Grounded in Toronto Ch. 03-04

I fell asleep with my clothes on and the lights still blazing. When I woke, Eleanor was sitting on the bed next to me, lightly rubbing my shoulder. She smiled down at me...until I glanced up at her.

"Oh, baby! Your eyes are bloodshot. What's wrong? I'm so sorry I didn't come back to the hotel with you."

"It's ... it's OK." I rubbed my eyes. "What time is it?"

"It's a bit past 2 a.m."

"Oh, God, I must have lain down to rest my eyes and fell asleep."

Eleanor's frown deepened. She wasn't buying my answer. "Tell me what's really wrong."

I sat up and tried to clear my head. My next comment had to come out right. I took her hand in mine and looked into her sympathetic eyes. "Eleanor, I'm not sure this is going to work out. You are clearly a celebrity. I'm sure that wherever you go, you'll always be surrounded by admirers and groupies. I don't think I can handle that level of notoriety."

Her eyes were suddenly rimmed with tears. "Camille, you're the best thing that's happened to me in I don't know how long! I'd trade all of my fans for one night with you. Now tell me my darling, what set this all off?"

My lips trembled and I was avoided eye contact, instead studying my hands in my lap. "Somebody said that you sleep with a different woman every night. Is that true?"

Eleanor laughed, breaking the tension of the moment. She put her hands on both sides of my face, lifting my gaze back to hers. "Darling Camille, does that sound like me?"

I felt rather sheepish and tried to lower my eyes again. "No, but one of your fans said it."

"Of course it's not true. I have had my share of flings. But no, I don't find a different woman for every night. I'm with you now, aren't I?"

I fought back a sniffle. "Yes."

"There's no one I'd rather be with. Now what else is on your mind?"

"Someone called me a slut."

Eleanor's jaw dropped. "To your face?"

"Well, to be fair, the person didn't know I was with you. She just thought I knew you and was commenting on her new girlfriend."

"She was jealous. Women can be vicious. I have written about people like that in my books. You have to ignore what they say and think." Eleanor kissed me.

I could smell and taste a trace of alcohol on her lips. Her tongue slipped into my mouth, and I caressed it with mine. Soon the kiss evolved into a deep embrace, and all of my doubts turned into a mist, fogging my mind with my lust for her. Yes, she was a woman of grace and elegance. But she was also one of raw, sexual power. Everyone that had surrounded her at the bar could probably sense it. I know I had. She was a magnet for attention, and her attraction was irresistible. I'm sure that she didn't fully grasp the hypnotic power she had over other women.

Suddenly, I was overwhelmed with my need for her. I had never felt this level of desire and passion before we had met. It reassured me that my self-doubts were unwarranted.

"Eleanor, you're mine." I wanted to lay claim to this woman that I adored. And in more than just words.

I pressed her back, and she gave way, allowing me to unbutton her blouse. I slipped my hand under the cup of her bra, feeling the damp underside of her breast and then the pebbly texture of her erect nipple.

She let out a contented sigh that encouraged me to snake my hand behind her. Her shoulders lifted slightly, allowing me just enough room to unclasp her bra. Then she raised her arms up. In one motion, I slipped her bra off and plunged my mouth over her nipple, pulling a good part of her breast into my mouth. I swirled my tongue around her soft skin, causing her to suck in a large breath.

On her exhale, she lifted my head. Her eyes were shimmering when she looked down into mine. She cocked her head slightly. Then she uttered the words I longed to hear. "I love you Camille."

As much as I had hoped she would be the first to say them, I was still shocked when I heard the words leave her lips.

She looked at me expectantly. This was usually a pivotal moment in a relationship—the make or break it deciding factor, depending on the reply. I didn't hesitate.

"I love you with all of my heart, Eleanor. I've never loved anyone as much as I love you." That was the exclamation point on my proclamation of love.

There was no reply from her. Only tears. We hugged. We kissed. And then we cried together until eventually, we undressed and fell asleep in each other's arms.

Chapter Four

My eyelids cracked open with the salty residue of tears still on my face. Tears of both sadness and great joy. The clock read 10 a.m. I hadn't slept until 10 a.m. since I was 16. There was also a pot of hot coffee on the nightstand.

Eleanor came into the room from the bathroom, a towel wrapped around her hair. "You're finally awake. I had to use one of my pocket mirrors and hold it in front of your mouth to make sure you were breathing. I thought maybe when I told you I loved you that you died of fright."

"I didn't know that comedy was one of your talents, Eleanor. I think you best keep your day job."

She just ignored my jibe and sat down beside me. "I've got a free day today, but I've only planned out the first part of it."

"And what would that be?"

"To make sweet, beautiful love to my royalty, my Princess Camille." She paused, lifting a piece of notepaper off the night stand. "I jotted this down this morning while you were sleeping. Poetry isn't really my thing but you inspired me."

My darling Camille

So tender and sweet

Fell into my arms

Not then knowing

But now with eyes wide open

To the love of a woman"

Tears welled up in my eyes again. I kissed her on the cheek. "Thank you, Eleanor. It's one of the nicest gifts I've ever received."

She was tearing up as well. "I can't believe I've found someone like you. It must have been fate to meet you at the airport. Why don't you get ready for breakfast, then we'll go downstairs. We have a lot to discuss."

I took a long, hot shower. The simple and the routine became joyful experiences. Being in love can do that to a person. The piping hot water pelting my skin. The creamy rich lather of my shampoo. The satisfying, gentle glide of the razor. The swirls of soap suds around the drain. They were all now noticed and appreciated. In fact, perhaps too much because Eleanor poked her head in to chide me on the time.

"Let's go. You're going to turn into a fish and grow gills if you stay in there much longer."

I finished up and got dressed. T-shirt, jeans, and sneakers for simple Camille. An off-white cotton top, a rose-colored A-line skirt, and cream-colored high heel sandals for elegant Eleanor.

We went downstairs to the hotel's main dining room. It was old-school with dark-paneled walls and wine-colored, studded-leather benches in the booths. And when you entered the room, you passed through an impressive glass-walled wine cellar.

We were seated and fresh hot coffee was served almost immediately. I splurged and ordered the house-cured Scottish salmon with toast points and two eggs over easy. Eleanor, of course, ordered steel cut oats with fresh fruit. I guess I would always aspire to be her.

When breakfast arrived, Eleanor tackled the elephant in the room. "Camille, you live in New York, and I live in Los Angeles. We're leaving London in two days to fly back to our respective cities. As I've said, my experience with long-distance relationships is not good. And you?"

I savored the silky, smooth—yet slightly oily—texture of the Scottish salmon, the slight sweetness of the crème fraiche, and the satisfying crunch of the toast points, pondering my answer to this oh-so-serious question. I decided short and sweet was the best angle.

"The same. It has never worked out."

Eleanor sighed. She had to have known it would have been a struggle if I insisted on trying a long-distance relationship first. "Well, that's settled. I know it's sudden, but do we move in together, and if so where? Let's go through the possibilities."

That was going to require another toast point with salmon. Eleanor, always on message and focused. I appreciated that. It smoothed over the awkwardness of expectations not said. I wanted to be accommodating. I wanted to make this work. We weren't in our 20's anymore, with time to work out the kinks in a relationship. We needed to be decisive so I short circuited a longer discussion.

"New York should be a consideration. I'm there already, and I have a nice two bedroom apartment on the Upper West Side. Then there's Los Angeles where you live. Good airport there. I'm on the road a lot, so I could make that work."

Eleanor put her hand under her chin, and at the same time played with her oatmeal with the her spoon. "Thinking out loud, we could pick a new city. I, for one, like San Francisco. It's receptive to our lifestyle, fun to be in, and it would be a fresh start for both of us."

I liked the idea of San Francisco. "That sounds like fun, too."

"Well, as a stop gap, I can spend time in New York since I'm just doing background research on my new book. Why don't I change my return flight from LA to New York, and I'll have some of my things shipped to your apartment?"

"I wish you would."

It looked like we had resolved the logistical issues, at least for the short term. We were really doing this. A little over a week ago, I was straight Camille on my way to see my new boyfriend in London. Now I'm lesbian (bi?) Camille, and my new girlfriend was moving into my apartment. Eleanor's statement about shipping her stuff to my apartment hit home. This was for real, and yes, she did love me.

She paid for breakfast, and we went back to the elevator arm-in-arm. I decided if I was going to be "out" then there was no better time to start than the present. I could think of no better person to help me with what would undoubtedly be a rocky transition, especially for my family and friends. But Eleanor would win their hearts. She had already won mine.

We were alone in the elevator cab. And of course I couldn't leave well enough alone. "Eleanor, I hate to be the jealous type, but are there any loose ends that you have to handle? You did tell me that you had an open relationship with Nathaniel."

She crinkled her nose. "Well, Camille, I haven't exactly been a saint. I've had a number of ongoing relationships with both men and women. Not serious, but ongoing. They're certainly going to get the message when I tell them I'm temporarily relocating to New York to be with my new girlfriend. Is that enough?"

I felt a bit guilty about asking, but I was relieved. "Yes, that's enough. I really don't mean to pry like that but you are unbelievably sexy, attractive, and smart. So I'm going to have to fight everyone off to be with you."

Eleanor smiled and also gave a lustful look down the "V" of my T-shirt at my cleavage. "Give yourself some credit. When people learn that you are with a woman, a lot of women that you know—and don't know—are going to start hitting on you. You're no slouch yourself."

"I hadn't thought about that. Am I really a hottie?"

Eleanor moved her arm behind me and drew me close. She had a fresh-shower smell. When she nuzzled my neck, a shiver ran up my spine.

"Let me show you how hot you are when we get back to the hotel room."

We got off at our floor, and she entered the room first. The moment I walked past her and the door shut, she pushed me against the wall and pushed her hand under my bra, stroking the underside of my breast with her fingers. She leaned forward to kiss me, and I sensed a tinge of desperation in her aggressiveness when our tongues met with our lips pressed tightly together. Her other hand reached behind my head, caressing my neck and shoulders. My nipples hardened, and I immediately felt a twinge in my pussy while Eleanor's advances made me think of nothing but my want for her.

I pulled her along with me to the bed. We fell sideways together, still locked in an embrace. Eleanor already had my pants undone and her hand inside my sopping-wet panties. I lifted my hips to help her remove my pants and shoes. All the while, I was unbuttoning her blouse and lifting her breasts over the top of the cups so that they were presented prominently for my enjoyment. I dipped my head down to capture one of her erect nipples, eliciting a soft sigh from her.

Her hand tickled the inside of my thigh, causing me to part them further, and then she plunged two fingers into my overheated pussy. I was on my back again, arching in response to her probing fingers. When they found my g-spot, I was lost in a swirl of pleasurable sensations, unable to do anything but react to her advances.

Eleanor stood up to shed the rest of her clothes. She gazed upon my nude body, which was still heaving from her skillful fingering. "I want to show you another way to make love. I want you to tell me what you feel."

I nodded, then she slipped one leg under mine and shimmied on the bed with her other knee between my legs until her pubic mound touched mine. "Oh, God, Eleanor! I can't believe how warm and wet you are."

She raised herself on her arms. I did likewise, then she started undulating her hips.

"Fuck... fuck, Eleanor! I love this."

I started rotating my hips as well while we developed a rhythm that was stimulating my clit in a way that was much more robust than her eating my pussy. We experimented with various positions, with Eleanor bending one knee and raising her body up, and with us both prone, locked in the most intimate of embraces. She extended her leg towards my face. I was inspired to take her meticulously painted toes into my mouth, making love to each one of them, causing her to grind her body against mine more vigorously.

"Eleanor...this is so intense. I'm going to cum, and it feels like my head is going to explode."

There was no response, just the noise of the bed moving underneath us, the muted noises of our mating, and our ragged breathing while we both pushed one another to a satisfying climax.

"Camille...cumming..." Eleanor shuddered but continued to undulate her hips.

I followed shortly. "Oh, my God...Eleanor, you are...everything to me."

Our bodies went limp, now covered in sweat. Our juices intermingled, our legs still interlocked. Panting, and our faces glowing.

It didn't get any better than this. I was in a state of deep relaxation. My mind now floated untethered from my day-to-day worries.

I was in love, and that was all that mattered.