Chapter 2: A new life ... a new love?

The first thing Annabelle did after arriving in San Francisco was to legalize her situation; she passed the Californian Bar to be able to practice as an attorney or lawyer in that state.; next was the intimate necessity to change legally her name as a means to effectively start a new life with the only ties with the past of those of her mind and the presence unavoidable in her memory of her small children, and next she got a new drivers license and for the first time in her life a number of the Social Security.

As a new legal identity she opted to use the second half or her original name changing the last letter, so she became Bella instead of Annabelle, and as surname she used the maiden name of her maternal granny Belle Holbeig, that way, from Annabelle Sanderson Van Cruiff she became Bella Holbeig, single. She modified her appearance, cut her long beautiful blonde hair short, cropped and dyed it a dark honey blonde; as she couldn't change her voluptuous body she hid it from both, male and female, and started to use, when working, severe dark suited pants and jacket, tailored loose, with white starched shirts. Her beautiful face devoid of any make-up was totally ascetic, and anyway stunning.

Her first years in Frisco as a lawyer were very difficult, with little money at first, it was not easy to start a career in a hostile and competitive environment and, moreover, she was yet not hard or callous enough. She started by taking any case offered to her, most of them, those nobody else wanted to get their hands on, life wasn't easy.

Her practice was full of cases defending women victims of domestic violence, sordid and / or squalid divorces and the fight for as fair alimonies as she could get. After several years on this path with some ups but mostly downs, the breaking point came the day she, by chance, represented in court the wife of a philandering multimillionaire nobody else wanted to stand for, due mostly to his personal influence as a chairman of a big multinational corporation and the influence of his lawyers company.

After that first winning prize, and the millionaire fees she got, her name became famous overnight. At the passing of the years, her sometimes humiliating job, the jokes about her from her colleagues in court and out, and the scarcity of money had hardened her spirit like steel, she was not callous with the pauper people, but could not tolerate the fatuous persons now surrounding her and begging her company or counseling.

She changed little of her diary life after her legal triumph and the new cases pouring money and fame her way, she kept dressing to work in stylish but somber clothing, bought a new conservative car, and got herself a new huge house with all the commodities, pool, sauna, Jacuzzi, etc, hoping against all odds that maybe, sometime, her now teenaged children, she had not forgotten, would enjoy them with her.

Sex hadn't been a priority in former Annabelle, now Bella's life; in fact in almost fifteen years she had been living in California she had had no more than a dozen sexual encounters, all with women, and all very unsatisfactory, so much so, she had determined to stop any physical relationship until she found a truly new love. It had probed a task almost impossible. When she stopped to think about, and not being in the dating circus, Bella discovered her tastes in women had been eventually changing, going from mature women when she was young, to thirtish when she was in the thirties, to younger women now she was about forty.

Bella's social life was almost nil, she preferred going home after work, take a bath, listen to classic music, get dinner and read a good romantic book, maybe a little TV, mostly news, before going to sleep.

That wondrous evening, was a changing life evening, she went after work to a trendy cocktail lounge and restaurant to meet some colleagues from out State. The very dignified, very proper, very disciplined attorney at law was still completely dressed in her conservative skirt, prim and proper blouse and severe jacket with elegant taupe stockings; her three inch pumps made her trim legs look even more elegant with her feet perfectly manicured, but it was her hair, as lately, wound up in a bun letting her beautiful face and swan neck free in all her splendour.

They were having cocktails before dinner when she saw HER. The vision of the young and beautiful waitress coming towards them was like a hard blow at her sternum, dizziness exploded in her head and she began hyperventilating and started to loose consciousness. With sheer will power she got dominion of herself and with excuses to her guests she went to the powder room to get hold of herself. After a few minutes she was her usual self and she went back to the table, but the night from that moment on, to the end was a blur, she couldn't remember afterwards anything about.

Nineteen years old Sandy was working as a waitress in a kind of pleasure job vacation, let me explain. She had not a shortage of monies; she had her own money in the bank if necessary, but after ending the scholar year at College she had decided she didn't want to spend the summer, not again, in her father and brother's company at the family summer house by the beach. She and her brother had been drifting apart, with the pass of time, living at different schools, junior and high, and with her father bonding with her brother Jonathan in their manly ways, she felt left out.

She has another problem; in her mind she had a foggy recollection of a traumatic night fifteen years ago, and the following disappearance, for ever, the next day, of her mother.

The only memory she had of her was the old and worn-out picture of a young and very beautiful blond woman of long and silky hair, with her brother and her. After that night, the following day in her family house there had been not even one picture of her mother left. Whenever she asked her father something about her mother he went raving mad, and little by little she stopped asking about her, and emotionally moved away from him. As affectionate her father was with her brother as cold he was with her.

Sandy name was really Elisa Sanderson, Sandy being the name given her by her school mates and players in the school soccer team where she was leader and captain. She preferred being called, and adopted, Sandy to the pompous Elisa Sanderson Van Cruiff.

Job vacationing and seeing and knowing the real world was an excuse she gave herself as she went to San Francisco. In reality she had an ulterior motive; as her mother fifteen years earlier she, at nineteen, in this liberal time and epoch, was still a virgin and not sure of her sexual identity. In truth she wasn't inclined yet, one way or the other, but she was very curious of gay life in general and liberal San Francisco was a good place to sate her curiosity. Her father would disinherit her first and then kill her if he had known of Sandy interest in the gay world and life. Emotionally she was just in a nebulous world, as any human being is, in a word she was waiting for that special person to appear and lighten her life.

She had waited the table Bella and her guests had been drinking cocktails and dinning the night Belle felt indisposed and had not taken notice of the lady after some time later when she returned to the table; solicitously she asked her if she could be of help and the lady had thanked her and asked only for a glass of fresh water and some head painkiller.

Then Sandy took account of the lady's beauty, she had a face clean of make-up with only a tenuous trace of lip-stick to give some colour to her beautiful face; Sandy took notice in a rapid look of her sombre and conservative although elegant and tailored clothes, while appreciating the sad and melancholic expression on her face when she though nobody was looking at her.

Sandy was mesmerized by such beautiful but sad face expression on a so successful woman and could not help thinking that something very tragic must have happened in life to her. A few minutes later she was asked for the check and the lady signed the bill letting a generous tip for her service. When they were up to departing the lady called her apart and asked softly, what was her name? She answered with a quivering voice just as softly, it was Sandy,

"Oh, thank you, mine is Bella"

From that day on Bella was on Sandy mind permanently even she didn't know why, she felt captivated by her.

Bella, in a very unusual attitude of mind for her, could not forget Sandy and could not concentrate on her work. Her beauty or ... What? she didn't know what is was, the girl was pretty of course, in a coltish way, she was very young, maybe too young for her to try seducing if she was of a mind, and she was not so sure she wanted to start again the merry-go-round of dating. The girl had long legs, perky medium size breasts, beautiful whitish blonde hair and suddenly she realized what it was, she had fallen in love, just like that, just love at first sight like a teenager, and she was love-sick. Incredible.

It was several weeks later on a Friday; she had not been her usual self, she was irritable, she barked to her associates at work, a very unusual think for her to do, and even worse, she almost botched a case, and not a very difficult one at that. She just couldn't wait anymore; after work, Bella decided she had to see Sandy again. She called the restaurant to reserve a table and asked if Sandy was working that night. She was. Bella went home to prepare for a night out, this time alone; something she seldom did, something very unusual for her; but, she thought, its worth doing today; she took an invigorating shower, looked at her other wardrobe, the very feminine one nobody had ever seen her using, the one she kept to herself, to see how she wanted to look that evening and to dress accordingly for. She picked a pale ivory silk shirt with a crushed grey silk skirt and matching blazer, very ladylike. Put on a matching lace bra and panty set of delicate grey tone and covered it with a soft satin chemise that went down of her garter belt and over the tops of her stockings. She sprayed a puff of her favourite perfume into the air and walked through it before putting on the skirt and blazer, and went for an un-conspicuous eye liner to mask the tired look of her eyes that reflected back to her from the vanity mirror, without make-up she put again a tenuous pale lip-stick and out she went to the restaurant Sandy worked.

The no-nonsense lawyer, the cougar of the court-rooms was nervous, very nervous, to the perspective of seeing and talking again to a young woman she scarcely knew and of course was not acquainted with. The valet took the keys to park her car, and getting inside the maitre'de took her to the table she has reserved, helped her to take sit and clasped his hands to call the service. That was one of Sandy's tables to wait that night.

That's when Sandy saw her again, the lady, Bella, wasn't it? Who had bewitched her a few weeks before, and all her life came to a stand still. She could not part her eyes from her, she stirred Sandy beyond all reason since the first time she saw her come at this same restaurant a few weeks ago. Maybe it was because she looked a lot like her first real, if you could call it that, crush, one of the nuns who were a volley-ball instructor back when she was thirteen at the catholic college she was a pupil, or maybe it was because not having known her mother she had always been fond of, for the most part of her life, to older women. Whatever it was, this lady struck a chord in her. She was in her forties and more than pretty, she was beautiful, sad, but beautiful, extremely so.

Dinner developed strangely quiet, with Sandy waiting the table and permanently asking Bella if she was in need of something else; Bella subdued and tongue –tied eating like a bird, picking little bits of food at a time and taking her time with each course wanting to say something to Sandy and not knowing how to start.

¿How do you tell a girl, you have seen twice and who can be your daughter that you have fallen madly in love with her? And you are a woman. What if she felt repulsed by your words?

Sandy instinctively knew something was amiss, she could feel it in the air around Bella's table. Bella seemed to be waiting, maybe something or someone. Maybe, her husband? She had noticed she wasn't wearing neither an engagement or wedding ring but that didn't necessarily signify she was single or not attached, after all, even if she was married, that didn't meant she had to wear a ring. So she threw caution to the wind and nervously asked her,

"Excuse me Madame. Are you waiting someone, your husband perhaps? May I retire the service? Do you need anything else?"

Bella seemed to wake from a dream.

"What?, eh, oh, no, no I'm not married and I'm not expecting anybody, thanks Sandy, and no, I don't want anything else; please bring me the check, will you?"

"Of course Madame"

When Sandy went to get the check Bella berated herself for her stupidity and shyness. As the girl brought the voucher to sign and she was doing so, without bringing up her face she asked Sandy very softly if she could see her outside her working place. A surprised Sandy didn't know what to say and kept her silence for a few seconds, a mortified Bella without looking up murmured

"it is okay, and excuse me if I'm out of order, I'm sorry, It wasn't my intention to offend you".

Sandy recovered her wits and softly answered it was all right, and gave Bella her phone number in a slip of paper telling her the next day, Saturday, was her day out.

That night Bella's sleep was restless and full of dark dreams, and Saturday morning, instead of sleeping very late, take a leisurely breakfast in bed while reading the morning papers and planning the, doing nothing, of every Saturday, she was up and as restless as a caged animal by seven thirty a.m waiting for an appropriate hour to call Sandy.

Sandy had had a similar night albeit for different reasons, she wasn't sure what it was, but the presence of Bella made her body tingle all over, and the single touch of her finger put goose-bumps on her skin. She was not in love with Bella, in truth she didn't know what the meaning of, being in love, was. She had loved her dog, once she had loved her father and brother, she still loved her long lost mother, she knew that kind of love, not any other kind; so what was happening to her in the presence of Bella? The sound of the phone ringing sent a shiver thorough her body.

"Yes, hello"

"Sandy?" a tremulous voice asked.

"Yes, who is it?"

"Sandy, Bella Holbeig here, how are you this morning?"

"Oh hi, fine, and you?".

"Sandy I hope I'm not bothering you, I was wondering if you are free, could I invite you to have lunch with me? If not today, tomorrow maybe?"

"Oh, yes. I'll be delighted, and no, no, today is fine, where do you want we met?"

"Oh Sandy how good, well if you give me your address I'll pick you up at your convenience, let's see, half past noon ok with you? And Sandy, it's my treat."

Bella was feeling like a teenager on her first date. She took a long hot bath, and for the first time in what seemed to be centuries, she produced herself. Make-up, finger and toe-nails painted, eye-liner, french perfume, the works. Then she went to dress. Sandy just took a shower, dressed in beautiful high priced jeans and a modest, but expensive, cut silk shirt, she wore no make-up, only her lips were touched with pink lip-stick, and a puff of fresh cologne; her shoulder-length ash blonde hair, done up with exquisite care, framed her pretty face in a slightly but carefully dishevelled way, making her look like a woman being stylish and comfortable. She was slim, but with the voluptuous slimness of a young woman, she was blessed with firm, ample breasts, and her jeans showed a full, well-shaped ass.

At half past noon, sharp, Bella rang the doorbell at Sandy's condo, when she opened the door to welcome the older woman with an open smile, she was astounded, and the vision before her was breathtaking. Where was the sad, sombre, conservatively dressed executive of not so long?

It was not that Bella was elaborately dressed; she was only wearing a simple neck to knee red sheath dress which moulded her mature body and she looked absolutely stunning. A slow blushing tone of pink was cowering from head to painted toes Bella's body at the incredulous expression of Sandy's face.

"Something wrong with my attire, Sandy"

"Bella, my god, you are beautiful, incredible beautiful, I almost didn't recognize you. That's all"

Several hours later, by the lake at the park, the two women had bonded and were becoming fast friends, but the day was coming to and end. It had been a very exciting day, both had enjoyed each others company, and had confided in the other a few items of their respective lives; nothing important, mind you, but necessary to get knowing each other better. Bella was taking Sandy back home from the park:

"It was really nice just sitting there talking with you by the water, Sandy. I loved it"

"It was for me too, Bella, it has been an amazing day, Thank you."

"You are very wise, I would say beyond your years. It's like there is no age difference at all when we're talking the way we are right now."

"I agree with you. It is really nice being with you and I love talking to you"

"Sandy, I need to confess something to you but I'm tongue tied, I'm afraid of what you may think of me"

"Its Ok Bella, you can tell me anything, you may trust and confide in me"

The silence in the car was deafening, both women so voluble and talkative since high noon were now, several hours later, silent, Sandy bewildered and Bella suddenly afraid of the girls reaction. Suddenly Sandy was aware of the fact that Bella's dress had slithered up while driving and she was able to see up to the top of her stockinged legs. She was mesmerized and could not apart her gaze from the hypnotic view. For the first time in her life she felt a strange feeling between her legs, and she felt her body hot, flushed and tingling all over.

Bella, unaware of what was happening inside Sandy's mind and body, and also unaware of the cause, the motive, was trying to break the dense silence and trying to get her mouth speaking the words of her confession. Not hearing even Sandy's breath beside her, in a confused estate of mind Bella turned her face to look at Sandy and saw her looking down with a rapturous expression on her face, not knowing the cause of such expression, she followed Sandy's look to see her own naked legs fully displayed, for the first time in eons she felt a moistening from excitement in her panties.

They arrived at Sandy's condo and with the car idling they turned their faces toward each other:

"Sandy I wanted..."

"Bella I'm so, so..." both had started at the same time.

"Sorry to interrupt you, keep..." again both at the same time.

Bella put her hand forward in a stopping way,

"Sorry my dear, what do you want to say"

"You were going to tell me something and I don't think a car with its motor idling in the street is the best place to talk, won't you come inside so we can talk with a cup of tea in our hands?" proposed Sandy

Bella was surprised and elated, " ... yes my dear I think it is a wonderful idea"

A few minutes later, both sited, nursing a cup of tea in their hands were in silence, Sandy waiting Bella's words, Bella wanting to talk and not knowing how to start.

"Ok. Sandy, please don't think the less of me after you hear what I have to tell you"

"Don't worry Bella, be assured I wont"

"Well, here we go. Sandy I'm a lesbian"

No Ohhhhs, no ahhhhhs, in fact no exclamation revealing shock or revulsion, just a respectful and loving interest.

"You mean you love women, is that right? Are you attached? I mean have you problems with your lady lover and that is why you are always so sad?"

"Yes I like women, and no I don't have a lover, I haven't in a long, long time, several years back for a fact, that's a story that if you are disposed to hear I'll tell you someday, Is another thing I must tell you, and it is driving me crazy, because I fear what your reaction will be"

"You said to me a few minutes ago I am very mature and ... I quote you ... It's like there is no age difference at all when we're talking, If that is so, then won't you tell me what's in your mind"

Bella put her tea-cup in the small table at her side and wringing her hands looked Sandy's eyes and...

"Sandy, I'm a lesbian, and I have fallen madly in love with you, I love you so much it hurts, please don't say anything now, I don't pretend you to be in love with me, but at least let's be friends ".

"Bella, yes, we are friends, good friends, and I'm very fond of you. I don't love you, yet, I need time to think and understand everything has happened today. It is right with you?"

"Yes my love take all the time you need, and decide with your heart"

They talked about the day, the beauty of the park and lake, and then Bella said good bye and took her leave from Sandy's home.

The next several weeks Sandy and Bella, Bella and Sandy phoned the other everyday, the conversations getting more and more intimate from one day to the other, opening to the other about what pleased or displeased them. As the days went on Bella got even crazier about Sandy, she loved her, lusted about her, and wanted her in her bed. And to her amazement she started, for the first time in her life, at forty one years old, to have wet dreams and to masturbate with thoughts of a young woman she hadn't even saw naked.

Bella was continuously in Sandy's mind. She didn't consider herself a lesbian, she liked only Bella, other women let her cold, she was attracted to the older woman in a way she didn't understand, nothing similar had ever occurred to her, not with men, boys, girls or women. She thought she was in love with Bella and that had nothing to do at all with gender, at that moment.

It was irremediable, again one Friday, Bella took the initiative and asked Sandy to enjoy the week-end with her at her house, as her guest of course, and if she was available she was most welcome. Bella knew Sandy's summer vacation was at and end and her plans were to go back to college in the east and finish her education. Sandy answer was a euphoric yessssssssssss. Without knowing it, one of Bella's most cherished dreams was going to be made true, one of her children was going to enjoy her house and the pool, sauna, Jacuzzi and the other commodities.

Sandy was so excited to be going to spend the week-end with Bella she could not wait; she was restless looking her wrist- watch every few minutes, she put on her usual informal attire of jeans and cowboy boots with a chequered shirt. Finally Bella arrived in time, as usual, and everything was perfect again to Sandy. She took her small flight bag with the few necessary things for a week-end, a change of lingerie, bikini, and few personal things more and went to Bella's car and sat on the passenger side with a big and contagious smile. Bella then pulled away from the curb and started the drive to her house.

"Good evening, my love, ready to enjoy a sunny week-end by the pool side"

"Oh Bella I'm so happy and excited. I love being with you. I've waited for ever to go with you and..."

"Me too my love, I thank the fairies for meeting you and now get the chance of knowing directly more of you, and in an undertone, if possible in the biblical sense""

The rest of the ride was uneventful, except for a little small talk, Bella said very little. Sandy's demeanor was obviously quite ebullient and masked her nervousness, so Bella decided to give her some time to relax; when they got to the house, Bella parked the car and brought in the bag. After a while Sandy went to freshen up. There was something so beautiful, so thrilling, about having with her a fresh, lovely, nineteen-year old young woman even if it was for a short stay in her house. She loved her lightness and brightness, the vitality and feminine presence she brought with her.

Bella's house; was a beautiful, spacious home on a secluded, wooded lot near the beach. At forty one and financially secure, she tried to enjoy a quiet life, after so many years of sacrifice and hard labor. Now, however, to Bella it was the end of the week, and in other aspect it could be the end of a long searching journey, time to relax and let the hair down, meaning, trying to forget work and drink a glass of wine leisurely in the company of her new found love. But a doubt marred in part the happiness of the moment. She was in love with Sandy with all her heart, ¿ Did Sandy love her?

Later that evening, under a deep dark blue sky full of stars, and after a romantic dinner in the patio, compounded of cold meats and salad and a very good, very cold white chardonnay, both a little tipsy, Bella asked Sandy if she wanted to dance, the astonished young woman only nodded her fuzzy head assenting and Bella put on some romantic slow music, then she walked slowly up to Sandy, whom she had been lavishing with affection for weeks, and tenderly taking the girl into her arms she began slow-dancing with her, both of them looking profoundly into the others eyes.

Delicious, forbidden excitement coursed through Sandy's body; as a young woman just learning about sex, she had never thought being in Bella's arms could feel this way. Sex, shrouded always in shame and hushed whispers was never discussed back in her father or grand-parents home, not to mention the nunnery where sex was a heinous sin, When ... she had explored herself, her desires had always been drowned out by that other voice, the voice of her subconscious, the voice instilled in her by the nuns. Sinner, sinner, sinner.

"You're so pretty," Bella breathed against Sandy's silky-smooth neck as she gently rocked together with her as the music surrounded them.

Bella's hands gently stroked the girl, as though she were a little girl in need of the calming hands of her mother. She pulled her close and let her face come into contact with Sandy's; cheek-to-cheek she could feel the younger woman trembling in her arms and a little soft cry of pleasure escaped the beautiful teenager lips.

Bella proposed Sandy go up to the house terrace and letting the sound of music flowing, she took Sandy' hands and pulled her to a tiny elevator. Opening the door Bella flipped open the top button of Sandy shirt as she backed her toward the little car. And as she nudged her inside the car she said

"I love this job", then brought her mouth down to Sandy's.

And she is good at it, Sandy though, as the older woman hands got busy with her clothes and her pulse jumped to a gallop as she felt the kiss take her under, and was already sunk deep when the elevator doors reopened and her shirt hit the floor. As the cool air whisked over her naked skin; her eyes blinked open.

Bella backed her toward the roof terrace where the glass dome was open to let the night air in.

"What..."

Then the expert mouth took hers again, and she could feel her brain dissolving, void of any thought, registering only the sensual passion of that mouth.

"We had a walk outside, dinner under the stars" Bella pressed Sandy back into the stone rail. "We'll consider this a hat trick".

This night was about kindness, tenderness and subtle caresses of love; this was a night of full conquest.

With a laugh she flipped open Sandy's bra -–the simple white cotton she preferred and that in the future will never fail to allure her—and toyed with a cameo she wore on a chain and for a moment she thought she remembered it.

"Now I feel I should come up with something very clever to say about your puck, but everything that occurs to me sounds very crude"

Bella skimmed her hands over Sandy's breasts; small and firm with, in-between, the cameo she was sure had seen sometime before but couldn't remember where or when. She felt the thumping of Sandy's heart under the soft and smooth skin, and the warmth of the girl spread under her hands. However clear her eyes, however much humour in then, Bella knew she was as aroused as her. Then she turned her, eased her down on the edge of a wide, padded chaise.

"Boots" she said, and lifted one of her feet. Sandy leaned bask on her elbows, watching as the mature woman stood in front of her pulling off, first one boot then the other.

Bella's hands moved to her breasts and massaged them gently, then still staring into Sandy's blue eyes, Bella moved her hands over Sandy's belly, caressing her hot skin and drawing gasps from the willingly young woman beneath her.

"That feels really good..." Sandy mumbled.

Bella straddled Sandy and for the briefest of moments, she pressed herself into Sandy's mound, drawing a gasp from her mouth, before slipping over to her other side. Sandy opened her mouth to object when Bella slithered down next to her and covered her mouth with her own, effectively smothering any objections. The reason for the shift became clear when Bella started moving her left hand slowly down Sandy's brown stomach to the top of her jeans.