Affair of the Body 01

"I'll skip on the towel. They didn't help me when I needed them." Jerilyn fingered the belt on her borrowed robe. What the hell, Rain already saw her naked. When she left her home she intended to take this step anyway. She slid the robe off and tossed it on the couch then lay on the table's padded surface.

Jerilyn heard Rain's leggings hit the floor then Rain moaned. "It always feels nice to stretch after you take your clothes off." A few seconds later Rain's expert hands rubbed the tension out of Jerilyn. Even though the massage wasn't sexual, it had a sensual aspect to it. Rain's oil slick hands rubbed across Jerilyn's skin in a way that made her feel pampered and cared for. Despite the traumatic and humiliating evening, Rain's touch was the most sexual sensation she had in years. Jerilyn felt herself moisten. She'd do something about it later. For now, she enjoyed the massage too much to interrupt it. It didn't take long for the tension to seep away and her mind drifted into a peace she hadn't experienced in far too long.

"Did I fall asleep?" She pushed herself up on her elbows and stifled a yawn. Rain sat cross legged and naked on the couch studying tarot cards spread on the coffee table.

"Yup." Rain looked up when Jerilyn spoke. "Good morning, sleepy head." She lifted the robe off the couch. "You want this?"

"No." Jerilyn surprised herself, her parents drilled modesty into her for as long as she remembered. For some reason it felt comfortable to be nude. At least around Rain. "How long was I out?"

"Twenty minutes. Usually I don't let my clients fall asleep but you looked like you needed it."

"I feel wonderful." Jerilyn climbed off the table and stretched, feeling alive and relaxed for the first time in longer than she could remember. Walking to the couch naked felt brazen and sensuous. Energy filled her so she was relaxed and energized at the same time. It reminded her of the first time she made love with Antony. Plus, being around Rain, who definitely wasn't shy, made it easier. She noticed Rain staring at her as she navigated the furniture in the room. In order to make room for the massage table Rain had to crowd her other furniture together. Rain's eyes glittered with amusement but Jerilyn thought she saw something else in her expression: interest. "What are you doing?"

"I thought I'd do a reading on you while you slept." Rain indicated the tarot cards spread out on the coffee table.

"What does it say?" Jerilyn sat next to Rain as Rain explained what the cards and their position meant. She sat closer to Rain, not quite invading her personal space but closer than normal.

"To make a long story short, you're in for a big change soon and money will play a large part in that change." Rain gathered up the cards and replaced them on her deck.

"A big change, hunh?" Jerilyn looked at Rain sidelong and smiled.

"That's what the cards say."

"Do a reading for yourself, I want to see if you're in for a big change too." Jerilyn bumped her shoulder against Rain's.

"I can't do readings for myself."

"Why not? Is it some taboo among psychics?"

"No, nothing like that. A real reading is part intuition and part psychology."

"So you didn't give me a real reading?"

"Well . . . " Rain shrugged. "Yes and no. It's not a complete reading, but I didn't make anything up."

"Don't the cards give you the future? What difference does it make who does the reading, the cards are the same."

"I don't tell the future, I give perspective. See, you come to a psychic," Rain made air quotes around psychic, "with a problem. Basically, the cards point out aspects of your personality and how you're likely to react. They act as a mirror to your subconscious, it helps point out things you already know deep inside. Say you came to me wondering if you're pregnant. If you are, your body knows it because it's changing. That means, on some level, you'd know you were. You'd draw cards for money, change, hope and happiness. Assuming you wanted the child."

"You make it sound like a science."

"Believe me, it's not. I have to figure out what the cards mean and translate it to the client. That's where intuition comes in. Even then it's easy to get things wrong. Which is why I can't do readings on myself, I tend to over think and end up confused and exasperated."

"Do it anyway. I want to watch."

Rain shrugged and shuffled the cards. She dealt them and her brows knit as she laid the first few cards out.

"Shouldn't you tell me what each card means as you lay it out?"

"Sure, if I was reading for you, but these cards don't make sense." Rain gathered the cards up before she finished laying them out. "I told you, I can't do myself."

"You can't do yourself?" A sly grin tugged at Jerilyn's lips and she bumped Rain's shoulder again. "Sounds like you need a friend to take care of that for you."

"Are you volunteering?" Rain returned her grin with interest.

"I guess it sounds like it, doesn't it?"

"Are you flirting with me?" Rain watched her with an appraising expression, like she didn't mind the idea.

"No, of course not." Jerilyn wanted to blush at the suggestion but replayed the conversation in her mind and the motives behind what she said. She realized she was flirting and judging by the look on Rain's face, the other woman knew it too. "You don't look like you mind."

"You're a beautiful woman, why would I mind?"

"Have you been with another woman?"

"Kind of."

"Kind of?"

"I'm a third generation hippy, sex isn't taboo." Rain shrugged like her confession didn't matter. "I kissed a couple of girlfriends in highschool and felt up one on a dare."

"What was it like?" Jerilyn leaned in, more intent on the answer than she expected.

"Awkward. A lot of tension filled the room. The atmosphere made it weird."

"Oh." Jerilyn tried not to sound as disappointed as she felt. She hopped Rain might be a knowledgeable teacher to introduce her into lesbianism. Suddenly their nudity felt awkward. "It's late. I should go." Jerilyn pushed herself off the couch and tried to act as relaxed as if she had clothes on. "I'll go get my clothes." Knowing Rain watched her ass as she walked away gave her a little thrill.

Jerilyn threw on her clothes, thankful they were easy to put on. When she walked back out, much to her relief, she saw Rain dressed in the robe she loaned Jerilyn earlier. "How much do I owe you for the massage?" Jerilyn reached into her purse.

"Nothing. I enjoyed getting to know you."

"Are you sure?"

"If you want to pay me back, make me dinner. I don't have many friends around here. An evening of good food and excellent company sounds like a magnificent payment."

"I'll bring something down tomorrow when you're finished working. How does that sound? "

"Perfect."

Jerilyn kissed Rain on her cheek then walked back to her apartment. She took her time on the short walk home, reliving the stark terror and mysterious arousal she experienced the last time she took this rout. She smiled now, seeing the humor and wanted to tell Antony. It would give him a good laugh. Then, with some disappointment, she realized she couldn't tell him. If she did, she would have to confess the reason she went down there. That's when she realized she still wanted to go through with her affair. Tomorrow night she intended to seduce her neighbor.