A Broken Woman Can Still Heal

Just as she had foreclosed the idea of making a move on Shae, Greer had also avoided fantasizing about her. It would have been too hard to make her an object of desire in her fantasies while at the same time avoiding doing so in real life. But tonight, the feeling of forbidden fruit was arousing her. The memory of Shae in her hotel room was too fresh. The innocent way she had acted made her more enticing than if she had tried to act sexy. Greer's hand curled and she brushed the back of her fingers along her nipple as she pictured Shae's areola and nipples. They were small and a rosy pink. Greer closed her eyes as her nipple felt the bumpy back of her fingers lightly pass over it. Her lips smiled as the memory suddenly made her realize that Shae's nipples had been very erect. "Oh, that little tease," she thought as she ran her hand over her other nipple. She could feel her excitement growing. She began to brush her first two fingers back and forth over her nipples. The feeling grew, exciting her until it was almost irritating and then she would switch to the other one to do the same thing.

As the brushing started to get to be too much, Greer switched and started lightly pulling on her nipples. Each time she pulled, she thought of how Shae had looked up at her. The offer had been there in her eyes, if Greer had realized it at the time. But she hadn't been looking for it, and even if she had Greer wasn't sure what she would have done. Now however she was safe indulging in a long suppressed fantasy. Greer recalled the feeling of her body touching Shae's as she pulled down Shae's nightgown. Her fingers sought out those places to caress them and remind them of how it felt to touch Shae.

Opening her eyes again, Greer looked at her body in the mirror. She recalled how Shae's body felt and looked, comparing with her own. She wasn't as slender as Shae, and her skin was darker from wearing a bikini when she was at the swimming. She rarely laid out in the sun but still being out made a difference. In addition Greer was pleased to see that she was actually a little firmer from all of her sports. Shae might have been thinner but it was softer. Of course it was the softness that Greer remembered as she stroked her belly and sides. She loved touching a woman like that when they were making love, long, soft strokes that moved from place to place. Just like her partners, Greer's touch helped to grow her excitement.

Her hand slipped lower and lower as Greer's memory continued to recall what happened. She still couldn't believe how when she went to pull off Shae's pants, Shae had lifted herself up. In the light of her new understanding, Greer thought about how blatant that had been. It was really the one time when Shae was truly offering herself to Greer. Her mound covered barely by her panties, especially how they slipped down to expose Shae even more. Greer still had on her own panties. Her fingers slipped under the waistband and brushed over her mound. It felt so nice with her hair being bent from side to side. She felt her wetness coating her fingers. Each time she moved them over her pussy, they got a little wetter. Pulling them out from her panties, she lifted her fingers to her open mouth. As she sucked on each one, she wondered how Shae might taste different. Would she be saltier, fresher, or sweeter? Once her little finger popped out of her mouth with her juices removed, Greer reached down under her panties again.

Now Greer felt her excitement beginning to peak. She slid one finger down between her pussy lips, coating it and making it slick. She began to run it up and down her pussy. Greer's hips moved back and forth and she closed her eyes again to picture Shae. Now it wasn't just the image of Shae but it was the feeling of their lips touching. It was so brief but burned into Greer's memory. "My God, her lips were so soft," she thought. As she played back the kiss over and over, her finger started to concentrate on her clitty. Sliding up and down over it, she could feel her orgasm approaching.

"Oh fuck," she softly said out loud. Then again, "Oh fuck!" Her lips pulled back as she felt it start. "Oh, Shae. Shae! Yes, Shae!" she gasped out before she let out a long moaning scream. Her body was wracked by spasms as she felt herself letting go and cumming. She thrust her hips against her finger, prolonging it. Her other hand was pulling on a nipple, stretching it out. She was rocking back and forth, almost losing her balance. As she felt it peak, her body bent over and she had to reach out to grab the dresser to avoid falling. Her pussy gushed with her juices and her panties were soaking wet to the point of it running down her legs.

Slowly it faded away leaving Greer still bent over supporting herself with one hand. She was panting hard. She pulled out her hand from her panties and used it to help hold herself up. After she had caught her breath, she looked up at herself in the mirror. Her hair was messy from tossing her head around.

Despite how good it had been, Greer couldn't help feeling a wave of guilt come over her. Shae was still a vulnerable woman. Even if Shae wanted Greer, it didn't make it right. "I'm too old for her," Greer thought. "I'm old enough to be her mother. And I'm like her mentor. I can't take advantage of that. She has been hurt so much by people who should have done right by her." Greer knew that she was her own worst critic. No boss had ever been able to beat her up like she did herself. It was part of what drove her to be the best. But now it was unwelcome.

"Plus there is the whole work thing. I'm a superior in the firm," Greer continued berate herself. At the same time, she felt a little internal disagreement on that point. She was no longer Shae's boss. She might be senior, but there were no rules that specifically forbade a relationship between two people in different departments. They were realistic enough to know that it was pointless to pretend relationships didn't happen. "But you know it is frowned upon for a partner to date with a junior employee," her internal argument continued. It was just too easy for someone to abuse that situation.

In the end, it seemed fairly clear to Greer. "I care too much for her to hurt Shae." She would put the genie back in the bottle and just keep acting like she didn't see Shae's interest. I will be as good a friend as possible so she won't feel rejected but I need to leave it there." Greer finished getting ready for bed. Sleep didn't come easy. Thoughts of Shae refused to go away, but eventually she found a restless sleep that got her through the night.

In the morning, things seemed mostly back to normal. They met at the restaurant for breakfast and neither one of them brought up the previous night. Greer had been nervous but found it easy to slip back into a normal conversation. They planned out the day and then headed over to the office.

Greer was glad to be able to immerse herself in the work. There were times when she even forgot that Shae was there. But there were also moments like the day before when Shae would come close. Greer was more aware today of how Shae was subtly touching her. And she was wearing just a little bit of Channel, so that when she came close the scent of her was everywhere. But having so much to do helped Greer to just focus on work. Once Shae's question was answered, she would go back to work without delay. When they did talk, it was always about work. Even when they ate dinner in the office that night, the conversation covered how they were going to get everything done in the two days they had left.

Although it was Friday, it was a later night for them. They were both so busy that they didn't notice the clock. When Greer looked up and saw it was a quarter to eleven, she swore. "Damn, I didn't realize it was so late. Okay, let's just leave everything here and we can start up in the morning right where we are." They had agreed to come in early again Saturday morning and get as much done as they could. It would save them a little time if they just left their laptops ready to go.

On the drive back to hotel, Greer thought back over the day. She felt bad, like she had been a little cold to Shae all day. Maybe it was a bit of an overreaction. Plus she realized that despite how good of a job Shae was doing, she had neglected to tell her. In her need to cool things down, she wasn't treating Shae the way she should.

Greer reached over and squeezed Shae's forearm. "Hey Shae, I was pretty preoccupied today. I forgot to tell you what a good job you are doing. Honestly I don't think that anyone could have helped me get as far as we are in this amount of time. Thanks for doing what you've been doing." Greer was rewarded with a huge smile from Shae. Although she couldn't tell in the dark, Greer was sure it was accompanied by her little blush.

Shae put her hand on top of Greer's and squeezed it back. She left it there after the little squeeze. "You're welcome, Greer. I'm glad I can help you," she said with enthusiasm. Shae didn't do anything other than let her hand rest on Greer's, so Greer let it go.

When they got back to the hotel, Shae looked over at Greer. "Did you want to get another glass of wine?" Shae asked. She didn't add that she would join Greer but the implication was clear.

Greer had already thought of this and had her answer ready. "No, I don't think so. It has been a very long day and I just want to crash. If you want to, you certainly earned it."

Shae looked over at the bar as if she was considering it, then she too shook her head. "No, I'm tired too. Plus it is Friday night."

Turning her head to look into the bar, Greer saw what Shae meant. It was busy tonight, and in particular with a fair number of men. They looked like sales guys, and therefore by definition pushy. For a moment she considered telling Shae she would have one glass with her, but then she rejected the idea. She turned back to Shae, "I understand. You know if you really want a glass of wine, just order room service. I'm signing off on your expense report so it's fine."

"Maybe," Shae replied. "Like I said, I'm tired too and we still are planning to get going early." They walked together to the elevator. While waiting for it, Shae leaned against the wall in the same way she used to do at Greer's door. Her tired face looked a little melancholy. Greer felt her heart strings tug. With realizing she was doing it, Greer reached out and brushed Shae's hair away from her face. Shae looked at her and gave her a shy smile. Just then the door opened and they both went in. Neither said anything on the way up but Shae didn't seem to know what to do with her hands, fidgeting with them the whole way up.

Shae's room was in the same direction as Greer's. When they got there, they stopped and Greer turned to Shae and said goodnight. Without warning, Shae moved forward and gave Greer a hug. It was light and she didn't prolong it. As Shae broke it, her face was hard to read. "Thanks, Greer," she said a little enigmatically and then "Good night." She quickly went into her room and the door clicked shut. Greer stood there for a moment then she sighed and went on to her room.

The next day went by quickly but Greer found that they were making tremendous progress. She could see the light at the end of the tunnel. She was starting to narrow down on her recommendations and Shae found that she had less analysis to do. Greer began to have her review the overall report. This was familiar work for both of them. Shae was always able to help in polishing the report.

It was late afternoon when Greer sat back. She realized that she was starting to make some mistakes; forgetting a few things that she really wanted in it. The pace they had been working was starting to show. She thought about what remained to be done. It was still a fair amount, but it should be easy to get done tomorrow. She wasn't sure that continuing to try and work today would actually net them much.

"I'm about out of gas, Shae. What about you?" Greer looked over at Shae.

Shae continued working on the section that she was reviewing for a few moments before she realized that Greer had spoken. "I can keep going if you need me to, Greer," she said with a smile. From her face, Greer thought that Shae would be willing to fall over before she gave up. She smiled back.

"No, we are doing great. I think we need a break and a little true down time. It isn't going to do us any good if we are brain dead," Greer replied. "Let's clean up and get everything ready to finish off tomorrow. And then we can head back to the hotel and change into something a little nicer." They were both wearing sweats and t-shirts. No one else was around and it felt good to just be comfortable but they still wouldn't be caught dead going out like that.

As they drove back, they settled on going for Italian food. Greer heard about a really good one from one of the managers she had met here. They both agreed that it would be a pleasant place to eat and relax a little. Once they were at the hotel, they decided to meet back down in the lobby shortly before seven. That would give them more than enough time to be ready.

As soon as Greer was in her room she started a bath. A good soak would be the perfect way to get all the kinks out from working on a computer for so many hours that week. It didn't take too long to get full and Greer sighed deeply as she slid into it. It was hot and she relaxed in it, leaning back and closing her eyes. For once her brain was quiet and she wasn't troubled by either concerns about the report or moral quandaries. Greer didn't quite go to sleep but it was peaceful and when she roused herself, she felt extremely refreshed. Before getting out she carefully shaved her legs, not having had much of a chance to do it in the last week. She ran her fingers down her legs once she was done. She loved the feel of shaven legs. Unshaven legs weren't bad. Certainly she had more than a few girlfriends over the years for whom not shaving was a statement, but there was something about how smooth a freshly shaven leg felt against her own.

When she finished with the bath, she pulled on a hotel robe and went to look through her clothes to see what she had to wear. She hadn't really planned on doing anything but she did bring one dress. It was a cobalt cascade wrap. It was just on the proper side of being able to wear it to work if she had run out of other things. But she had thrown it in to her bag, just in case she had some reason to wear it out. She went through her lingerie and found that she had indeed packed her black lace bra and the panties to go with it. The last thing was her shoes. There she was disappointed. She had only brought one pair of high heels, and they were only 2 inch heels and black. It was what she had and she wasn't going to worry too much about it.

Once she was dressed, Greer went back into the bathroom. She put on a little make up. She suspected that Shae was going to look stunning and she didn't want to look too drab by comparison. She got out her own perfume and put a little of that on as well. She went to the room safe and got out her jewelry bag. Almost everything in it was silver or at least silver colored. She fished out a set of lapis pieces; earrings, necklace and a bracelet. It went well with the dress and she had worn them together before. She picked up her brush and ran it through her hair. She still had nice hair that was very full and soft, even if there were a few more grey hairs in it that only a couple of years ago. She looked at the clock and realized that she needed to go. She quickly put everything away and grabbed her coat and purse.

Looking around once she was in the lobby, Greer could see that she was the first one down. She went over to the window to look out. It was just dark and the faint echoes of the sunset were off in the west. The sky was clear and the weather had been nice that day. Greer sighed at missing out on a lovely day. Well it would be worth it when they got done.

Hearing the elevator ring, Greer turned around to see if it was Shae. It was. For a moment, Greer's breath caught in her throat. She had guessed right. Shae was stunning. She had on a red sheath dress with all the right matching accessories. Clearly she had saved room for a nice pair of shoes, unlike Greer. Her red high heels were three inches high. As she walked it was clear that while she didn't wear them that tall often, Shae knew how to walk in them. There was nothing awkward in her stride as she came near to Greer. She had also curled her hair and it hung in soft ringlets that framed her face. It only heightened the slightly exotic feel her face had. Her eyes were bright as she met Greer's gaze. Shae smiled a little smile. She didn't need to ask to know that Greer thought she looked great.

"Oh fine," Greer said throwing up her hands in mock exasperation. "I'm going back up to the room and eating in ... with a bag over my head. No one will even notice I'm in the room once you walk in."

Batting at Greer's arm, Shae frowned at her. "You look lovely, Greer. You will do no such thing. Anyhow I could care less whether or not anyone else looks at me." There was a slight emphasis on "anyone else" that Greer missed.

Greer was still a little breathless at how Shae looked. "Well, I certainly will be looking at you," she said in a distracted tone. She blushed when she realized that she had said it out loud.

Shae let out soft laugh. "Good!" she said with a smile.

"Oh, I'm in trouble," Greer thought as they started to walk to the car. It wasn't a long drive but the whole way, Greer was quite aware of how Shae's dress rode up when she sat down. Standing it was just above her knees; seated it was more than half way up her thighs.

Their table was ready for them when they got there and they were seated in a booth by a window. Shae wanted to have a little wine with dinner, just as did Greer. And again, she asked Greer to pick something out. This time Greer just went with the house Chianti. It was a good restaurant and she found that was generally a satisfying choice. It also meant that they got served without any delay.

"What shall we drink to?" asked Greer.

"How about being here with the loveliest, nicest person I know?" said Shae.

Greer laughed and said "Okay, to being here with the loveliest and the nicest person that I know. That is definitely true about you, Shae!" She sipped at her drink and grinned at Shae.

"I meant you, and you know it. To the loveliest person and the nicest person that I have ever known," Shae raised her glass to Greer and then took a deep sip of it.

As they talked, Greer found that there was a friendly sort of flirtation going on between them. Shae wasn't pushing it too far, and she often accompanied her words with her bell like laugh. It was hard for Greer not to fall into it as well. It had been a long time since she had done it and it felt good. Beyond that it was good to see Shae so full of life. It was something that Greer had worried about for her. Could she find a way to have fun again in life? As long as it stayed innocent, the flirtation did them both good.

Shae was very vivacious as she chatted. Greer enjoyed watching the way that her laughter would show in her eyes. Her dress was lower cut than Greer had ever seen Shae wear. When she would lean over, it showed off her cleavage. Despite Greer's best efforts, she couldn't stop her eyes from flicking down to look. One time Shae caught her and laughed.

"What?" Greer tried to sound innocent.

"You're a breast woman, aren't you Greer?" Shae continue to laugh.

Greer felt her cheeks blush. When Shae kept looking at her expectantly, finally she nodded and said, "Yes."

Shae smiled and leaned forward, looking up at Greer. "And these, how do they rate?" Shae said, doing a much better job at sounding innocent than Greer did.