Heat of the Night Pt. 04

In the aftermath of her mother's admission to having an affair with another woman, Lisa is finding it hard to put her newfound feelings for Siobhan to just a passing fancy. She isn't entirely sure if she's gay but right now she feels as if something has to happen to produce the spark, but Lisa isn't sure if she has what it takes to take things further.

It wasn't the alarm that woke her that next morning, it was the telephone and it took her a moment to register that it was Siobhan on the other end of the line.

"Can you do me a big favour this morning?"

"Sure, anything," she replied.

"Pick me up? I must have left my parking lights on all night because I noticed they were on this morning when I looked out the window, and when I tried to start the car the battery was just about dead."

"God, it must be contagious," Lisa giggled, "okay, I'll grab a shower, see you soon."

Her outfit that morning consisted of a pencil skirt fastened with black buttons she'd made some time ago and the pussybow blouse she'd worn that first time Siobhan took her to work, it almost seemed frivolous. After all, gay women weren't automatically attracted to each other just because of sexual orientation. What if Siobhan had some unwritten rule about not getting involved with someone at work?

"Then I'll get another job," she murmured a little while later as she hurried out the door, breathing a sigh of relief that she hadn't left her car lights on all night.

Siobhan was wearing the blouse Lisa had made for her along with grey trousers, she managed a crooked smile as she slipped into the passenger seat.

"Hey, you're actually wearing it."

"Well, of course I am," Siobhan replied as Lisa shifted into reverse.

"There's something else about you," she fastened the seatbelt.

"Like what?"

"It's not what you're wearing, it's something else, the way you are today."

Lisa bit her lip and looked away as she shifted into first.

"I um, I told mum about you."

"About me, oh," Siobhan blushed, "and did she scream?"

"Not exactly," she inched the car forward, "but I learned something new about mum."

"I want to know more."

It came out slowly at first as she talked first about her mother's brief affair with the babysitter and then her own history of failed relationships with men. By the time she pulled into the parking lot at work she felt drained.

"You must think I'm nuts."

"On the contrary," Siobhan shifted in her seat, "I think you've got more guts than the men in there," she glanced at the building, "how many of them would go as far as to admit they're attracted to the same sex."

"Even though some of them probably are."

"True but they won't admit to it because they'll become targets."

"So, what do I do now?"

"First things first, get the job interview knocked on the head, everything else comes second. You've worked for this moment."

"How do?" Lisa stared straight ahead and then exhaled, "you're right, first things first, wish me luck."

"Good luck," Siobhan squeezed her leg.

Lisa carried the memory of that squeeze into the office an hour later, she'd caught sight of her briefly as she walked into a nearby office but the seat they waved her to meant her back was to Siobhan's office.

Interviews were something she dreaded because she had a terrible habit of psyching herself up with imaginary questions and answers when the reality was so much different. Her father called it mental projection, a common character trait for alcoholics although he admitted that 'normal' people had the same trait. Indeed it almost seemed that this would be much the same as other interviews, she would come across as a bit simple or flustered but then the interviewer rose and gestured to a seat beside him. A few seconds later Siobhan sat down and flicked at her hair.

"Okay, shall we begin?"

"Sure," Lisa smiled nervously, this had come out of the blue but as Siobhan explained a moment or two later, the woman who'd been slotted in as co-interviewer had called in sick.

"But I'm sure we'll cope," she folded her arms, "so, tell me, how do you think you'd fit into this role, given your limited experience?"

The answer sounded pat but it was one they'd rehearsed, indeed she found it hard not to smile as she recalled their role play. The next question was asked by Siobhan's colleague and it was similar to one Siobhan had asked the other night and so it progressed. There was an air of unreality about the interview, almost as if it was staged and at any moment a director would jump up and shout, "cut!"

"Well if you've got any more questions?" Harry glanced at Siobhan.

"None, but perhaps Lisa has one?"

About the best she could come up with was clarification on a couple of minor points and though it sounded lame, Harry did seem a little more animated as he went into more detail on her job role and then the interview was over and she was stepping out of the office. She felt slightly queasy, as if she had eaten something that didn't agree with her and in the lunch room she actually asked one of the girls for a cigarette, even though she didn't really smoke.

The rest of the day went fairly slowly until about four o'clock when Harry stepped into the large office she shared with several other women.

"How's it going?"

"Pretty good."

"Well, I hope it was memorable because this is the last day you'll spend in this part of the building," he held out his hand, "congratulations, you got the job."

"Thank you," she took his hand, "thank you."

"Actually you were the only candidate worth considering," Siobhan told her as they left work a few hours later, "we had two women, one was with some legal firm but she dropped the ball when she admitted she was pregnant and just looking for part time work. The other woman had been out of the workforce for twenty years raising children."

"I didn't know what to say when you stepped into the office."

"You and me both," she chuckled, "it was sprung on me at the last minute and I nearly said no but if I hadn't then it would have been two men instead of a man and a woman. There's been a bit of bad blood in our department because of the ratio of men to women, complaints went right up the food chain to government level and echoed all the way back to ours. Hence the as yet unwritten rule that we needed to give women more responsibility, especially when hiring other women."

"So, what happens now?" Lisa asked a few minutes later as she drove out of the carpark.

"You start tomorrow, Harry will take you through the routine and at some point either Dorothy or myself will be told to take you under our wing and guide you forward."

Lisa nodded as she pulled out onto the highway. Siobhan kept talking about the job and the things she'd be doing, some of it she knew but there were other things she didn't know about, like finding hotels for interstate visitors or driving senior management into town.

"You'll be on standby in a car but you're free to walk around and do a bit of shopping, the only downside is keeping your distance from managers who've had too much to drink."

"Maybe I'll tell them I'm gay."

"You can or just tell them you're with someone. It's a man's world, I'm the first one to admit it but it's changing slowly, sometimes too slow but anything is better than nothing."

Lisa nodded as she turned onto the feeder road that led to her street.

"Listen, for what it's worth, now that you've admitted it to me, if there's anything I can do to help you just ask. I might technically be your boss but that's only at work."

"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind, it's all quite new to me. I'm still trying to process it."

"It takes a while to process," she replied, "so, have you got your eyes on anyone?"

Lisa didn't reply straight away as she tried to sort her thoughts into a logical sequence and it wasn't until she was pulling into the driveway of her house that she spoke.

"There is, but I don't know how she feels about me. I mean she's a great friend, I really admire her but I'm afraid that if we take it that next step that I'll lose her friendship and I can't risk that," she turned off the engine and stared at the house.

"The truth of the matter is I'm so very afraid of fucking everything up. I mean look at me, I had a gay boyfriend who suited me very well because we hardly ever had sex, so when it comes to sex and sexuality I'm no virgin but I'm so inexperienced."

"What's her name?" Siobhan glanced at her.

"Siobhan," Lisa closed her eyes, "and I know you're my boss at work but you're my friend and I don't want to lose you."

Siobhan didn't reply and Lisa opened her eyes.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have said that."

"Why not?" Siobhan glanced at her, "I'm not surprised, I expected you to say something this morning but you kept it all inside, which was good considering I was shanghaied into interviewing you. God only knows how that would have gone."

"So, it's okay?"

"I don't have rules against dating co-workers," she shrugged, "admittedly I haven't gone out with many but it's not taboo. I'm an Irish Catholic who's broken the biggest taboo of all by coming out as gay, so sleeping with a colleague doesn't even come close."

"Thank fuck for that," her head hit the headrest.

"Is that why you brought me back to your place instead of mine?"

"Um, not exactly," she undid her seatbelt, "the battery charger is still here and you'll need it for tonight, unless you want to crash here tonight?"

"Let's just see what happens next," Siobhan squeezed her leg.

***

Nevertheless, despite her admission, Lisa felt anxious as they went inside. Was she ready for this and was this even a good idea? She'd never considered herself a prude but this was the first time she'd actually told someone she'd barely met that sex was on the menu tonight. Some of her friends weren't so backward at coming forward but Lisa definitely felt a slight uneasiness as she made the coffee and attended to a call of nature.

She came back through to the kitchen to find the coffee cups gone and then Siobhan called out.

"I'm in here."

Lisa stepped into the living room to find Siobhan sitting on the couch, the coffee cups were on the coffee table and she'd just taken off her heels.

"The price of vanity, sometimes I think the dykes have got it over lesbians like me, they wear flat heels instead of cramming their feet into these feckin' things," Siobhan glanced over at her as put the shoes under the coffee table.

"What are you looking at?" Siobhan probed her gently.

"Um, you," her eyes shifted, "I hate to sound like I'm blowing my own trumpet but I'm impressed at my workmanship."

"So am I," Siobhan smirked, "I actually felt all," she glanced down, "buttoned up and professional. I didn't need to double check if I was showing a bit too much cleavage when leaning over a guy today," she reached out and tugged at one of Lisa's ties.

"Maybe you'll make me one of these," their eyes met, "or rather, maybe you'll show me."

Lisa felt the waves of emotion flooding through her. She'd only really known this woman properly for the last couple of weeks. Prior that Siobhan had been something of an oddity, a square peg in a round hole, distrusted by her female colleagues and the subject of numerous male fantasies.

Siobhan was still fingering the ties as Lisa regarded her.

A moment or two later, Lisa leaned over and pressed her lips lightly against Siobhan's, holding them there for a few seconds before pulling back, a little embarrassed at her impulsive move. Siobhan was still clutching the ties and Lisa allowed her hand to travel down Siobhan's arm to the elbow before coming back to her wrist. For a few moments neither woman moved, both seemed to be considering the consequences or working out their next move, their coffee had barely been touched. Lisa took hold of Siobhan's wrist and brought her hand up to her face and leaned into it, allowing the other woman to take the weight.

Siobhan shifted forward and brought her other arm along the top of the couch and then they were kissing again, Siobhan's mouth parted and Lisa resorted to instinct. Part of her wanted to pull away because this wasn't supposed to be the way one was with women but the other part wanted more of this delicious sensation. She loved the softness and the lack of urgency, there was no fumbling of her breasts or pussy. It was just kissing for the sake of kissing and Lisa wanted more and yet despite that, she still felt a little uneasy about going further. Was it because Siobhan was technically one of her bosses at work or was it down to the fact she was a woman?

Another kiss caused her to moan gently and she opened her mouth wider, taking Siobhan's lips with her at the same time, she felt fingers moving through her hair, teasing her scalp. How much longer could she go before it was too late to stop? It took a few more minutes of kissing before she realised that in actual fact she could go much further, it was men who reached boiling point so quickly, but women on the other hand could stretch it out much longer.

They broke free and Lisa tried to catch her breath, she was breathing shallowly and Siobhan seemed much the same, a hand moved through her hair while the other fiddled with the ties. Lisa stared into her eyes and felt as if she was leaving her body and becoming one with the other, the last time she'd felt anything like that was with him. She pushed the memory out of her mind because that really was a mistake and instead focused on the woman in front of her, so far it had been Siobhan doing most of the work and that demanded a response of some kind.

She brought her hands up over Siobhan's breasts, feeling the imprint of the bra through the blouse and she noticed the slight shift in her eyes as she pushed harder. She reached Siobhan's neck and for a moment or two Lisa held onto her shoulders, feeling her collarbones. Siobhan didn't move an inch as Lisa rubbed her gently, gathering her strength or working out her next move?

A few seconds later she brought her hands further up to her face and then hair, feeling the silky softness flowing over her fingers, Siobhan leaned forward to kiss her and hooked a hand behind her neck to keep her pressed hard against her lips. They broke free momentarily and then kissed again, it was a long, lingering kiss that took her breath away and sometime in the middle of that, Siobhan moved her hands down to push against Lisa's plump breasts.

The result was a rush of endorphins, she later recalled that word even though it sounded clinical and somewhat staid. Siobhan massaged her breasts with a practised ease that left her in no doubt as to her intentions. Lisa finally broke free and exhaled loudly as she looked past Siobhan to the living room door, the coat rack was visible in the hallway.

Lisa blinked to clear her vision and tried to think of a way of extricating herself without causing offence but when Siobhan shifted back a little Lisa went with her, they ended up with Siobhan wedged against the arm of the couch and Lisa's left leg in between Siobhan's legs. They stared at each other and it was Siobhan who broke the silence.

"If you'd rather not, I'd understand."

It was the opening Lisa had been looking for but she didn't move an inch as she tried to compose herself and when Siobhan slipped her fingers behind one of her pleats and eased it up to her neck she still didn't move.

"It's not that I don't want to," she murmured, "it's just a bit rushed."

"My mistake," Siobhan's hand slipped down the pleat to her belt, "but I wasn't expecting this either."

"So, what do we do?" Lisa plucked at the top button of Siobhan's blouse.

"Whatever we want to do," Siobhan fiddled with the pleat, "kiss, talk, fuck, and that's just three words that popped into my..."

The last word was lost as Lisa planted her mouth on Siobhan's and forced it open for a passionate kiss, she fingered the topmost button on the left, picking at it almost absently and when they finally parted she undid it. The corner of the blouse dropped down and Siobhan's eyes narrowed as Lisa eased her hand down to the next button. Something seemed to change at that point as Siobhan put her hand on Lisa's left breast and squeezed it. Lisa winced slightly and then she kissed her again, it was a light teasing kiss that led to several more in succession.

Her hand was still resting on that second button while Siobhan massaged her breast with one hand and flicked her other hand up and down the other pleat, Lisa's breathing became shallower and more laboured as the sexual tension that had been building for so long finally found an outlet. When they finally parted she undid the second button to fold the flap down even more. Lisa stared into her eyes as she ran her fingers from the top button of the right side of the blouse to the third button and pulled gently on it. Once or twice she made as if to undo it but then went back to her up and down motions. Siobhan finally broke the routine when she brought her hands together over the pussybow and began to undo the large knot.

"Whatever happens after this, remember we have to work together," she started pulling the ties out of the knot, "if you don't think you can go through with it, now's a good time to pull out."

"Who's the nervous one now?" Lisa smiled crookedly as Siobhan undid more of the knot, her eyes flickered downwards as the bows started disappearing into the knot. She felt a slight giddiness and for a few seconds her vision became somewhat blurred as the bows vanished into the knot.

"Touché."

Siobhan slipped the ties downwards, which pulled Lisa closer to her. Their lips met in a series of slow, sensual kisses punctuated with pauses whilst they caught their breath but Lisa was becoming more and more turned on by this seductive dance, and yet she was still a little anxious about going all the way. She was aware that Siobhan was undoing the rest of the knot, now and then she felt fingertips against the half collar of her blouse as their kissing intensified. Siobhan got her fingers behind Lisa's pleats and began sliding them up and down, tugging outwards when she reached her breasts in a highly suggestive movement.

Lisa found the third button on Siobhan's blouse and for some reason this seemed to be the point of no return, why that was so remained a mystery. Was it an unwritten rule or just some random rule she'd made up? She pushed the button through the buttonhole and the front panel of the blouse sagged forward, Lisa brought her hand along the diagonal line formed by the flap to the top button on the right hand side but then moved it back to the other side and grasped one of Siobhan's breasts firmly. That got a response, their lips broke contact momentarily and Siobhan looked down at her hand, her eyes softened as she stopped her up and down movements with her pleats. Lisa's blouse had been pulled out slightly but as yet, Siobhan hadn't tried to undo her buttons.

An impish smile stole across Siobhan's face as she slid her fingers behind the placket and very slowly and deliberately, brought her hand up her front, pausing as she reached each button, she reached the half collar and then undid one of its buttons. A finger slipped behind the collar as she tugged at the second button, Lisa felt as if she was standing outside herself as she felt the button sliding through the buttonhole. Siobhan's finger dropped like a stone to the third button, she undid it and parted the half collar.

Lisa exhaled as Siobhan rested her finger on the top button of her blouse, she tugged playfully at it a few times and then slid her finger down the placket to the waistband of her skirt. Lisa's breathing became shallower and she responded with her own stroking, moving her hands over Siobhan's breasts, willing herself to go further and yet holding back at the same time. She felt slight pressure as Siobhan fiddled with her belt, she seemed to be considering her options, tugging at the buckle but then releasing it.