Chapter 11

Kitchens and Baths

For AbbeyCat, who has love to spare.

Your love is better than ice cream 
Better than anything else that I've tried 
And your love is better than ice cream 
Everyone here knows how to fight

Sarah McLachlan

When Karen looked out the window over the sink, the clouds were breaking up. It was still gloomy and gray, but it would brighten soon. The thermometer outside the window hovered at eight above zero. Laci pranced over to Karen on her tippy toes, and let her robe fall open. She was wearing the same cami top and panties she had on before her shower.

It didn't matter that she'd seen Laci like this no more than two minutes ago. Turning around at the sink and seeing the girl coming to her for love, Karen drew a sharp breath. Is this girl ever going to stop taking my breath away? Laci raised her arms, wrapping them around the woman's neck, and laid her cheek on Karen's chest.

Karen slipped her arms around Laci's waist and sighed, "My precious, beautiful baby." She laid her cheek atop Laci's head and inhaled the scent of her freshly shampooed hair. Laci's hair was still damp, and her natural curls were beginning to assert themselves. Karen rocked her lover side to side, humming a nameless tune. "I just love you so much," she cooed.

Laci looked up, her emerald eyes sparkling, silently asking for a kiss. Karen smiled and gently laid her lips on Laci's; no tongue, just kisses, once, twice, three times. Karen looked at Laci before stealing one more kiss. "Are you still hungry?"

"Uh huh," Laci nodded.

"Still want an omelet?"

"Yeah, it sounds yummy. Can I help?"

"Sure, if you want."

"I wanna learn how to cook, and you're the best cook I know."

Karen laughed and released Laci. "All things considered, that may not be saying much." She took out four eggs. "Do you know how to whisk an egg?"

"You mean swish them with the wire thingy?"

"Yeah," Karen nodded with a chuckle. "It's called a whisk – clever, huh?"

Laci selected one from the crockery jar of utensils on the counter. "This thing, right?"

"That's the one." Karen pulled out a heavy glass bowl. "Crack the eggs in here – don't worry about breaking the yolks, no need to be careful, just try not to get any pieces of shell in there. Give them a good tap on the countertop to crack the shell, then voila! Open them up."

Laci pushed her damp hair back behind an ear and took an egg. She didn't want to look like an idiot and make a mess, or do something stupid. What? You think she just woke up one day knowing how to crack open eggs? She gingerly tapped the egg against the countertop, and – nothing.

Karen laughed gently. "Don't be afraid to give it a good tap. Don't smoosh it, but – tap!" She indicated with her hand what she meant.

Laci took a deep breath and tried again. Success! The shell cracked but didn't break open in a mess of egg white.

Laci looked up, beaming. "See?" Karen said. "You did it right." She came up to Laci and planted a firm kiss on her mouth. "You're learning kitten. Today cracking eggs, tomorrow osso bucco and duck comfit."

Laci glowed inside. How could the simple act of cracking an egg make her feel so good and so valued? She repeated the process with a little more grace each time, until four yellow orbs stared up from the bowl, and there weren't any shards of shell. She picked up the whisk and paused. "Is there a special way to do it? You see them on TV and it looks like some do it one way, others do it another way."

"It doesn't matter baby, whatever way works best for you to get the job done. You want to swish fast and get everything mixed together nice and smooth. Toss in a pinch of salt, yeah, just about that much. Then start swishing until you find the best way for you to hold it."

Laci furrowed her brow in concentration and began whisking. She paused every few strokes until she found a comfortable rhythm. "Look Karen!" she cried. "Like this?"

"Perfect," Karen said, hugging her quickly. "Now what would you like in the omelet?"

"I dunno," Laci shrugged. "What can we have?"

Karen looked in the refrigerator and opened the deli drawer. "Pretty much whatever you want. My basic rule of thumb is anything you'd like in a sandwich. Except PB and J maybe." She heard Laci giggle. The sweet sound never failed to send a thrill through her. "How about something simple, some prosciutto and provolone cheese."

"Sure, why not? What's pro-shoe-toe?"

Karen laughed again. "An Italian deli meat, kind of a cross between ham and bacon. I've snuck it into a couple of your sandwiches before and you came out of it alive and in one piece."

"Karen," Laci chuckled. "How's this looking?"

Karen set down the packages of meat and cheese, and a carton of light cream, and looked. The eggs were a uniform pale yellow with bubbles floating about. "Perfect, that's exactly how they should look. Now we'll add a little bit of cream, just whisk it like you have been."

"Why cream?" Laci asked as she resumed whisking.

"Cream gives the omelet a little body and richness. Use just a bit, maybe a quarter of a cup. OK, once that's all whisked in, we can stop for a few minutes, give everything a chance to come up to room temperature so it'll cook a little more evenly." She shifted over to the pots and pans cupboard, squatted down, and brought out an ancient black cast iron skillet.

"Am I good student?" Laci said playfully while gliding over to Karen.

Karen kissed her and had to resist the urge to let her tongue go play. "A plus. So, I guess I'm not cooking dinner alone anymore now that I have my very own sous chef. I'm going to have a cigarette and a cup of coffee while things warm up a bit. What about you? Are you ready to try coffee yet?"

Laci scrunched her nose. "Umm, no. Maybe a sip of yours -- someday. Cigarette? Some of yours."

Karen poured her coffee, added cream, and lit her first cigarette of the day, while Laci got herself a glass of orange juice. She secretly glanced at Karen leaning back against the island, smoking her cigarette and idly staring at the stove. I'm her lover, Laci thought with a thrill. She loves me, not someone else, she could love anyone else, but she loves me, I make her happy, I make her feel wonderful things, and she loves me. She never ceased to be thrilled and amazed when she pondered those truths.

Laci took a swallow of juice, and then took the cigarette from Karen for a quick drag. "That's an old frying pan," she observed, handing the cigarette back.

Karen glanced at it. "Yes, it is. My Grammy gave it to me when I got married, and I think it belonged to her Grammy. She used to use it to make pancakes and eggs when I'd stay at her house as a girl. It must be at least a hundred years old, probably older." She snuffed her cigarette and used the island's sink to wash her hands.

Laci leaned on her arms atop the high part of the island. "Is your Grammy still alive?"

"No kitten, she died a few years back. God, she'd be in her 90s if she were still alive."

"Did she love you?"

Karen smiled as she set the skillet on the burner and put the flame on high. It wasn't hard to see where Laci's priorities lay. Karen plopped a square of butter in the pan. "Yes she did. At least she always told me she did. Giving me this skillet told me I was pretty special to her."

"Did you have a Grampy, too?"

Karen hefted the skillet and swirled the butter around. "You want to pour the egg in?" Laci popped up quickly, grabbing the bowl. "Pour it in," Karen coached. "Not all at once, there, just like that." The custard made a merry sizzling sound. Karen put the flame on low, and then turned her attention to the fillings.

Laci came around to watch, leaning her elbows on the counter while Karen dug out the cutting board and a heavy chef's knife. "So, did you have a Grampy?" She didn't forget her question, and for some reason it felt important to her.

Karen smiled as she rolled up slices of meat to chiffonade. Yes, Karen thought, Laci wore her priorities openly – family, love, security. It was best not to dismiss the girl's inquiries. "Yes, I sure did. Two in fact, but the one I'm thinking of, my Dad's Dad, was the one I saw the most. He was quite the rare bird. He and Gram lived in an old farmhouse up in Hopewell, but he wasn't a farmer. He was kind of a handyman, fixing tractors and trucks, and he built houses." Karen smiled to herself. "He used to give me rides on his old tractor and it drove my mother crazy, she thought sure I'd fall off and get crushed by the big tractor wheels. But he was all country, he smoked a pipe, and he always wore this old timey baseball cap cocked off to the side, and Dickie work pants held up by suspenders. He was all crooked up by the time I came along, he could hardly stand straight, but he worked every day."

Laci laughed. Her eyes sparkling, she said, "No way! Did he really give you rides like that?"

Karen nodded. "Mmmm hmm, he did. Come baby, let's finish this omelet." Laci watched closely, as Karen indicated the nearly set omelet. "When it's just a little bit runny on top, sprinkle on the filling stuff over half the omelet like this. Hand me that spatula from the holder. Yes, that flexible one. You really need a non-stick pan to cook an omelet or it sticks and turns into a mess. Now work the edge of the spatula under the top half of the omelet – like this, see? Then give it a quick – flip! Voila! Now we turn off the heat and give it a minute for the cheese to melt."

Laci it all in with fascination. Haute cuisine in her old life was hamburger mixed with boxed macaroni and cheese. Karen made it all look so effortless. Was there anything her lover couldn't do? "You make that look so easy," Laci said, straightening up.

"It is easy once you've done it a time or two. You can do the next one we have and you'll see. Now, get us some plates and silverware and we'll eat in the breakfast nook. How many toasts do you want, one or two?"

"One's OK. Can I have grape jelly with it?"

* * *

Smoke rose chaotically from the glowing tip of Karen's cigarette as she leaned back and watched Laci do the dishes. The girl insisted on doing them herself by hand in the sink. She seemed to take great pleasure in doing small day-to-day household chores, as if they gave her a sense of belonging.

Laci shrugged off the robe, saying it was too big and got in the way. Now she moved about in her cropped cami top and her skimpy Hello Kitty undies. She had a habit of prancing on her tippy-toes when she was doing something that pleased her or when she was excited. It had the effect of making her already lithe form incredibly sleek and fluid.

Karen took a final drag from her cigarette and snuffed it. She didn't take her eyes off her lover as the girl swished about the kitchen. Karen's chest tightened, and her breathing grew quicker. There was a sudden and pronounced surge of warmth in her pelvis, and suddenly her panties were most uncomfortably snug. Her nipples didn't need any extra coaxing to stand out under the fabric of her tank top. Without consciously realizing it, Karen started idly caressing her inner thigh next to her rapidly dampening sex.

Karen stood up and stretched. "Are you almost done?" she said to Laci with as much casual humor as she could.

Laci smiled flirtatiously over her shoulder. "Yeah, why?"

"Because," Karen said, gliding up behind Laci and slipping her arms around the girl's waist. "You twitching that little ass of yours is about to drive me crazy."

Laci leaned back, giggling. Her eyes were bright. "Karen, you are so bad."

Karen gathered in her teen lover's lissome body. "Why am I so bad?" she said, her voice growing heavy.

Head still leaned back, Laci nuzzled her butt back into the cup of Karen's pelvis. Her own voice thickened. "Cause you say naughty things that make me wanna be bad."

Karen tucked her face in the crook of Laci's neck and tickled her with the tip of her tongue, making Laci squeal with delight. "Well maybe I like bad girls," Karen purred. "Bad girls are so much more fun than good girls." She skated the tips of her fingers over the thin swath of fabric adhering to Laci's mound, making Laci draw in a sharp breath.

Laci shuddered, her body prickling into goosebumps. She could feel her sex slit puff up and open. She restlessly cocked her hips from side to side, murmuring, "I like being a very bad girl, but only for you."

Karen, kissing Laci's neck, used both hands to massage the girl's taut, quivery mound. Laci's movements grew ever more restless. She pushed her hips out in search of Karen's touch. Karen tapped her lightly, and Laci yipped. "Karen," she pleaded.

Karen, her own heart thudding hard, nipped Laci's ear as she caressed the girl's tender sex through her panties. "What?" she teased.

"Karen," Laci whimpered. "Don't."

"Don't what?"

"Tease me! Don't tease me."

"I'm not teasing you."

"Yes you are! You're making me all crazy and stuff. You know what I mean."

"I do? What makes you so sure of that?"

"Karrrrennnnn!" Laci's movements now were urgent and verging on frantic. Her little sex was like a living thing unto itself beneath Karen's light strokes.

"Tell me what you want," Karen murmured.

"Karennnn! You know what I want."

"Tell me."

"I want you to – fuck me, make me come."

Karen slipped the fingers of one hand under the waistband of the girl's panties. "I love it when you talk sexy to me like that."

Laci moaned and put her own hands atop Karen's, trying to direct the woman's touch to her honey pot. Karen used her middle finger to open Laci and dive into her juicy confines. A stream of nectar drizzled out. Karen squeezed Laci's sex, and a fresh squirt settled in her cupped palm. Laci was gasping.

Karen spun Laci around firmly, almost roughly. She pushed the girl back against the low tier of the island. Laci was trembling and whining softly, but she knew what was coming and it was exactly what she wanted.

Karen dropped to her knees before Laci, feeling almost as if she were genuflecting. She trembled as she slid Laci's panties down. The countertop was right at the level of Laci's bum. Gasping, she was able sit on the edge and open her legs. Karen let out a soft groan at the sight of her lover's engorged, shining sex, from the intricate corrugations of her vagina to the tumescent gleam of her sugarplum. Karen dipped her head and feasted.

The touch of Karen's tongue sent a sharp jolt through Laci, then everything came bubbling out like an over-boiled pot of pasta. She was dimly aware of the sound of Karen's tongue lapping at her like a kitten at a bowl of milk, but mostly her consciousness morphed into a mass of inchoate, kaleidoscopic inner eruptions.

Laci did not come quietly.

* * *

Laci was animated and bubbly as she and Karen walked through the cold parking lot to the car after the last shopping stop of the day. She was chattering like a magpie, her hands fluttering like little birds while bags dangled precariously from her arms.

Karen herself glowed with delight. Shopping with Laci was simply a joy. The girl always appreciated everything without so much as a hint of entitlement. Today's haul of loot ran the gamut from undies and sneakers to outfits, a laptop to a Smartphone, yet none of this seemed to matter a whit to the girl.

Laci piled all her bags in the back seat except one. Karen slid behind the wheel and Laci bubbled into the passenger seat with the one bag that seemed to interest her. "Ohmygod Karen! I couldn't even believe it, I mean really." She opened the bag, pawed around, and came out with a treasure. "Oh Karen! Look at this!" She held up a frilly floral dress for a doll. "It's so cute! The bear is going to love it, I know she's going to love all the outfits, I couldn't believe we found that place, ohmygod! She needs a name, don't you think? I call her Paddington sometimes, but that's stupid, `cause Paddington is a boys name, I was thinking, maybe her name should be Bearyanne? Is that a good name?"

Karen chuckled. Laci was simply priceless, and her childish delight was infectious. Karen found herself caught up in the moment. "I think Bearyanne is a wonderful name honey, very clever and appropriate."

Laci pulled out another outfit. "Oh Karen, isn't this one so cute? See the pink sleeves and the little ruffles, it's just like people clothes, oh we're going to have so much fun dressing her up in these outfits. Did you have a name for her when you were little?"

"No," Karen smiled. "I just called her teddy bear, so yes, I think it's about time she had a proper name."

"Oh Karen, I hope they fit, do you think they'll fit?"

"They should, they're cut for a fifteen inch bear, and that's what she is. If they're off a little, I'll try to take them in or let them out, whatever they need."

"Really? You can do that?"

"Should. They usually leave behind a little extra fabric, the seams are pretty straightforward."

Laci was beginning to wonder if there was anything Karen couldn't do.

"I'm hungry," Karen declared. There were half a dozen chain restaurants within reach. "Let's eat. Anything special you'd like?"

Laci looked around. "I really don't know. I've never been to any of them."

Karen pondered the various signs. What sounded good? "Ah," she said at last. "The Blue Goose." Known as The Goose, it was a regional chain with an eclectic menu fit for both the daring and the squeamish. "How about there?"

Laci shrugged. "OK by me."

Once parked, Karen took a quick look around the parking lot and saw it was clear. She grabbed Laci's coat lapel and pulled her close. "Quick," she said, "While the coast is clear." Her lips grabbed Laci's and she kissed the girl, groaning happily. She gave the inside of Laci's lips a quick swipe of her tongue before releasing her lover.

Laci, her eyes suddenly alive and glittering, giggled. "Karen, what if someone sees us?"

Karen just looked Laci over from up close. "Did you know you're beautiful?"

Laci blushed. "Not as beautiful as you," she countered.

Karen chuckled and said with a smile, "You're full of doo doo." She darted in and gave her beautiful lover a final quick kiss. "Come, let's go."

Laci slipped on her new sunglasses when they stepped out into the brilliant sunshine, suddenly self-conscious about her appearance. Karen dropped her own sunglasses down from atop her head, and shouldered her purse. When they reached the shade of the building, Laci wrapped her arms around Karen's free arm and hugged it. It was an acceptable public display of affection, and she jumped on any chance to show how much she loved Karen. "I love you," she sighed.

Even with sunglasses, the sunlight reflecting off the snowpack left them blind when they stepped into the reception foyer. It was busy, with at least two parties ahead of them. Karen stepped up to the hostess' podium. The hostess, an attractive woman around Karen's age, smiled and said, "Two?"

"Yes, two."

"It'll be about 10 minutes if that's OK."

"That's fine. I'm not surprised it's busy, this the first really decent day we've had in ages."

"Winter can go away any time now," the hostess smiled. She handed Karen a vibrating pager. "You can go to the bar for a drink if you want."

Laci looked around, not quite sure what to think. She tried her best to look and act as mature and adult as possible. She removed her knit hat, something she was sure looked childish, and shook her hair out. Karen came back to her. "It's going to be about 10 minutes before we can get a table. Give me your coat so I can hang them up."

Laci unbuttoned and shrugged off her coat, giving it to Karen. She left her scarf on, thinking it looked stylish. She straightened her pastel pink sweater top. Karen handed her the pager. She took it and frowned. "What's this?"

"It's a pager. When they're ready for us, it'll vibrate and the lights will flash."

"Cool," Laci said, looking the device over. She glanced up to watch Karen glide toward the coat rack. She decided to grab a sitting spot to on one of the benches. She spun around and as she did, she ran hard into someone. The pager flew from her hand and went skittering under a bench.

She looked to see who she'd run into. It was a boy, about her own age, one she instinctively thought of as a geeky nerd. His pants weren't quite long enough, he wore a long-sleeved blue sweater over a white button-down shirt secured to the very top, and he had prominent glasses. In the second it took for this to register, her irritation rose until it escaped her. She scowled just as the boy, who was as shocked at realizing he'd run into a girl like Laci as she was irritated, bent over to get the pager. "Will you watch it, kid?" She snapped. "Don't be so clumsy!"

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Karen coming back from the coat rack. An inner pang burst over her. Several thoughts flashed through her brain in quick succession. First, she realized Karen had almost certainly seen and heard the brief encounter, and she was very likely to be disappointed at the way Laci spoke to the boy. Then, Why am I talking to him like that anyway? He looks like a very nice boy, he's out with his parents and stuff, it's probably his birthday or something, and I'm being rude, talking exactly like the way Jenna would talk. That is so disgusting, I'm not like Jenna!

When the boy straightened, pager in his hand, he was blushing furiously and looking away from Laci. Laci took the pager from him with a "Thank you." Then she put her hand on his and said, "Listen, I di'n't mean to be so rude. I'm really not a mean person. I'm really sorry."

The boy was nonplussed. He blushed harder and fidgeted, trying to say something but unable to make his mouth work. Girls of Laci's stature rarely deigned to acknowledge boys like him, let alone speak to them. Not only was she talking to him, she put her hand on his while she apologized for something that surely was his fault. The natural order of his world was shaken.

The adults with the boy stood up and one said, "Alex, come on, it's our turn."

He continued to blush furiously and look up and down, trying to make his mouth work. At last, after an irritated "Alex! Come on," from one of his adults, he managed to stammer, "Sorry, my fault." And he was gone.

Karen slid up to Laci. "What was that all about?"

Laci sighed. "Oh, I wasn't paying attention, and when I turned around I ran into that boy, and this pager thing went flying. I, um, wasn't very nice at first, I kinda snapped at him when it was my fault. I, um, `pologized for bein' a klutz and bein' so mean. I don't want to be like Jenna and them."

Karen chuckled. "Honey girl, I don't think anyone is ever going to mistake you for Jenna or one of her minions."

The pager started blinking and vibrating. "Look Karen," Laci said, holding it up.

"That's us," Karen nodded in the direction of hostess podium. "Good timing," Karen said in a low voice. "I'm hungry enough to eat you. Oh! Did I just say `horny' or `hungry'?"

Laci covered her mouth and laughed. "Karen," she whispered. "You are so bad!"

Karen smiled at her and winked, and the hostess led them to their table.

Laci followed behind. She loved watching Karen walk into a crowded place. She didn't so much walk as stride onto the scene. She stood erect, her eyes taking in everything, her gait extremely but unconsciously self-confident. Everything about it proclaimed strength, and Laci found it very arousing, arousing enough that her sex started getting squirmy and tingly.

Laci on the other hand worried that she appeared lame or immature. She grew quite self-conscious with the awareness that most of the people they walked passed, especially men, were looking at her, and often doing obvious double takes. It provoked a sensation that was at once uncomfortable and exhilarating. She was relieved when they reached their table.

She and Karen set their purses at their sides and slid into their chairs simultaneously. The hostess, the same woman who'd greeted Karen, handed them their menus. "Good afternoon ladies. Your server will be Nancy, and she'll be right with you. Can I take your drink orders in the meantime?"

"Sure," Karen without looking at the menu. "I'd like a glass of your pinot grigio, with an Evian on the side."

Laci looked at the menu. "Karen, I know what Evian is," she said, confident Karen wouldn't tease her, "but what's pee-noh grih-zio? Is that, like, a wine?"

Karen and the hostess both smiled. "Yes honey, it's a wine so you can't have it."

"Oh. I don't think I'd like wine anyway," she shrugged. "You know what I would like that I haven't had in a really long time?" Laci said, the idea coming out of left field somewhere. "A root beer."

"A root beer," the hostess said, noting it. "In a frosty glass?"

"Yeah, that'd be cool."

When the hostess left, Laci looked at her menu. As at D'antonio's, most of the menu was foreign to her. Why do I have to be so stupid, she thought. It's so dumb I don't know this stuff, Karen must think I'm such a baby, but I can't help it, I never went to places like this before. She looked up at Karen, a pained expression on her face.

Without looking up, Karen smiled and said, "Do you want me to order for you?"

How did she know? Laci marveled. "Do you mind?"

"How daring do you want to be? Have you had seafood?"

"You mean like fish and stuff? I've had tuna fish plenty of times, and like when they have fish sticks at school and stuff."

"You've never had scallops. How about you try scallops, nice and mild but excellent tasting."

Laci shrugged. "I trust you to not gross me out. They aren't like octopus or something gross like that?"

Karen laughed heartily. "No, scallops aren't the seafood version of stewed bunny rabbit sweetheart." Her eyes sparkled and the affection on her face was deep and genuine. God, I love this girl! "You know, baby girl, I'm really proud of you, very, very proud of you."

Laci blushed but she wasn't sure what Karen was talking about. "You are? Umm, why?"

"Back in the lobby a few minutes ago, when you and that boy bumped into each other. I saw and heard the whole thing. I heard you get angry and snap at him, and then apologize. That was pretty awesome, but then, when I asked you, you came right out and told me the truth, that it was you who bumped into him and then snapped at him, and that you apologized to him without being told you should. That's not behavior anyone would expect from a girl your age. It was very mature, and I'm very proud of you for acting that way on your own. You probably made that boy's... day." Day? That brief little encounter would stay with him a lot longer than it would Laci. Just by looking at him and touching his hand, Laci probably gave him a year's worth of late night and long afternoon fantasies.

Laci's chest tightened and she felt hot and tingly in a way that felt good but not sexual. She didn't know how to respond. "I don't like it when people feel bad, Karen," she said at last, toying with the saltshaker. "'Specially when it's because of me. There's no need for it. He looked like a nice kid, maybe it was his birthday or something, an' I almost ruined it."

Karen continued to look at Laci with bright, sparkling eyes and a pleased smile. "I don't think you have to worry about ruining his day honey. But that's one of the things that have always made you so special, and why I'm so proud of you."

Laci was relieved when the server came to the table with a tray bearing their drinks. As she set them down, she said, "Good afternoon ladies, my name is Nancy and I'll be your server. Have you had a chance to look over the menus, or would you like a few more minutes?" Laci felt babyish having Karen order for her, but she knew these things, so it was for the best.

"I think we're ready," Karen said as she watched Laci wrap her lips around her drink straw. It was a sight that unconsciously made Karen's tummy clench and her heart speed up. She looked up at the server before she lost herself in her lover's unconscious sensuality. The server looked like she might be a cute girl from the local liberal arts college working her way through school. "I'll order for her," Karen said, indicating Laci. "She'll have the butter sautéed scallops, but go light on the garlic. And she'd like fries with that – we don't want to push the culinary limits too far in one day."

"OK," Nancy said with a chuckle. "I get it."

"I think we'll share a roasted vegetable medley for our side. For me, I'll have the veal Marsala. That comes with the mushroom risotto, correct?"

"Yes it sure does. Did you want an appetizer?"

Karen hesitated. "No, I think we're all set."

Karen sipped her wine and watched Laci drink through the straw. "What do you think of your root beer?" Karen asked. "Do you like it?"

"It's different from the kind you get in the store, not as sweet, but I like it better."

"I figured you would. Plus it's kind of grown-uppy."

"Grown-uppy?" Laci snickered.

Karen, elbows on the table, hands interlaced under her chin, smiled and basked in her young lover. "Smarty-pants," she teased. "So, did you have fun shopping?"

Laci immediately perked up. "Yeah, it was awesome. But I think you spent waaaay too much money on me."

"No I didn't. That's all stuff you need. Remember love, we're starting you from scratch. I'm not used to hearing `Too much,' more like' `Not enough!'"

Their conversation drifted into a soliloquy by Laci on the relative merits of one style of jeans over another. Laci prattled on without thinking, adjusting her words in response to Karen's facial expressions. As at D'antonio's, Karen simply marveled in the effortless flow of words pouring out of the beautiful girl. There was so much in that head that it all wanted to flow out in an endless stream. The conversation switched to cell phones, then morphed into an exposition on what a bitch Jenna was, and how the girls who used to hang out at the pool parties were no better.

At last, Laci shifted her full attention back to the here and now. Nancy the server waltzed up to the table bearing the serving tray. Laci looked up and her train of thought was lost. Nancy efficiently laid out their dinner plates, naming each one as she did. Everything served and Karen assuring her they were all set, Nancy disappeared.

Laci looked with skepticism at the two ivory colored discs shaped a bit like risen biscuits resting on a bed of butter sauce. Her fries were in a separate bowl. Karen told her to put a few of the oven-crisp brussel sprouts, zucchini, and baby carrots on her plate. "These are scallops, huh? What am I supposed to do?"

"Just cut off a piece at a time."

Laci gingerly did and took a bite. The texture was odd for her, vaguely like dense Jell-o, and the taste mildly fishy and sweet, with a distinct buttery feel and flavor. "Mmmm, these are really good!"

"I figured it would be a good place to start pushing the food envelope. So. Tell me," Karen said, picking up the thread of their conversation. "Have you had many run-ins with Jenna since Amy left? Besides at the store the other night?"

"I try not to. I di'n't like her too much before when she'd hang out at the house, but she basically left me alone. But she is such a bitch. Karen! She tells lies, she goes spreading lies like they're the truth, and people believe it, cause she's like on this committee, that club, plays the piano, has good grades and all that stuff, so it's like her word is law, an' she tells her lies just `cause she wants to be, like, top kid, and she likes hurting people. I'd like to punch her in the nose. You know she's jealous of me Karen, she really is, `cause I'm prettier `n' her and stuff."

"That's about the size of it. But don't punch her in the nose."

Laci giggled around her scallop. "Do you know her mother?"

"I've run into her a couple of times at PTA meetings, or recitals, but I've never met her. I guess they live in some classy neighborhood on the other side of town. From what I know, she seems pretty typical."

"How could she raise such a frickin' bitch? I mean, what am I gonna do about the lies she's spreading about me?"

Karen sighed with a touch of resignation. These kinds of things were profoundly important to adolescent girls, especially a girl like Laci caught between a world that was truly dangerous on multiple levels, and a more privileged world she desperately wanted to enter, filled with its own prejudicial barriers and codes of conduct. "Honey, the best I can say is do the right thing. I know you know what the right thing is. It isn't always the easiest way, and it's so very tempting to stoop to her level, and it's painful to deal with, but it's always the best way in the long run. A lot of people I work with think I'm a ruthless bitch, and maybe I am, but I have never cheated, lied, or been anything but fair and open with anyone. I don't cut corners or do anything that's questionable. But I also don't take any crap. That doesn't necessarily make me the most well liked agent on staff, but I have best sales record by far, and my customers like me just fine. I'm not patting myself on the back, I'm just trying to show you that doing the right thing pays off in the long run. It's like a few minutes ago with the boy. You did the right thing, and that is one of the things that makes me so proud of you."

Laci blushed and sighed. Karen was right. Of course she was. "I still wish I could punch her in the nose," Laci muttered with a pout.

Karen laughed, and her love for the girl surged anew. "You're priceless."

* * *

One skate was on and tied snugly, and Laci lifted her other foot onto Karen's lap. She wiggled her toes. Karen looked at her kitten, and her heart surged. How was it possible to feel such adoration for someone? Laci's expression was relaxed and happy, a pleased smile lighting her eyes and tugging at her lips.

Karen couldn't resist tickling the bottom of Laci's foot. Laci jumped and squealed. "Karen! Don't tickle me, don't be a meanie. My feet are ticklish." She giggled and flashed a pouty, coquettish smile. It delighted her that Karen tickled her like that. It was a love thing.

"How about if I suck on your toes instead," Karen said, her eyes sparkling.

"If you did that, they'd probably kick us out."

Karen sighed, still half-smiling. "Yeah, they probably would. Maybe later tonight." She helped Laci slip her delicate foot into the skate, wiggling the boot to make sure it fit snugly.

"Karen, I don't wanna embarrass myself," Laci said.

Karen pulled the laces tight, bottom to top. "How will you embarrass yourself?"

"You know, if I like fall down and stuff."

Karen tightened the laces, working from the bottom to the top, and quickly tied them. She reached up and brushed Laci's nose with her finger. "I'll be right there with you kitten, if you fall, I'll catch you. There, how does that feel? Not too tight? They should be pretty snug, but not cutting off circulation."

Laci wiggled her foot. The boots of the skates felt almost part of her. "That's how they feel, tight but not too tight."

"Ready to try standing up?"

Laci sighed and looked at Karen with a touch of apprehension. "I guess so. Just don't laugh at me."

"I won't laugh. Smile maybe, but not laugh." Karen stood up and held out her hands. "Just stand up like you would if you didn't have skates on." She pulled, and Laci rose up, quivering like a new-born foal finding it's legs. "There," Karen smiled, "You did awesome. Stand there for a minute and let your ankles get used to it. Try to relax and not be too self-conscious. You're doing fine baby girl. I'm going to let go of your hands."

Laci let out a nervous, "Ooooo," and she swayed a bit, but with her arms out for balance, she held herself upright. She tightened her ankle muscles and the quivering stopped. Karen coaxed her into taking one step, then another, until they were at the gate to the ice.

"Fantastic!" Karen cried. "Look how far you made it, and see? You didn't fall down." Karen stepped back onto the ice, and Laci saw how Karen might as well have been standing on the sidewalk. "Now when you step out the most important thing is to keep your feet under you. If your feet start to get ahead of you or behind you, that's when you'll fall. You know how you walk when you're wearing heels and it's slippery out?"

"Yeah," Laci nodded.

"Think of it like that. Now, take my hands and step on the ice."

Laci wobbled and threatened to totter over when she stepped onto the ice, each foot wanting to go in a different direction, but she squealed and caught herself. "Karen," she cried. "I'm gonna fall!"

"No you're not kitten, you're doing fine. Here, hold my arms up by my elbows, and I'll do the same with you. We'll stick close to the boards, and I'll skate backwards and pull you, OK?"

"Karennnn, how can you skate backwards," Laci cried, "when I can't even skate frontwards."

Karen laughed. God, the girl was absolutely priceless. Karen slowly worked her way backward, pulling Laci along. Laci bent over, leaned back, wobbled and shook, working hard to keep her feet under her. At one point her feet got way ahead of her and with one arm flailing like a windmill, she went down on her bottom, pulling Karen with her. She dissolved into a fit of laughter. Karen had to fight the urge to kiss Laci and play with her as they had in the snow the day after the blizzard.

Back up, they continued on, and Laci became more and more sure of herself. By the time they finished the first circuit, she wasn't wobbling much, and she was able to stand up straight. Her ankles were still uncertain, and her thighs were too tense, but those would correct with experience. Instead, though she was unsteady, she stood on the ice on her own, with a proud smile lighting up her face.

"See baby?" Karen bubbled, moving up to her girl. "Look how fast you're picking it up. Wow, I am so impressed!"

Laci's feet slipped from under her, and she tottered over, landing against Karen's chest, crying out in surprise. Karen caught her and snuck in a quick hug. "Don't get discouraged kitten, you're going to fall a lot at first. It just goes with learning. Now, I want you to just stand there, keep your balance, and watch me. I'll show you how to move forward."

Still a bit shaky, especially on the ice away from the boards, Laci held her ground. Karen took off with a grace that seemed astonishing to Laci. She glided down the ice with no apparent effort, made a series of turns, jumped up and went from moving forward to skating backwards. She used her feet to turn herself from backwards to straight ahead again. At last, she came at Laci fast, making he girl scrunch up and cry out, "Don't run into me!" At the last moment, Karen turned her feet and came to a halt in a shower of ice flakes.

"See baby," Karen said, breathing hard. "Don't shuffle your feet and take baby steps. You lead with one foot, and push off with the other behind you, and then you swap over and lead with the other."

"I could hardly tell what you were doing," Laci said. "You were so fast, it hardly looked like you were making any effort at all to do it."

Karen noticed Laci's nose had gone red and was running. Without realizing she was doing it, Karen fished a tissue from her pants pocket and wiped Laci's nose for her. Laci noticed it, and it thrilled her in a secret way. It was the kind of thing a woman like Karen did for her lover. Laci wished they could kiss here, because she would latch on and smother Karen with joyous smacks.

For the next hour, Laci found herself immersed in Karen's patient lessons. She fell a lot to be sure, but she also fell less as time went on. She no longer shuffled her feet, and she managed to keep her feet under her even when she was moving. By the end, she was getting the hang of moving forward using her skates to push off. In fact, by the time Karen said they should finish up and go, Laci was able to skate over to the exit gate holding only one of Karen's hands, and that lightly. Her moves were stiff and hesitant, but forward without mincing. All things considered, it was an impressive debut.

Off the ice, Karen got their shoes while Laci untied her skates. "Did I do OK," Laci asked. "Did I look like a stupid idiot an' embarrass you and me?"

"Oh God, I wish I could take you and kiss you all over! You did fantastic honey, an hour and a half ago you couldn't even stand up on skates, and now you can go forward all by yourself. You should be half as proud of yourself as I am of you."

Laci blushed furiously at Karen's praise. It gave her a warm feeling that was strangely sexual. She brought her feet up, one at a time, and slipped on her brand-new pink and turquoise Skechers, tying the laces meticulously. Karen slipped on her low-heeled boots, then squatted down and took Laci's chin in her hand. "I love you," she murmured before risking a quick kiss on the lips.

Rented skates returned, they stepped out of the rink into the parking lot. It was twilight, a vague pink glow on the western horizon the only remnant of the day's sunshine. Karen paused to take a cigarette from her purse. She lit up and took a deep drag before starting for the car. "I hope you had a good time," she said.

"Oh yeah, I sure did. I never believed I'd ever skate or anything, but wow! It was so fun. My bum's a little sore from falling."

They were at the car. Karen unlocked the doors. "I figured you might be a little sore. How about we go home and take a Jacuzzi bath?"

They got in the car, and Laci took Karen's cigarette to sneak a quick hit. "I'd love a Jacuzzi bath with you. That would be awesome!"

Karen took a final drag from her cigarette and tossed it. She leaned over as she pulled Laci to her, and kissed her girl lover full on the mouth. She sighed. "Let's get home so we can kiss properly."

* * *

Karen and her ex-husband Jason never had any special difficulty getting along, even when the marriage slowly dissolved. She always admired his ability to create and construct complex things with no apparent effort. Two years ago, he'd wired every room in the house with it's own unique speaker system, connecting everything to two main controls, one in the living room and one in the master bedroom. From either of these stations, she could pull up her library of mp3 files and playlists on a tablet computer, and with a few keystrokes, have the music she'd chosen play in any room or combination of rooms in the house.

Laci followed close behind Karen when she walked over to the stereo system. "Anything special in mind baby?" Karen asked.

Laci slipped her arms around Karen's waist and rested her cheek on the woman's back. She rocked her head up and down, rubbing her cheek on the smooth fabric of Karen's blouse like a cat leaving its mark. She shrugged. "Love music? You know..."

Karen chuckled. That was succinct and perfect. "Yes, I do know. Your music tastes are getting mature."

"I just like music that makes me think of you and how much I love you."

How do I answer that, Karen thought. She knew what Laci needed, and she quickly chose the appropriate Love Music: Pachelbel, Vivaldi, and Ravel. She turned and slipped her arms around Laci's waist and rocked the girl. "How's that for Love Music?"

The gentle, soothing sounds of the Canon in D flowed out like honey. How does she know about music like this? Laci wondered. Where does she find it? "It's beautiful," Laci murmured. "Like you."

Karen led Laci to the master bathroom. She took Laci's face in her hands and looked into the girl's hypnotic eyes. What did those eyes say Laci needed? To be loved, or to make love? Or both? She nuzzled her lips against Laci's, but held her tongue back, instead giving the girl butterfly kisses.

A little tingle, not exactly sexual, rippled through Karen. She straightened and began unbuttoning her blouse. "Let's get undressed."

Laci reached up and took over unbuttoning and removing Karen's blouse. Her sigh was almost one of relief when she reached behind Karen and unclasped her lover's bra, freeing those magic breasts. Laci nuzzled her face in the valley between the mounds then carelessly drew her lips over the firm, pliant nipples. Both woman and girl gasped lightly. Laci turned her face up to Karen and found her lover's lips. She kissed Karen firmly but only barely nudged her tongue out.

No woman Karen had ever been with made love like Laci, a girl a month away from 14. Adele and Gail were incredibly passionate, but sex with them bordered on a no-holds-barred wrestling match. Even in the very first touches, loving with Laci could be incredibly gentle, subtle, and sensuous. Karen carefully pulled Laci's sweater off and undid her bra, freeing her small but beautiful breasts. She dipped down and kissed each nipple, and Laci sighed.

They took turns helping each other remove their pants. Karen didn't move to touch Laci's sex yet. She simply looked her lover up and down, marveling at the girl's natural beauty. Looking at Laci, dressed or naked, was like looking at an original Botticelli.

Laci wrapped her arms around Karen's neck and pressed her divine body close so she could kiss her lover deeply. "The tub's almost full," Laci said softly.

And indeed, it was. "You make my mind go off to wonderful places," Karen smiled. She found a hair band in a drawer. "We probably ought to put your hair up." Laci turned so Karen could gather it up and make it into a luxuriant tail. "There," Karen said. "That gives me more neck to kiss," and she dropped down to tickle Laci's neck with kisses.

Laci giggled and squirmed with delight. "Karennn, that tickles!"

Karen nipped Laci's ear and murmured, "I love making you laugh. OK, I won't tease anymore... for now. Let's get in the tub."

Karen grabbed a handful of bath towels from the linen cabinet and tossed them on the floor next to the tub. She turned off the water and climbed in first. The water was almost scalding hot, just the way she liked it. She let out a contented purr. "That feels so good." She carefully lowered herself into the luxurious water and leaned back against the rear of the tub. "Come baby," Karen said. "Get in, it's not that hot."

Laci gingerly stepped in. She found she liked it hot after a minute or two. She eased down slowly, immersing herself in the hot water. At last, she let herself drop all the way down with a big sigh. "Nice," she said as she wriggled back against Karen.

The music flowing from the speakers was well into Vivaldi by now. Laci closed her eyes, basking in the heat of the water, the closeness of her lover, and the surprisingly compelling music. "Karen, what's that music?"

"It's by a composer named Vivaldi from way back in the 1700s, even before Beethoven. This one's called The Four Seasons. It's in four parts, and in each part, he kinda paints a musical picture of one of the seasons. This part playing now is the spring season."

Laci let her inner ear find the flow of the music, just like Karen said it would. Yes, it did remind her of spring, cheerful and alive, full of hope and promise, then other times slow like a cold rain. "What's that instrument, Karen? The one you hear the most? It's a violin, isn't it?"

"That's exactly what it is. You're pretty sharp for someone just learning about classical music."

Laci smiled. Funny how Karen used to listen to this kind of music all the time on the CD player while they had pool parties, and none of them paid the least bit of attention to it. She let herself drift while she listened.

Karen reached for a small bottle of rose-scented bath oil and dispensed a few drops.

Without even realizing it, Laci's hand wandered to her mound. She began caressing herself ever so lightly, so lightly she almost didn't feel it. She had a habit of sometimes rubbing her feet together when she was in bed and about to fall asleep. It was like that, idle and relaxing. She increased the focus of her caresses, running the pad of her middle finger up and down the edges of her slit and the very tip of her clit hood. Now her muffin was waking up, tensing and tingling, and she shifted in the water.

Karen knew exactly what Laci was doing. She wasn't exactly masturbating yet, though she would be soon, and Karen was content simply to watch. There was something very arousing about watching Laci masturbate.

Something they'd listened to the other night when they were making love replaced Vivaldi. It was very sensuous, something that built up slowly, what was the name? Laci wondered. Bolero? Yes, Bolero, like the sexy jacket. She listened closely, following it inside her head, and now her fingers moved with more deliberation. Her sex was clenching deliciously, yet she didn't change the relaxed tempo of her strokes. Little ripples of pleasure fluttered through her pelvis and her inner thighs. She wriggled back closer to Karen, and let her head fall back.

Karen looked down at her, sliding her hand up Laci's torso until she reached the girl's small breast mounds. She stroked the flats of her fingers over Laci's nubs, fondling them until her lover closed her eyes and moaned softly. "You're beautiful," Karen murmured.

Laci whispered, "So are you. An' I love you."

Karen touched her lips to Laci's. She accepted Laci's softly offered tongue and sucked on it. Karen pulled her lips back, and whispered, "And I love you."

Laci nuzzled her fingers between her labia so she could more easily toy with her tender clit, which she did with ever-growing enthusiasm. Karen squeezed and tugged on Laci's nipples, while their mouths and tongues did a gentle dance, tripling the sensual delight Laci experienced. Laci's mind created an image of she and Karen dancing in each other's arms to Love music in a ballroom crowded with an audience awed by their grace and beauty.

The excitement, the tension in her sex became urgent. "Karen," she purred. "Make me come. Please, I want you to make me come."

Karen flicked her tongue around Laci's lips as she gave the girl's nipples a final tweak, making her gasp and jump. At last, she nudged Laci's hand aside and found her firm bud. Laci's breath caught, then quickened. She bounced her hips and jiggled her legs, churning the water. Her pelvis swelled and surged, as Karen rolled Laci's jewel under her fingers. Above them, Bolero oozed out of the speakers. Clearly, Laci was a lot closer to her own climax than the music was to its denouement.

Head leaned back, Laci sought Karen's mouth with hers, eagerly kissing the woman, her tongue dancing a jig as Karen's ever-quicker finger rolls brought her closer to the moment. Then, the tension grew unbearable and it broke over Laci in a delicious surge of bursts spreading all the way into her thighs and scrunching up her toes. She let out a shuddery groan and arched before falling back against Karen.

Laci was smiling as she caught her breath. Karen drew her arms up, embraced the girl, and rocked her. "I love making you feel that way! It makes me so happy." She kissed Laci's neck, making the girl giggle delightedly.

"Makes me pretty happy, too," Laci laughed. She was about to say something like "What about you," but Karen reached over and pressed the button starting the whirlpool jets.

The water rumbled and foamed and hissed. "There," Karen said, raising her voice. "Let's relax for a bit."

Laci decided she'd have to wait for later to pleasure Karen. That's just the way Karen was.

They lay with Laci snug against Karen's body, each enjoying the soothing jets of water in her own way. Karen wondered what they might do tomorrow. Maybe they could lie around together all day being lazy. Laci's thoughts drifted to how she came to adore Karen.

Right from the first second she laid eyes on Karen as a nervous ten-year-old girl stepping out of her element, the woman had captivated Laci. She was beautiful and so unlike any woman Laci had ever known. It amazed her that the world actually had women who were beautiful, who laughed, wore normal clothes, made jokes, and cooked food. Most amazing of all, there were actually women out there who had love to give and they gave it freely, women who enjoyed the presence of kids, women who were kind as a matter of course.

Laci started having fantasies about Karen immediately. For the first year, the fantasies were not sexual. She dreamed of Karen calling her to sit on the sofa and cuddle, remarkably prescient dreams of Karen rescuing her from her own hated mother, of Karen asking her to be a part of their family. After a time, Laci's fantasies came to include kissing Karen, touching her and being touched. These fantasies made her feel warm and squirmy in her tummy, and tingly in her privates. Almost without realizing it, she began to touch herself in her private spot when she had fantasies of Karen.

Around the time of her first period, her fantasies of Karen started to become overtly sexual. Laci was not sexually naïve, at least conceptually. She thought she knew what an orgasm was – until she had her first one. That was an earth-shattering experience, and it came from openly masturbating to a fantasy of kissing Karen's adult privates.

By the time Laci had her first period, Karen had gone from hard crush to secret obsession. Laci spent many nights in her bed, sobbing with unrequited pubescent love. Then last winter came the understanding that Karen was a lesbian, and that sent shockwaves coursing through Laci. She knew what it meant that Karen was a lesbian. Laci had never thought of herself in terms of gay or straight until then. What she did grasp was that she was a girl, Karen was a woman, and she had very powerful sexual feelings about Karen. Now – now Karen was saying to the world that she liked other women in the way most women liked men.

By last summer, when life in Karen's house was still more or less normal, Laci began to feel an almost irresistible need to have the woman notice her in an adult way, as a sexual being. That surely must be the way to end up in her arms feeling her love.

And indirectly it was.

The water jets were so soothing Karen found herself on the verge of dozing off. She turned everything off and groaned. "We better get moving before I fall asleep."

Karen's legs were wobbly when she stood up and climbed out of the tub. Her skin glowed red from the hot water. She grabbed one of the large, thick bath towels, quickly wiping herself down before wrapping it around her chest and tucking in the end.

"Careful when you stand up, honey," she cautioned Laci. "My legs were like Jell-O."

Laci tittered like a little bird, but she was careful when she stood. She took Karen's hand and climbed out. "Ooo yeah, my legs are shaky. I guess it really relaxed us." She lifted her arms so Karen could towel her dry.

"There," Karen said, wrapping the towel around Laci slim torso. "All dry. We probably ought to jump in bed and cuddle before we start freezing our tushies off."

Laci bounced on her tippy-toes. "It's already getting cold."

"We'll warm each other up." Karen took Laci's cheeks in her fingers and planted a long but playful kiss on the girl's sweet mouth. "Now go get in bed and start warming it up while I drain the tub and put on some love music for us."

Laci scampered over to the bed, shedding the towel before diving under the covers. Karen watched her, utterly entranced by the girl's natural grace. Living, breathing poetry, Karen thought. She shook her head with wonder. And she's all mine. All. Mine!

Karen hurried to empty the tub and get to the stereo. What would be good tonight? A playlist of Chopin nocturnes. She walked over to the bed, letting her towel fall in a heap atop the towel Laci used.

Laci held the blankets up and Karen climbed in. "I warmed the bed for you," Laci said as she tucked herself in Karen's protective embrace.

"Mmmm, so you did."

"Karen," she said, snuggling closer. "How come after, you know, you've loved me, you never ask me to love you back, and you always say not to worry about you?" Hesitantly, she drew her fingers lightly up the slope of Karen's flank to the peak of her hip.

"I don't know, honey. I didn't realize I was doing that."

"I sometimes worry I might, you know, be doing something wrong."

Karen laughed softly. "No baby that is most assuredly not the case. You really and truly are in a class by yourself, you are... magic. I guess I'm more worried about you. I don't want to seem selfish."

Laci laughed, and she pushed Karen so she'd go on her back. "Ha! Anyone uses the words `Karen" and `selfish' together has, like, gotta have their head examined." Laci climbed atop her lover, and wriggled her naked body against Karen's, making the woman coo with pleasure. "I get all sexy warm when I love you, even when you just made me come," she murmured against Karen's chest.

Karen toyed with Laci's thick ponytail. Karen could no longer deny the sensual energy coursing through her now. It had been building all day, mostly just below the level of consciousness, but building steadily, relentlessly, peaking now. Her sex opened like a rose blooming. Her voice was soft and thick. "You can love me any time you want kitten. Well, maybe not in the parking lot at Wally World," and they both giggled at her weak joke.

In the darkness, Laci lifted her head and sought Karen's mouth. She kissed Karen with urgency at first, her tongue jabbing in and out of the woman's mouth, and sucking on her lips. It didn't take long before their kissing became a playful game, with tongues boxing and playing tag, skating and tasting as they laughed softly.

In the low light, Laci lost most of her visual cues for reading Karen's desires. Instead, hardly aware of it, she tuned in to the more subtle clues offered by the sounds Karen made, maybe no more than a change in the pitch of her breathing, and feeling Karen's movements under her. She sensed Karen's intense, even ravenous hunger in the tremor of her soft groans and her repeated whispers of, "Oh Laci, baby, oh my precious baby," over and over. Somewhere overhead, so soft as to be nearly inaudible, the notes of the love music Karen had put on fell like tiny droplets on a still pond, just one more shade of Karen filling Laci's thudding heart.

They were bodies in motion, undulating together, pressing and seeking, hands wandering near and far. Those restless bodies jumped and sang at idle touches and small contacts. They wrestled, grabbed, squeezed, pushed, and pulled. Laci kissed down from Karen's face and neck to her chest, and finally her breasts.

Laci's moaned softly as she approached Karen's breasts. Her nipples were erect and very sensitive. Laci didn't feel like she did when she nursed, all warm and fuzzy. Now she felt a sharp, acute hunger for her lover's mounds. She squeezed and tugged on Karen's nipples, rolled them between her fingers, and smiled when Karen arched and let out a sharp gasp of pleased approval. Laci dove down and took Karen's nub in her mouth. Sensing Karen's desire, she bit it harder than usual, and shook her head like a puppy playing with a toy. Karen cried out with delight. Laci gave the other breast the same attention.

Laci tried to move carefully, but it was almost impossible to resist going where she desperately wanted to go. Even kissing her way from Karen's breasts to her tummy, Laci could pick up the heady, primal scent of her lover drawing her like a bee to a rose. At last, there was no resisting.

Laci flung back the covers, not noticing or caring about the coolness of the room. Karen was shaking, her mouth gone dry and tacky, and her groans sounding trembly. Laci straightened up to her knees. As she reached for Karen's sex, the woman said, quivering, "Don't be gentle baby girl."

Putting her hand on Karen's vulva was like grabbing a wet sponge and squeezing. Laci delighted in the squishy noises her hand made as she rubbed up and down Karen's slit. "Ohhhh! Yesyesyesyes!" Karen cried, arching her neck.

One thing Laci hated about her naivety was that she had to think about everything. Someday she knew everything would come naturally and she could just do. There would be no need to think about how she should lay, or where to put her arms, or how fast to move. For now though, she had to think. Thank god, even with her passion blazing, Karen's patience had no limit. Laci flopped on her tummy, her knees bent and her legs scissoring back and forth. Karen's fragrance was intoxicating, heady, and sultry. Laci managed to expose Karen's sugarplum with one hand, and work two fingers of the other hand deep into the cauldron of Karen's honey pot. Just as she pounced with her mouth on Karen tumescent bead, she crooked her fingers, as though beckoning someone across the room.

What had been building in Karen all day now came to the point of boiling over. As Laci had worked her way down, the hot, bubbling vessel inside Karen grew ever tighter, like a sneeze building. When Laci took Karen's magic button into her mouth and kissed it with her tongue, and scraped her fingers along the roof of Karen's vagina, it was too much. Karen's insides were like a sprinter's thigh muscles at the crack of the starter's gun. "Jesus fucking Christ Laci!" she cried out. "How do you do that?"

Karen, holding her breath, went rigid. It shot from her like a meteor across a dark February sky. Her body seized over and over. It felt like her being was flowing out of her pussy in boiling gouts, and right into Laci's mouth. Laci would have agreed as she devoured her lover's offerings.

* * *

Laci's eyes were fully adapted to the darkness. The waxing gibbous moon offered just enough cold light to make moving around easy. She pulled two thick bath towels from the linen closet and scurried back to the bed. She shook out the towels, and ordered Karen, "Lift your bum."

"Yes ma'am," Karen replied with amusement.

Laci tucked the towel under Karen and covered the substantial wet spot on the bed. She spread the other towel on her side where it was damp rather than wet. She quickly climbed over Karen and pulled the blankets up against the cold. "There. Better?"

"Yes honey, very. Thank you. I imagine we're going to be pretty ripe smelling come morning.

Laci shrugged. "I don't care. I like it."

"Me too. I saw a cartoon once. A blind guy is walking down the sidewalk with his dog and he passes a fish market. He tips his hat and says, `Morning ladies.'"

Laci got the joke and it surprised her. She giggled. "I love you so much, Karen."