A Change of Direction

Even if Isabelle knew other women who were into their own sex, and looking at her co-workers scattered across the room she considered that somewhere among them that might be at least one, her days of casual sex were long behind her. That left one last idea, one that seemed an excellent choice the more she thought about it.

Back in high school, one of her girlfriends, Maddie Friedman, had access to her father's collection of 8mm adult films. Once a week, when her parents went out on their bowling night, she would invite some of her closest friends over and screen them. Isabelle had to admit, she learned a lot on those nights. Today, with adult films a lot easier to come by, it should be easy, Isabelle reasoned, to find some about girlsex.

A visit to her local video store proved the truth of that assumption, but presented another problem that she hadn't considered. Unable to afford what it would've cost to have cable in her apartment, Isabelle usually rented a movie once or twice a week from the store. The last thing she wanted to do was have them remember her renting a porn film.

Checking the phone book for other options, she found a store just outside of town called Femme Views that seemed just what she was looking for. Driving out to the address listed in the book, she found a small store at the end of a roadside strip mall. Quite nondescript; only the name on the door told her she was in the right place.

There were only three other people in the store, two customers and a clerk behind the counter - all of them women. Stepping though a cloth curtain to the video section, Isabelle was presented with a surprisingly wide variety of DVDs, ranging from romantic love stories to outright porn. So much variety in fact, that she was at a loss at what to pick.

One at a time, Isabelle picked up a few boxes whose titles caught her attention and read the descriptions on the back. None seemed to be exactly what she wanted, although the accompanying imagery was certainly interesting. Finally she found one labeled "Lesbianism for Idiots" that seemed to be the kind of thing she needed.

"Need some help?" a quiet voice unexpectedly said from behind Isabelle.

Isabelle turned and found the clerk from behind the counter standing there. In her late twenties, the woman had blonde hair cut quite short and an athletic build that nicely filled out the black jeans and sleeveless white t-shirt that she was wearing. The latter pressing so tight against her breasts that it left little to the imagination as to what was underneath.

"Excuse me," Isabelle said.

"I asked if you needed some help," the young woman said, a warm smile filling her face. "Are you looking for anything specific?"

"I'm not sure," Isabelle replied.

"You're curious, right?" the clerk, who introduced herself as Sue, asked as she saw the title of the box in the older woman's hand.

"Something like that," Isabelle answered.

"Is this just a general curiosity or is it the result of a more personal interest?" Sue asked.

"I guess you could say a personal interest," Isabelle said, blushing slightly.

"Excellent," Sue said, her smile suggesting a hidden pleasure at the answer. "But I'm afraid that one definitely isn't what you're looking for." she went on, taking the box from Isabelle's hand and putting it back on the shelf.

Isabelle watched as the young blonde bent down and ran her fingers across the bottom row of boxes. She stopped at a small selection near the end which were identified as instructional by a small sticker almost invisible unless you bent down as she was.

"Ah here it is," Sue said in a small voice of triumph, "I was sure we had one more left in stock."

Sue rose back to her feet and handed the nondescript green box to Isabelle. Unlike the others she had looked at, there where no pictures or descriptions on it, just the title in simple white letters, "A Good Girl's Guide to Lesbian Sex."

"Don't worry, it's not as clinical as it sounds," the blonde clerk smiled. "In fact, it's actually one of my favorites."

"Thank you," Isabelle said, the warmness expressed by Sue causing her to lose some of the embarrassment that she initially felt.

It was however replaced, if only momentarily, by a concern about the price sticker that she finally noticed on the bottom of the box. She had expected that actually buying a disc rather than renting one would be more expensive but not this much. Still, it was important and hoping she hadn't let out too much of a sigh, decided that she could do without any rentals for a week or two to make up the difference.

"I'll take it," she told the salesgirl.

"Great," she replied, "just follow me back to the counter and I'll ring you up."

Stepping back to the front counter, Isabelle noticed that the other two women who had been in the store when she came in were gone. This of course, she realized, was why Sue had been able to give her personal attention. Remembering that both of them had been looking at the same book shelf when she'd come in, Isabelle wondered if they had been a couple.

"This'll just take a minute," Sue said as she took the bills that Isabelle had given her and rang up the purchase.

Isabelle took the short wait to turn her head and look around the store. A glass case perpendicular to the sales counter held a collection of sex toys. Curious about them as well, she wished she had time to take a better look at them. That, and the thought of how far she had come in the last few weeks, made her blush once more.

"Here you go," Sue said as she handed over the change and receipt, along with a small, unmarked white plastic bag containing her purchase.

As was her habit, Isabelle checked the cash and then the receipt, immediately realizing that they were wrong. The total on the bottom was not was it should've been.

"There's been a mistake," she said, holding up the paper for Sue to see. "This is only half the price that was marked on the box."

A lot of people, Isabelle knew, would've just been glad that the salesgirl had made a mistake and kept their mouths shut, but she had worked as a cashier far too long to take advantage of it. Especially if the owners, like Stop 'N' Save , held employees financially responsible for undercharges.

"No mistake," Sue grinned, "that's the price after you apply the employee discount. The owners are pretty generous with that."

"But I'm not," Isabelle started to say but was cut off.

"I used my code, don't worry about it," Sue said. "It's alright, really."

Evidently, Isabelle realized, the younger woman had caught her surprise when she'd seen the sticker's price.

"Thank you," Isabelle said, and then dropped the change back into her purse.

"Enjoy the film," Sue said with an even broader smile. "And just in case it doesn't answer all of your questions, I'm usually here on Tuesdays and Friday afternoons."

"Thank you again," Isabelle said as she turned and headed for the door, not noticing that the salesgirl never took her eyes off of her until she was out of the small shop.

It wasn't until she was back in the car that Isabelle realized what had just happened.

"Oh my gosh," she said to herself, "that girl was actually flirting with me."

Coming from another woman, it seemed strange indeed, but not so strange that it didn't leave a warm feeling between her legs on the drive home.

-=-=-=-

Isabelle resisted the temptation to watch the DVD as soon as she got home. Instead she spent the rest of the afternoon and early evening giving her apartment the good cleaning it needed. Every so often, her eyes would dart to the video sitting on her coffee table, but she would remind herself each time, not yet.

Finally, she made herself a simple dinner and sat down with it and a cold bottle of beer in front of the television. The DVD was already in the machine and Isabelle hit play on the remote before setting it aside. Then, just as the film began to play, she picked up the control and lowered the volume as not to advertise too loudly what she was watching.

Ten minutes into the video, A Good Girl's Guide turned out to be just as good as Sue had promised. It was quite explicit, but not in a porn film sort of way, not at all like those 8mm flicks they had watched in the Freidman basement. Divided into four segments, each followed two women of various ages and ethnicity as each explored different aspects of lesbian sex. Along the way, Isabelle also learned a great deal about the various toys she had see at Femme Views as one couple, two middle aged white women, seemed to share a particular passion for them. After watching one of them please another with a strapped on manhood, Isabelle found herself remembering a T-shirt she had also seen at the store that now made a lot more sense. It had read, "Tell me again why I need a man."

When the film ended an hour and ten minutes later, Isabelle put away the dinner dish and brought back another beer from the kitchen. Then, she sat back and hit the play button a second time. The guide proved to be just as interesting the second time around as she noticed some things she had missed on the first run. The girls in the last episode were Hispanic and she found herself imagining herself and Jamie in their places.

Closing her eyes, she put down the bottle of beer and, slipping them under the T-shirt she had changed into, brought her hands to the underside of her breasts. Her skin was quite warm to her touch and her nipples hard. She squeezed them between her thumb and forefingers, producing a pleasing sensation.

Leaving one hand to continue to play with her breasts, she dropped the other down between her legs to feel the damp spot on her panties. Brushing her fingers against it produced a similar if more intense reaction. Feeling like a high school girl again, she slipped her fingers beneath the elastic waistband and fondled the lightly haired mound directly.

"Hmmmm," Isabelle said to herself as she felt the tips of her fingers caress her inner walls, "I don't do this enough."

That might have been true, but she had hardly forgotten the how of it. In no time at all, she had worked herself into a pleasant frenzy, the glow of her efforts spreading across her body. Repeatedly she plunged two fingers deep inside herself, rubbing her clit at the same time with her thumb. It didn't take long before a familiar joyful pressure reached its limits, and she exploded in a rush of fulfillment.

"Oh yes, that was nice," she smiled as she opened her eyes, "very nice indeed."

What had made it all the more pleasing was that in her mind's eye, it had been Jamie's hand, not her own, that had brought such a happy release. Closing her eyes once more, she tilted her head back on the cushion and fell asleep right there, enjoying her fantasy one more time as it replayed in her dreams.

-=-=-=-

Turning her car into the street traffic outside of the parking lot, Isabelle mentally checked the contents of the suitcase in her trunk. It had been hard to pack when you didn't know where you where going, but Jamie had said just to bring some nice things. Nothing too special, but nice enough to go out to dinner in.

It only took fifteen minutes to get to Jamie's apartment house and Isabelle was happy to see the dark haired younger woman waiting out front with her own suitcase. Getting out of the car to open the trunk, she apologized for being late.

"Not a problem," Jamie smiled as she dropped her bag into the back of the car, "I just came out a few minutes ago myself."

"Are you going to tell me where we're going?" Isabelle asked as she leaned over and kissed Jamie on the cheek.

"No, I'm not," Jamie said with a touch of conspiracy in her voice.

"Then I guess you'd better drive," Isabelle replied, handing her the keys.

"That would make sense," Jamie laughed as she took them.

Isabelle moved around to the passenger seat, while Jamie slipped into the driver's side. They had only gone a short distance before Isabelle again asked for some clue to where they were headed.

"My aren't we being the curious cat?" Jamie grinned. "But like I said, you're going to just have to wait and see."

"Can you at least tell me how far we're going?" Isabelle asked.

"Not that far," Jamie smiled as she turned in her direction for a moment. "If the traffic is not that bad, I figure we should be there in about forty minutes or so."

Resigned to the fact that was all she was going to get out of her, Isabelle turned on the radio and sat back to enjoy the music. As they left town, their path took them up past the old North Ridge Canal. Built in the late 1800's, the canal had once served as the area's link to the rest of the country, but with the advent of mechanization it had slowly fallen into disuse less than two decades later. Nowadays it was used for the occasional recreational craft, as well as a make out point for the town's young and not so young.

In her high school days, Isabelle had visited the Canal more times than she could now remember, with a number of boys whose faces she also could no longer recall. What she did remember was spending more time in the back seats than the front, or totally on her back if the boy had a station wagon or van. Thankfully those days were also far behind her as well.

The Friday after Jamie had come back from her sister's wedding, she and Isabelle had gone out to see a movie at a small, out of the way movie theatre on the north side of town. It had been one of those independent films, the kind that no one ever really hears about and both of them had enjoyed it immensely. Going for a ride afterward in search of an open diner for a late night snack, they had instead come across the canal and spotted quite a number of cars parked along its perimeter at wide intervals.

"Is there something going on here?" Jamie had asked as she counted off a number of darkened cars.

"Oh there's something going on here alright," Isabelle had laughed.

From the look on Jamie's face, it was obvious that she didn't get the joke.

"Submarine races," Isabelle said, remembering how often that term had been used by a number of the boys.

"Submarine races?" Jamie said as she slowed the car down, not getting that reference either.

Isabelle finally explained it as plainly as she could, adding that she was surprised that Jamie had never heard of the canal since just about every girl who ever grew up in Blue Valley had to have been up here at least once in her life.

"Well I didn't grow up in Blue Valley," Jamie said as the car came to a complete halt. "And even if I did, it would've been quite doubtful that I ever would've come up here with a boy."

"Well, then maybe you should make your visit with a nice girl," Isabelle said, "or better yet, maybe one not so nice."

The two of them laughed as Isabelle further suggested they park for a little while, if only to enjoy the full moon and the soft music on the radio. Deciding that wasn't a bad idea, Jamie steered her car over to a deserted spot by the water's edge, beneath a grove of trees.

They sat there for a while, listening to the song on the radio, making jokes about what might be going on in the other cars. Jamie was surprised when she felt Isabelle's hand close around hers, her fingers interlocking with Jamie's own.

"Belle?" Jamie said, using the diminutive of her name.

In response, Isabelle lifted their joined hands to her mouth and kissed Jamie's just above her knuckles.

"Are you sure?" Jamie asked, knowing full well that up until now, their relationship had been purely platonic, and that she had no reason to think that was going to change.

"This isn't a rash decision," Isabelle responded, explaining that she had been giving it a lot of thought while Jamie had been away. "I'm ready for us to take it to the next level."

As if to punctuate her words, Isabelle leaned close and kissed her with all of the intensity of a teenage girl on her first date.

The canal now far behind them, Isabelle took just a few more moments to remember what it had felt like that night. The feel of Jamie's lips against her own, the touch of her friend's hand against her bare skin, and how Jamie's body had felt to her. Finally, of how they had brought themselves to mutual orgasm, their bodies pressed tightly together, their fingers buried deep inside the other.

"What are you thinking?" Jamie asked as she noticed the far away look on her face.

"Just happy thoughts," Isabelle smiled.

The next twenty minutes passed quickly, with little traffic to slow down their progress. They made such good time that, ahead of schedule, Jamie announced that they were just about there.

All Isabelle saw was the same countryside that she had been watching for the last twenty miles. She was about to ask the obvious when Jamie surprised her with an unexpected request.

"Close your eyes," she said.

"What?"

"I said to close your eyes," Jamie repeated. "Come on, you've humored me so far."

"Okay," Isabelle answered, adding that it was a good thing that she wasn't the one driving.

Even with her eyes closed, Isabelle could feel the car moving down what had to be a curving road, maybe even a driveway. Two more turns followed as the sounds of people around them grew louder.

"Okay, you can open them now," Jamie said, then added after a pause, "surprise!"

"Oh my God!" Isabelle exclaimed at she saw the large sign in front of the building that read "Couples Only."

Couples Only was a high end resort for lovers, situated on the shores of Lake Jefferson. Originally started as a honeymoon haven back in the sixties, it had grown over the years to include long married couples looking to recapture the magic as well as unmarried couples just looking to enjoy private time with each other. Isabelle had remembered reading that they had recently expanded their clientele to include same-sex couples too. There had been an uproar over that, she'd read, but any loss of business from straight couples had quickly been made up by those not so straight.

"I've always wanted to come here," Isabelle said, remembering that she had once mentioned it to Jamie some weeks back. "but it's so expensive. Jamie, we can't afford this."

"Don't worry, it's not going to cost that much," Jamie assured her. "I used to work here as a maid while I was in college and have a great relationship with one of the owners. She's going to give us a really great discount rate because the room we're staying in is being renovated."

"Are you sure?" Isabelle asked.

"Trust me," Jamie smiled. "Nothing is too good for my babe." she added, leaning over to kiss Isabelle on the mouth.

Pulling their car into one of the spaces reserved for check-ins, they left their luggage behind and headed into the office. Like many resorts of this kind, the facilities were spread over a large area, populated by small buildings, each housing one to ten sets of guests. The rooms ranged from just above average to opulent, with the price tags to match. Even the low end rooms tended to run in the range of over two hundred dollars a day.

It took a few minutes for the clerk at the counter to finish with the couple in front of them, a young man and woman who were checking out after a week long honeymoon stay. Finally, Jamie stepped up and presented a small manila envelope to the friendly girl behind the desk.

The blonde haired girl opened the envelope, took a few moments to read the contents, then picked up the phone on the desk and dialed a single number. Hanging up the phone, she told Jamie that if she would have a seat, someone would be with them in a few minutes.

As it turned out, Jamie didn't even make it to the row of chairs where Isabelle had already sat. The door to the office adjacent to the check in counter swung open and a middle aged woman with short white hair came bounding out. Pushing open a swinging section of the counter, she made a beeline for where Jamie was standing.