaping it, loving the texture and feel of her womanly flesh. And then, fully knowing where she was going, she moved lower.

Krissi only stirred as Devlin kissed the sensitive flesh around her navel. Devlin unfastened the girl's jeans, tracing her tongue lightly along the slight line they left in Krissi's skin. And then she moved in slow gentle teasings back to Krissi's breasts.

"I could feast on these all day," she whispered. "They're so full, so round, so perfect, not at all like my big droopers."

"I like your breasts," Krissi said in a dreamy voice. "I like that there's so much of them." She reached up and began caressing them. "They're so womanly, so soft but immovable, just like a woman."

Devlin slid her hands down to Krissi's jeans. "Let's get these off," she whispered.

Krissi lifted her bottom off the bed. A few wiggles, a couple of tugs, and the two were lying together again, mutually stroking and caressing each other. Touch met touch, caress met caress. They kissed, their legs entwining, their breasts pressing together. Movement and pleasure merged as they pressed together.

A time, a long time of mutually enjoyed kisses, of heated touches, a time of delights and exploration... they were lying on their sides, still pressed together. "You know," Krissi said in a practical voice. "This would be a lot more interesting if we removed our panties."

"You mean it isn't already?" Devlin asked.

"If you don't want to, we don't have to," Krissi said.

Devlin scooted down, hooked her fingers in the elastic waistband of Krissi's panties, and pulled. In moments she had the tiny pink things on the floor.

"Does that answer your question?" she asked.

"My turn," Krissi said. Devlin rolled over. Krissi drew Devlin's panties down her legs slowly, kissing the flesh of her legs as each inch was revealed. Finally, with a flourish, she drew them off Devlin's feet and tossed them away.

"What a beautiful sight," she said, staring directly up Devlin's legs. "Tell me," she said, kissing Devlin's ankle. "How many people have taken the time to appreciate this view."

Devlin laughed, a low throaty laugh. "Well, my doctor, maybe a couple of guys."

"Maybe not," Krissi said. "I bet anybody who's had this view was more interested in sticking something inside you than anything else."

She began to kiss her way up Devlin's legs, slowly, lightly, just brushing the sensitive skin with her lips. Devlin closed her eyes, enjoying the warm shiver each kiss brought. Krissi stopped kissing at the top of Devlin's thighs. She seemed to sense this final barrier between them, too.

Krissi slowly... lightly... traced a finger up the sensitive skin on the inside of Devlin's thighs. "You're very pretty between your legs," she said. "I like the way your sex sort of folds, and your little clit..." She blew on it, a soft wash of warm air that seemed to wash through Devlin like a warm wave.

"I don't think anyone has ever told me that," Devlin said.

"Nobody's ever taken the time to appreciate what they're seeing," Krissi replied. "They're more interested in getting into it." She delicately traced the outline of Devlin's moist cleft with her fingertip. "How does that feel?"

"Ummm, like a shiver."

She kissed Devlin's clit, then resumed her kissing, touching, breath-caressing, across the plane of Devlin's tummy and slowly, so agonizingly, so pleasurably slowly back to Devlin's breasts. And then, finally, she kissed her way to Devlin's mouth, where she lingered for a while.

"Your body is so beautiful, Devlin. You are so beautiful."

Devlin caressed Krissi's face with her fingertips, then gently began to lightly trace over her skin. "Your skin is so soft," she whispered. "And it's so clear. It's like I can see right through it."

Krissi lay beside Devlin, touching her, lightly brushing her with just her fingertips. Devlin kissed her, then simply moved directly down to Krissi's legs. She propped them open and took a good look. "I've never seen one before," she said. "Not up close, that is."

"You mean... all these years and you haven't... ?"

"I know what guys look like," Devlin said. She rested her chin on Krissi's leg and studied the woman's sex. "I've probably sucked or blown a hundred guys, or something like that, and I'm very familiar with everything about a guy down here. But I've never really seen a gal up close before, not like this. I've never really had the chance."

Krissi laughed. "Yeah, I know what you mean. You never really look at another gal."

"You're pretty down here, though," she said. "You're all nice and pink." She kissed the skin on Krissi's tummy. "Did you know that?"