Chapter 28

In the Jurassic Lodge, Tanya was putting on one of her husband’s old shirts – not really his, but one that was even larger than Frank would wear, for she felt she needed something, anyway, in which to greet their new arrival, who probably wouldn’t be expecting the proprietress to be running around nude – especially at the front desk. Besides, it was only polite not to stick your bare tits into someone’s face before you knew them.

Still weak from Vanessa’s psychic sexual assault, Tanya trotted down the wide staircase, steadying herself with one hand on the railing. She padded barefoot across the hardwood floor, buttoning her shirt.

Tia and Tara escorted their new guest through the front entrance. Frank and Tony looked up from a checkerboard and Tony’s jaw dropped as Jessika stepped into the shaded veranda and smiled at the welcome relief from the oppressive heat. Both guys stared as though they’d never seen a female before.

‘Don’t step on your tongue, ‘ one of the twins thought into Tony’s head, causing him to shut his mouth in protest at the catty accusation.

“God, she looks familiar,” he mentioned to Frank. “Where have I seen her before?”

“Gentlemen,” Jessika said, softly greeting the men with an almost imperceptible nod.

Frank and Tony nodded back, then Tony was interrupted when Frank said, “King me. Your move...”

“Hi,” Tanya said from behind her fancy welcoming desk. “You must be Jessika – Jessika Elmhurst – from Elmhurst Farms, right?”

Jessika smiled politely, letting the hired help know she’d actually gotten it right.

“I’m Tanya,” Tanya said, not to be put off. “My husband and I run the lodge, so if you have any questions, feel free to ask. You requested a room away from the morning sun, so if you’re ready, I’ll take you upstairs.

“So, I understand that Elmhurst Farms isn’t an agricultural group,” Tanya said chattily as they proceeded up the stairs. “Do you have livestock?”

“Yes,” Jessika replied, “When we were allocated our homestead, the ground wasn’t suitable for farming, so we rounded up some deer and a few wandering cows. To make a long story short, we now supply half the venison in New Eden.”

“It’s impressive,” Tanya replied. “When we got here – Frank and I – the diet we were put on was mostly grain and some fruit and veggies. When I was a child, that’s what we fed our pigs. I think everyone appreciates the easy availability of good meat that you’ve helped create ... Ah, here’s your room.”

She opened the door and led Jessika into a large, airy combination bedroom-living room. Jessika smiled, appreciating the view from the wide windows as well as the fresh aroma of the room. There was also an aroma of something else...

A lingering, pungent scent ... coming from Tanya.

“So, Jessika said, deciding to speak out, “I imagine that you’re my replacement.”

“Huh?” Tanya asked, completely surprised. “I’m sorry, what did you say?”

“You’re my replacement,” Jessika said, her voice lower, but no more friendly than before.

“Replacement?” Tanya asked, beginning to reevaluate her decision to stay out of other people’s minds. “For what?”

“Really, Ms. Tabor, I can smell her on you,” Jessika said, a disappointing note in her voice. “You’re with the Feathertree girl, now.”

“I’ve been helping her with some personal issues...” Tanya began.

“Yes! I imagine you have, at that,” Jessika interrupted. “And, no doubt, you’ve discovered her ‘special’ talent...”

Tanya sighed, not wanting to discuss Vanessa and her little sexual feedback trick right now. Besides, she felt completely outclassed wearing that tatty old shirt for a dress while being completely naked (and feeling sticky with her own and Vanessa’s love juices) underneath. Jessika was wearing boots and leather and stood proud, well-formed and almost regal – not equal footing at all, and Tanya didn’t like the feeling it gave her.

“Your luggage will be brought up later,” she said, turning to leave. Then she stopped and added, “Your friend is asleep right now. I haven’t told her you were coming. If you wish to clean up after your journey, the common baths are at the end of the hall.” She left, not closing the door.

“Well,” Jessie said aloud to herself, “that went well,” sounding sarcastic. “I should have brought Emma with me. Things would be easier all around if she was here. I could introduce her to Vanessa...”

‘Then the explanations would be a lot easier.’

She sighed, wanting somebody to talk to. This ‘to-die-for’ designer catsuit was completely wasted on the people she’d met so far except for the two gawking dicks downstairs, and there was no chance she’d ever let either of them get close to her. She’d hoped to see Vanessa right off, knowing that the girl would be sorely put to reach out with one of those magnificent, mind-melting embraces, both of them desperately wanting to set things right between them.

This costume was made specifically for Vanessa to peel off her. It was actually a gift she’d had made a few months earlier. The most arousing part was the nylon body suit she was wearing underneath, and, if Vanessa had seen her wearing her love suit, Jessika knew all would be forgiven – not that there had been anything, really, to forgive.

And now, the whole effect was completely wasted. That woman, Tanya, hadn’t seemed impressed, although it was evident that she was at least ‘bi’, having a husband and still having Vanessa’s love scent on her. That was the real problem – the thing that made it so hard for her to think though this without getting upset. That Aryan cunt had posted a claim on her lover, and even had the audacity to flaunt it right in front of everyone with the smell of their lovemaking!

Jessika paced the floor of her suite for a while, perhaps a quarter of an hour, before she was settled down enough to take a deep breath and force her mind to relax so she could think! Then the luggage was here and the two boys carrying it cheerfully deposited each bag wherever she indicated.

The room empty once again, Jessie sighed and moved toward the still-open door. She stood there for several minutes, just letting the feel of the place set into her mind. The heavier gravity after ten years inside the hollow shell of New Eden pressed heavily on the balls of her feet even though they were sheathed and well supported in the glossy knee-high boots surrounding her feet, ankles and sheathing her lower legs.

Tanya’s voice echoed from downstairs, which meant the hired help was now occupied elsewhere and she could do a little exploring. After a single footfall onto the hardwood hallway floor, Jessika stepped back into her carpeted suite and sat down to pull off her high-heeled boots. Unless she wanted to announce her presence wherever she walked, those sexy knee-high ‘fuck-me-now’ boots would have to go.

Now that she was in ‘stealth-mode’, bare-legged except for the dark nylon that made up her bodysuit, Jessie stepped into the hallway again, silently this time except for the squeaking brush of leather sleeves, and padded, stocking-footed (if stepping toe first, then heel could ever be considered padding – more like tip-toeing), down toward the next room away from the staircase and the voices downstairs.

This room was obviously a man’s room – there was junk and clothes lying carelessly around – no Vanessa here. Two more doors and she was at the end of the hall, where she discovered the common baths, a two-story room built up against the cliff face – or at least a steep hillside – with a hot springs gurgling out of a cleft in the wall about 4 meters up from what could only be described as an indoor lake, albeit a small one with perhaps ten or more stone slabs placed around the sides and just beneath the surface for reclining in the water. The bright afternoon sunshine flowed in over the single story wall that was obviously designed to keep the local wildlife out.

‘Okay, ‘ Jessie thought to herself, ‘now, I’m impressed.

‘Put your senses to work, woman!’ Jessie chided herself after admiring the bath setup for a few moments. ‘You’ve always been able to tell where Vanessa was and what she was thinking – well, usually, anyway ... so find her now!’

Stepping back out into the vacant hallway, she turned toward the stairway, now at the far end. It was so obvious. That sweet, over-protective Aryan slut would put her lover in a room where she could get to her in a hurry – the one right at the head of the stairs.

Jessika grit her teeth at her own stupidity and padded down the hallway (heel-toe, heel-toe this time, no longer interested in hiding her presence) and stepped into Vanessa’s bedroom as though it were her own.

The little exotic’s love scent filled Jessie’s senses as she quietly closed the door behind her and waited for her eyes to adjust to the darkness. The soft, familiar sigh of a sleeping body wafted through the room causing her to smile as memories of soft caresses flooded through her consciousness.

‘Beautiful Vanessa... ‘

“Hmmm?” a sleepy, achingly familiar voice responded, and Jessika suddenly realized she’d spoken her name out loud. “Whoizit?”

“It’s only me,” Jessie whispered softly, hoping the girl would go back to sleep.

“Huh?” a puzzled, sleepy voice replied, followed by a shifting sliding of bedcovers and the almost silent ‘click’ of a lamp switch.

Both girls squinted at each other, each nearly blinded by the sudden illumination. Vanessa was wearing her (favorite) skin-tight nylon sleepers and Jessie automatically reached toward the alluring girl, needing to feel the material and the warmth of Vanessa’s body underneath, hesitating only at the last moment with the uncertainty of how her arrival would affect Vanessa, herself.

Jessie gritted her teeth, not used to feeling this ... what was that despicable sensation? Oh... needy!!!

“Jessie?” Vanessa called out, her soft, sleepy voice unsteady and confused. “Am I dreaming? Is that really you?”

Jessie hesitated to answer for a moment, trying to force her eyes to adjust so she could see Vanessa’s expression. Was she welcome here? Would Vanessa flare up at her? “Yes...” she said, finally. “It’s really me.”

‘Jesus, girl!’ Jessie thought furiously to herself. ‘Get a grip! Stand straighter and let her see what you’re wearing! Let your clothes do the talking! Let her see how hot you are ... for her!’

“Are you back?” Vanessa wanted to know, still squinting against the light. “I mean ... for me?”

“If you’ll have me...” Jessie replied, hopefully knowing when not to say the wrong thing.

‘Let her bring it up, ‘ Jessie thought to herself, ‘and tell her the truth ... she’ll know if you waver even the slightest bit from absolute sincerity!’

Sure enough, the next words out of Vanessa’s mouth were, “What about ... that ... that other...”

“Her name is Emma,” Jessie replied, simply stating the girl’s name and making no excuses.

“Is,” Vanessa noted, “not ‘was’.”

“Her name is Emma,” Jessie said, willingly repeating herself. “She was to be a present ... for you. For your birthday.”

“What do you mean? You were gonna give her to me?” Vanessa asked, clearly not believing her, then grinned, trying to make light of the whole thing. “Couldn’t keep your hands off my stuff, huh?”

Vanessa wanted to believe the most important and beloved person in her life, but didn’t really know if she was ready to forgive Jessie for ... What? Kissing another girl?

Another moment of silence, and Vanessa realized that Jessie could be giving her all kinds of excuses – ‘I was just warming her up for you, darling’ or ‘Nothing really happened; we were only kissing... ‘ which was true; Vanessa had walked in on them before anything had been able to happen.

But, would something have happened? Jessie knew that Vanessa would be coming home, shortly, and it had actually happened on her birthday. But, Vanessa had fled before any lies or feeble explanations could be used to convince her that she wasn’t living in another damned imaginary fantasy that she had so often created about the people she thought cared about her. She knew how clever Jessika could be with words and hadn’t trusted her senses enough to try and confront the situation, so she’d run – all the way to University and signed up on the next Jurassic expedition.

But that was eight days ago – a lifetime, perhaps. Vanessa had learned a great deal about herself in these last few days, and was more willing to hear what Jessie might say, although she doubted her ability to make a rational decision regarding Jessie; her anxious love for the woman thoroughly messing with her thinking.

“Where’d you meet her?” Vanessa asked, letting Jessie sweat for a few minutes to give her more time to think.

Jessika shrugged, making sure that the stretchy creak of her sexy leather jacket was audible in the little room. “She’s a friend – an associate, actually. She handles distribution of perishable goods in the Greenville District. You met her once, a couple of years ago, and since then she’s wanted to ... meet you ... more personally.”

“Do you know her,” Vanessa asked, “more personally, I mean?”

They both knew what she meant. Jessika nodded. “We’ve gotten together a few times, but at the time we were still expanding into our...” she sighed, not knowing exactly how to say it. “Expanding into our, um, current arrangement.”

Vanessa sat on the bed, her senses filled with the sight of Jessie’s magnificent figure and the smell of warm leather and sweat – girl sweat – namely Jessie’s scent, and she was ready to forgive Jessie anything right now just to be able to reach out and embrace... ‘No! I can’t let her off that easily! She can’t just take whoever she wants whenever... ‘ Then, as the words registered in her head, she asked, “What current arrangement? Do you see her every time you go to the county seat?”

“Yes,” Jessie admitted, “when she’s there. Sometimes we miss each other.”

“I bet,” Vanessa grumbled, the image of that woman kissing Jessie fueling the resistance against her desire to reach out and touch her. “Did you tell her about me? Or was I a secret like she was; somebody for you to indulge in when the other wasn’t around...”

“Vanessa,” Jessie said, not using her pet name right now, “I’ve known her for many years, and we’ve been friends – and more – for most of that time. I already told you she wanted to meet with you, but I managed to keep her away from you for several years. But Emma was insistent, and I finally did tell her your secret. Emma is a free spirit and goes where she will, and has no claim on me. What she and I have is different...”

“You and she?” Vanessa interrupted, sounding angry and defensive. “And now you’re going to tell me that it isn’t the same with her as it is with me – right? And that I’m the one who’s special?”

“But it isn’t...” Jessie started, knowing that if they started yelling at each other, it would be over between them forever. “You are special, Bee...”

“Liar!” Vanessa cried out. “I saw you! You were happy holding her! I thought you were mine but you had her instead! And you twist it around to convince me that it’s me she came for? I don’t believe it!”

Jessie held her tongue and let Vanessa’s angry words sweep over her, vowing not to fight – now, or ever! After a moment of silence filled with mostly Vanessa’s upset breathing, she said, “Please, Vanessa – don’t begrudge me my friends. Emma doesn’t own me. But, darling – you don’t own me either, and Emma goes where she pleases.”

Vanessa didn’t reply, but her mouth grew tighter, and Jessie could see another lava vent was about to erupt. But ... what could she do? ‘If I tell her I love her, she’ll just throw it in my face, and then I’ll get mad and everything will go to hell. I didn’t come here for this – I came here for ... oh, yes!’

“I want you to forgive me,” Jessie said, ignoring the sting her pride was feeling right now. “I came here – a hundred million years back in time – just so I could see you one more time, and ... well, to tell you that.”

Silence.

“I need you,” she added, knowing that the ‘L’ word was still verboten – at least for the moment.

Vanessa sat on the bed, tears streaming down her face at the decision she had to make. Her understanding of social behavior demanded that Jessie be punished – banished from her presence – for being unfaithful. But she herself had made love to several others in the last week as well – with the perfectly valid excuse that she was ‘on the rebound’. And now Jessie was standing there ‘needing’ her and wanting her forgiveness.

And she hadn’t asked for it, either, simply stating instead that she wanted it. Typical Jessie – always wanting, always demanding her own way. But that wasn’t really the problem here, because they both wanted the same thing – each other. And Jessie was someone who would never allow...

“You said I don’t have any claim on you,” Vanessa stated, “that I don’t ‘own’ you. Well, you don’t own me, either, and I can do whatever I want.”

“I know,” Jessie said, emotion heavy in her voice. “But if I could lay claim to you, I would claim you right now, and never let you go again.”

Vanessa glared at her antagonist through tear-filled eyes, understanding of what she had to do – was actually willing to do – slowly dawning on her. They had played this game many times before, and each time, Vanessa had wished it was true. Now, she could make her fantasy become reality. “You would claim me as your property?” she asked, “like chattel, or one of your deers?”

“If, by doing that, I thought I could keep you with me,” Jessie replied, “yes.”

Vanessa stared at her new master, taking a deep breath, certain of what she wanted, now.

“Then I’m yours,” she said, surrendering herself completely. “Do with me as you wish. But you can have no other!”

Surprised at her easy victory, Jessie stared at her new acquisition for a moment, delight showing on her face. Then she remembered the rules. “Property can’t make demands, Beevee,” Jessie chided as she sat down on the bed and reached out to touch her. “You’re mine, now, and just as one of my cattle can’t limit me to the amount of deer I can have, neither can you tell me whom I may love.”

“But you love me,” Vanessa said, stating it as a fact rather than a question.

“Yes,” Jessie replied, knowing it was safe to use that word now, “I love you.”

“And I love you,” Vanessa answered, returning her hug, “as I must, since I am your property, now. And property should get its proper use, shouldn’t it?” She stretched, lying back on the bed to display herself in her nylon sleepwear.