A Broken Woman Can Still Heal

"He said you needed me. Greer, that was all that mattered. Yes, it's hard and flying here brought back a lot of memories, but bottom line is you need me. So I came," Shae answered with a little quiver. She looked around the office and saw a second desk. "Should I set up here?" she asked in a matter of fact voice that had already shed the emotion that was in her voice a second ago.

Greer reached out her hand and squeezed Shae's. "Thank you for coming, Shae. It means a lot to me. And yes, that is your desk. I had them bring it in yesterday." As Shae got settled, Greer explained her plan for getting through the material and getting their recommendation. Shae quickly picked up on what her priorities were. She shed her overcoat. She looked like the consummate professional woman. She had on a woman's suit with a pair of trousers. The outfit complemented her slender body very well. When she took off her suit jacket, she revealed a top that surprised Greer. Although it was high necked, it bared both her shoulders and her upper back down to just above her bra strap. The scars on her arms were clearly visible.

Looking a little self-conscious, Shae acknowledged Greer's look. "It's a habit for me not to show them, but I'm not ashamed of them anymore. They aren't my fault. You helped me see that, Greer. And I won't lie and say that showing them isn't a little bit of a fuck you to the people who let them happen to me." She blushed when she swore but her eyes still showed a steely glint. Then she picked up the first report and started to go through it.

Greer didn't often swear either but this time it seemed appropriate. "Fucking right!" she said in agreement. And she went back to where she was.

It was strange for both of them working like this. Beyond the fact that their way of working together was not like teammates, they were not used to actually working together side by side. While it wasn't distracting, it heightened their awareness of each other. Over the course of the day, they repeatedly had to share information. When it was Shae, she would get up and come over to show Greer some piece of information that she had found. She would stand right next to Greer, bending over. Her long soft hair brushed against Greer's shoulder. For a moment, Greer would enjoy the feeling and but then she would clear her head and focus on what Shae was saying. It was a different dynamic and it took a little getting used to it.

For her part when Greer went over to Shae, Greer was a little more circumspect and careful not to touch her. Shae wasn't even aware of the feelings that she was raising in Greer. The last thing that Greer wanted to do was throw a kink in their working relationship by making Shae uncomfortable. Even then, sometimes Shae would lean forward as Greer explained something and her hair or shoulder would brush Greer's arm. Letting the innocent contact continue without reaction so as not to offend, Greer didn't find it hard to just focus on work. As the day went on, it settled into a workable pattern and they made significant progress. They didn't bother to stop for lunch or dinner, preferring to have something brought in. With lunch, they just kept working while eating their sandwiches but Greer insisted on pausing to actually have a little dinner together.

It was quite enjoyable. Even though Shae still worked in the same office, it was on a different floor and they didn't have a lot of chance to chat at work. One of them usually stopped by to see the other every day but sometimes it was to just wave and say hi. Even before Greer had flown out to Raleigh, it had been a couple of weeks since they really had a chance to talk.

Overall how they interacted had evolved over the last few months. At the start, Shae still acted like Greer's subordinate when they would get together. Greer tried to set the tone by treating her like an equal. And gradually Shae began to do the same. It gave their conversations a bit more of an informal feeling that continued here.

After dinner they continued to work for another few hours. Greer was starting to feel tired as she tried to figure out how to deal with a particularly thorny issue. She stood up and stretched, arching her back and feeling the vertebrae crackle a little. It felt good and she held the pose for a few moments. When she stood upright, Greer turned to ask Shae a question and found Shae watching her. After a second, Shae blushed and went back to typing on her laptop. Greer didn't think much of it as she went over to Shae.

"Have you gone through the per site daily oil production reports yet?" Greer asked Shae. Her back still ached a little and she reached behind her with both hands and pressed the balls of her hand into her lower back.

Shae kept her head down, not looking at Greer, as she answered. "Not yet. It was the next thing on my list to do after this. I can switch now, but I would rather finish this first while I am in the flow."

Greer smiled at her. It was the first time that she could remember when Shae really told her how she would like to tackle a problem. She loved Shae coming into her own with confidence in herself. "However you want to do it, Shae," she replied. Greer stopped herself from going on. "I'll just embarrass her," she thought to herself. She went back over to her desk. Before sitting down, she bent over and stretched one more way. She could feel the stiffness in her back leave a little more. She sighed a contented smile. Then she sat back down and went back to work.

At 9:30, Greer called it a night. "We have a lot to do tomorrow, so we need to get some rest. Plus I need a little bit of wind down time, even if you don't." Shae smiled at her and agreed. Once again, Greer was the last person to leave the building.

When they got to the hotel lobby, Greer paused for a moment. "I think I am going to stop in the bar and have a glass of wine. I've been in that small office too long and before I go to a little hotel room, I would like to relax just a bit. I know how you feel about bars Shae, so I will see you in the morning."

"Actually Greer, would you mind if I join you? I'm trying to be a little less uptight," Shae hesitantly asked. "Let me check in and put my stuff in my room, and then I will come down.

A little surprised, Greer nevertheless smiled and said of course. In the couple of years she had known Shae, she had never known Shae to willingly go into a bar. She associated them with her husband and drunks, even though Shae didn't have a problem with having a glass of wine now and again. Plus a lovely woman like Shae was almost certain to attract the attention of men; attention that Shae didn't find welcome. As far as Greer knew, Shae had not dated anyone since she moved to Seattle. It could be that it was just something that Shae kept private, even from Greer. Occasionally Greer wondered about it but she respected Shae's privacy too much to ask.

Entering the bar, Greer sighed with relief to see that it was empty except for the bartender. She picked a table that was somewhat close to the bar but still would give them a bit of privacy. Looking at the wine list, Greer picked out a nice cabernet sauvignon blend. Not knowing her wines as well, Shae had told Greer to just order her whatever Greer got. It was only ten minutes until Shae came down. She had taken a few minutes to brush her hair and put on a little make up. Greer thought that both helped Shae to look a little less haggard from a long day after taking an all-night flight.

For a little while, they both just sat there in silence. Greer appreciated the opportunity to just relax. But after a bit, they started talking. At first Shae seemed to want to talk about work, but Greer put her foot down and forbade any work discussion. "We are here to forget about work for a few minutes!" she emphasized.

That led to another short moment of quiet before Shae spoke again. "We haven't talked that much about your life recently. Are you still seeing Sharon?"

While Greer had never hidden her orientation from Shae, they didn't often talk about it either. Still it wasn't possible for Shae not to know what was going on in Greer's personal life. At a minimum, Shae knew who the woman was in Greer's life because she would call the office when she couldn't reach Greer on her cell phone. Sometimes it was various women as Greer hadn't really met someone with whom she really clicked. Sharon had been the woman Greer was seeing when Shae changed jobs.

Greer laughed a little bitterly. "Sharon? God no. I got tired of her jealousy. I mean I never gave her the slightest cause. But every time I even talked to another woman, she got pissed off. It was always me trying to calm her down and I just got tired of it. I haven't seen her in, let's see, two months."

Shae's eyes were lowered for a few moments. Then she looked at Greer. "Good," she said. Her cheeks blushed in that cute manner of hers. "I mean, I'm glad because that is how it looked to me too. If you weren't available, she always wanted to know who you were with. I don't think she could trust anyone." Shae paused for a moment, and then she continued. "Even someone who is the most trustworthy person I know."

Now it was Greer's turn to blush. She wasn't used to Shae being quite so direct. Suddenly Greer became aware that Shae's leg was stretched out and against her own. The contact reminded her of the moments when Shae had accidentally touched her back at the office. It felt good and if it had been someone else, Greer might have pressed her leg back and seen where it led. But this was Shae, and Greer had already made up her mind that she would never try anything with Shae.

Greer realized that she still hadn't said anything to respond to Shae's complement. She smiled at Shae. "You are very sweet to say so. And I really appreciate your loyalty to me, Shae. You are everything that a good friend should be." She loved the big smile that brought to Shae's face.

They continued to talk for a few minutes more when Greer caught Shae stifling a yawn. "Okay, that's it. We need to get you up to bed. I know you didn't sleep well on that flight and you need to recharge those batteries for tomorrow!" Greer left enough money on the table to cover both their drinks and still be a nice tip. As the two of them got up, Shae was a little unsteady on her feet. While she only had one drink, the combination of exhaustion and not being use to drinking were affecting Shae much more than Greer.

Moving around to stand beside her, Greer slipped her arm around Shae. "Just lean on me, Shae. Let's go up and get you to bed." Shae nodded okay and willingly leaned against Greer as they left the bar. When they got on the elevator, Shae rested her head against Greer's shoulder. Shae had also reached her arm around Greer and it was resting on Greer's hip. Ruefully Greer tried not to think about how nice it felt to have a beautiful woman half her age basically cuddling up to her. She reached over and pressed the button for their floor. When the doors opened, Greer steered the two of them over to Shae's door.

Shae pulled her room card out of her coat pocket and handed it to Greer. Once she had the door open, Greer helped Shae into her room. Greer lowered her down to sit on the bed; but as soon as Shae's rear hit the bed, Shae fell back onto the bed. Her feet were still on the floor. Laughing, Greer stood over Shae.

"What do I need to do to help you get ready for bed?" Greer asked, mostly joking.

"Yes please," came Shae's surprising answer. "Otherwise I think that I am just going to sleep like this."

To say that Greer had mixed feelings was an understatement. On one hand, it was clear that Shae had reached the end of her reserve and she was really about to crash. On the other hand, Greer felt uncomfortable about undressing Shae when Greer was struggling with her own attraction for Shae. But in the end, what else could Greer do?

"Okay, but I need some cooperation. I'm not undressing a corpse," Greer said sternly. Shae nodded her agreement. Greer went and looked in Shae's luggage to find her nightclothes. She was a bit surprised to find it was a shorty nightgown. She sighed and rolled her eyes. "Who has it in for me? This keeps getting harder and harder," she thought to herself.

She came back to the bed and placed the nightgown on the bed. Coaxing Shae to sit up, she slid Shae's jacket off her. Greer tried to ignore how lovely Shae looked and just focus on the tasks at hand. Shae's blouse zipped up on the back so Greer sat down on the bed and leaned over to first unhook and then unzip the back. As it fell away, Greer saw a few more burn scars. She bit her lip as she felt anger flare up that someone had done this to a person about whom she cared. She also noticed a long scar across her lower back. It looked as if Shae had been cut buy something, maybe a whip. "Jesus Christ," Greer thought. "She doesn't really want me to see these. The wine must have hit her more than I thought." So Greer tried to ignore them and just help Shae. She pulled off Shae's blouse. Greer's hands were trembling as she undid Shae's bra. She slid that off Shae as well. Shae's breasts were larger than Greer's own and still very firm. Greer tried to avert her eyes but they lingered for a few moments.

Shae looked up at Greer with a curious look on her face. Greer expected her to cover herself up or pull on her nightgown. Instead she lifted up her arms so that Greer could put it on her. Greer couldn't help but get close to Shae as she did so. She felt Shae's firm body touch her own as she pulled it down. "I hope Shae doesn't figure out how hard this is for me," Greer thought.

Shae had already kicked off her shoes. She fell back again so that Greer could help her get out of her pants. Greer unbuttoned them and then zipped them down. Moving to the foot of the bed, Greer straddled Shae's legs and grasped the waist band of Shae's pants. As she started to pull, Shae pressed her feet down and raised her hips up. It was a very utilitarian move that was equally erotic. As Greer pulled her pants down, Shae's lifted crotch was exposed. Her pants were a little tight so her panties were pulled down a little; enough that the top of her pussy hair was exposed. Again, Greer tried to avoid looking at Shae and just focus on what needed to be done. Once they were down around Shae's thighs, Greer got off the bed and pulled them the rest of the way off. She pulled down the covers on the other side of the bed so that Shae could just roll over.

When Greer returned from hanging up Shae's clothes, she was happy to see that Shae was in bed with the covers pulled up. At least they were pulled up most of the way. Unfortunately for Greer, or was it fortunately, Shae had left them just below her breasts so that they were even more obvious. "You're killing me, Shae," she thought to herself. It seemed like the same thought she had had repeatedly since entering the room. She sat down on the bed next to Shae.

"Okay, Shae. You are all ready for bed. Do you need anything else?" Greer smiled at the sleepy and slightly tipsy woman.

"What about my bedtime kiss?" Shae asked. Her voice was very soft and almost dreamy. "I need that to keep the bad dreams away."

Greer kept the smile plastered on her face as she tried to avoid showing shock. "The things I do for friendship," she thought. "I deserve a medal." Out loud she only said, "Well we can't have those." She leaned over to give Shae a kiss on the cheek. At the last moment, Shae turned her head and Greer found herself kissing Shae's lips. The kiss itself was brief but it sent a jolt through Greer. She pulled back and looked down.

Shae had a little smile on her lips. "That was nice," she said. "Thank you for the goodnight kiss, Greer." For a few moments, she looked up at Greer. Then her blue eyes flickered a few times before shutting. Within moments, the rhythmic sound of Shae's breath told Greer that she had fallen asleep. Greer sat there for a little while looking at Shae. Finally she got up and went to the door. Before turning out the lights, she looked back one more time at Shae. Then she left.

As she got ready for bed herself, Greer's thoughts didn't wander far from Shae. Some of it was the erotic encounter that night, but it went beyond that. Shae had been much touchier than ever before. And some of what she said had a definite possible double-entendre meaning. Never anything particularly overt but still it made Greer think. Despite her attraction to Shae, Greer never really considered making a move on her. It just seemed so wrong on so many levels.

Now that Greer thought about it, she had never considered Shae's sexuality. She knew that Shae had been married. But other than that, she had never once talked about any other men in her life, either before Bob or after. Of course, the same could be said about any women. Shae had never talked about it either way.

The more she thought about it, the more Greer started to come to wonder if maybe those innocent touches weren't so accidental. Shae had done it again and again, yet in their year and a half of working together Greer couldn't remember it having happened. Then there was the moment when Greer had been stretching and she caught Shae looking at her breasts. And there was also a point when late in the evening and Greer was a little tired, that she rested her hand on Shae's shoulder. At the time, Greer had dismissed it but for a moment she thought she felt Shae trembling.

"Am I reading it wrong," Greer wondered. Yet on top of those things, there were the events in the bar and after. Shae had freshened up before coming back down. It wasn't completely out of character for her to have brushed her hair, but touching up her make up? Shae had never really been someone who worried too much about make up. Greer also thought about how Shae's leg had brushed against hers and stayed there. And of course what happened in the room.

That triggered a thought. What if this hadn't been Shae? What if this had been some other woman? What would Greer have thought if this was happening with someone she didn't have the same history as Shae and she did?

"Oh my God," Greer said out loud. She realized that she would have interpreted it as flirting and making her interest in Greer known. And Greer knew she would have responded, especially with a woman as beautiful as Shae. "I've been pretty blind," she thought. "I still don't know really how to respond but at least I think I am on the right page!"

As she thought about it, Greer started to get undressed. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. She moved closer to it. Continuing to undress, she watched herself. Soon she was completely naked. She turned around, keeping her eyes on the mirror. She sighed. Greer knew that for her age, she was still very attractive. "I hate that phrase though. For her age sounds like an apology," she thought. But it was her reality. She was 50 now and her body would just continue to get older. Staying in shape would help but still she would never again look like she did when she was Shae's age. "Hell I won't look like I did when I was twenty years older than Shae," came an unwelcome thought.

Greer was never one for self-pity and she pushed those thoughts away. She was still attractive. She laughed as she thought, "I'd do me." Her long legs were athletic and let up to her ass. Never having had children, her hips were a little narrower than a typical woman her age. She admitted it was really a pretty great ass. It was very firm from all her exercise. She knew that was one of the things that attracted attention.

As she looked at her breasts with a critical eye, she was glad that she wasn't big breasted. They sagged some, but nothing like what they would if they were larger like Shae's. "Mmmm," she thought. Shae's breasts may be candidates for sagging when she was 50, but right now they were still nice and firm. As she thought of them, her hand strayed up and began to lightly stroke the edges of her own breasts. It felt very nice. It had been a while since she had made love and she recognized the signs that she was horny.