My Brown Eyed Girl Pt. 02

MAKIN' MOVES

After outing herself to Melissa and discovering that the younger woman is somewhat curious about lesbians, Jodie finds that it is Melissa who seems the more dominant one when she starts making her own moves and Jodie is faced with an awkward decision. How far should she let this go and could this lead to deeper involvement?

Over the last few years Jodie had met a few of the gay/bi/curious types. In her darker moments she'd commented that she had a target on her ass. In that way Melissa fit the profile to a tee but perhaps due to her age and a desire to fit in, she'd not discouraged the younger woman and yet she still felt wary about her responses to her. Jodie couldn't see this going much further than a night or two at the very most and by the looks of things this contract could very well stretch out to three weeks at the most. Mark, her boss was more than happy to let her spend as much time in West Virginia as possible. She didn't think he was very conscientious about Dyson's Mills, it most likely had more to do with Annie, an intern with out and proud bisexual tendencies. Mark hadn't been able to keep his eyes off her and perhaps consigning her to the backwoods was his way of cutting down on the opposition.

She had been out to Melissa's house for dinner after her second day on the job and met her parents, Dan and Julie, both nice people she told her later. Four of the brothers were present as well and at least three of them had been making eyes at her most of the night. It caused no end of mirth as they sat outside on Jodie's porch drinking Jack Daniels.

"I think it's cute," she giggled as she picked up her guitar again, "John was just about coming in his pants whenever you leaned over the table, he was trying to see under that fancy silk shirt," she looked across, "and he'll never see them, I swear I thought it was so fucking cool."

She strummed on a guitar and smiled shyly, "so, is my mom attractive?"

"Your mom is attractive," she nodded, "but I'm not into breaking up families so she's safe."

"Well I won't go telling her that," she grinned.

Jodie returned the smile as she pictured the fifty something woman with the petite figure and a winning smile. Julie was an accountant with her own office in town and freely confessed that out of all the folks in town her job was the most secure.

"No matter how many businesses go broke people will always be fixin' to get their taxes done or need some financial advice."

"So, Melissa nudged her, "tell me what lesbians get up to when they get naked."

"What do you mean?" Jodie ran a hand through her hair.

"You know what I mean," she started picking a tune, "do they finger each other, tongue each other out or stick to dildos and vibrators, I bet you got a strap on double donger, ain't ya?"

"All of the above," she replied, "although the strap on is a little weird but some women like it that way," she eyed her, "you got a dildo?"

"I wish," she frowned, "they're so fucking expensive, I was looking at them the other night after meeting you and almost bought one, but maybe I'll write Santa a letter instead."

Jodie paused before replying.

"I've got a spare in the bedroom."

"You travel with two dildos?" Melissa stared at her, "you must be hornier than a two-dicked billy goat, me, I use what the good lord gave me."

"You want me to give you one?"

"One what?" Melissa stared at her with a smile on her face.

"A dildo, I got spares at home, I travel with two in case I meet some woman. It saves the trouble of cleaning one after using it."

For a moment she thought she'd lost her but then Melissa nodded, "okay, let's see what you got," she rose and nodded at Dog, "c'mon, Dog, we gonna check out sex toys."

The dildo Jodie showed her was a little smaller than the other one but it had ribs on it and Melissa held it up for a closer examination.

"Well that just dills my pickle," she grinned, "you want something for it? Like cash?"

"Keep it," she replied, "it's a gift, after all you got my tire fixed cheap, your mom fed me, your dad has been a big help."

"And you gave their daughter a dildo," she chuckled and then a moment later she leaned over and kissed her cheek, "this is the nicest gift anyone ever gave me, except for my pickup."

She stayed that night, Jodie got up to go to the bathroom at three in the morning to find her lying legs akimbo, clad in a bra and panties and feeling somewhat guilty, she blushed and continued on through to the bathroom. That morning she woke to the sound of music on the radio and shuffling through to the kitchen, found Melissa making pancakes.

"Hey, sleeping beauty awakes," she peered at her silk babydoll, "well you can't go to work dressed like that, you'll have all the menfolk chafin' at the bit, why don't you go gettin' dressed and I'll fix your pancakes."

Jodie contemplated the breakfast while she showered and changed into work clothes. What was going on was innocent and cute, but, she finished buttoning her blouse, it was one of those affairs that would only end in heartache.

Melissa ran an appreciative eye over her white blouse and black suit.

"Okay, sit yourself down and I'll fix the coffee, I'm running around town today but I'll be sure to drop in on you at the mill at lunchtime. Bob's got the eye on you so don't bend over in front of him, if you know what I mean."

She turned up at midday with salad and cold chicken sandwiches and they'd eaten them in the shade. That night she turned up again after work with a pizza and stayed the night yet again while they made plans for their trip down to Charleston the next day. Melissa was adamant that she had to buy a good dress if she was going to go out with a hot lesbian from New York.

"Like I got good dresses at home but this is special, besides it's been a while since I got me a real nice dress. Besides, you bein' a city girl you gotta have some hot tips, so this will be educational for me anyway."

"I'll finish up at lunchtime," Jodie promised, "I'll swing by your house and pick you up around one, once I've changed out of work clothes."

"Hey, work clothes is good for me," she grinned, "looks kind of sexy," she picked at the guitar cords, "so, when is your birthday anyways?"

"June 29," she replied, "just two weeks away now."

"You still be here then?"

"Not sure," she replied, "but we'll definitely go out before then, you pick the night and I'll be there, it's not like my social calendar is full."

"Not here it ain't," she grinned, "so, you'll be around for my next gig, Friday week out at Bob's bar, I cain't legally drink the hard stuff but I can play there. He kind of turns a blind eye to my age 'cos my mom does his books for him."

"Sounds like a good arrangement," she replied, "yeah, I'll be there for sure. What kind of stuff do you play?"

"I'm with a band at the moment, they got me playing guitar and singing, we do mostly country stuff for the most part."

"You got a You Tube channel?"

"Does a one legged duck swim in a circle?" Melissa leaned the guitar against the front of the couch and leaned over Jodie to tap the mouse pad on her laptop.

"I been a You Tuber since I was fourteen, my dad used to do gun reviews and he'd take me out into the woods to help with the camera, if'n you type Mel Target Girl you'll see me as a fifteen year old brat setting up dad's targets."

Melissa's You Tube was aptly titled Songbird and had some fifty videos, most were shot in the bedroom by the looks of things but a few were uploaded by other users and showed her at a bar with the band. Melissa told her about the band as they watched her singing The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down.

"Dan's the lead guitarist, he's a few years older than me and it's really his band but the girl they had singing for them before couldn't carry a tune in a bucket and one night he came up to see one of my brothers and I was out the back with my guitar. Dan came out the back to listen to me but I was too into the song to notice and then he started clapping and asked if I could do that in front of a crowd and the rest is history."

"Who are the others?"

"His cousin, Cletus is on the bass guitar, Johnny is on the slide, he's as old as Methuselah and then there's Jerry on the drums. We got a regular gig here in town and once a month we head on over to Charleston but the other guys all have regular jobs and families so it's a casual thing. I do more stuff on my own but it's all good practice though."

"You ever write your own material?"

"Done a couple but I'm fixin' to do my first album next year once I got enough songs."

They watched a few videos and later on after Melissa went home she watched a few more before finally heading for the shower.

The girl had talent and yet she almost seemed to be treading water, almost as if she was waiting for something or someone. Her frequent visits seemed to suggest the latter. It was innocent enough but the signs were already there, but could she step over the line and take it further? Lust whispered yes and common sense urged her to keep a distance between them. She was reminded of what her therapist had told her a couple of years ago when she was struggling to come to grips with low self esteem. Geraldine had compared it to two wolves engaged in a fight to the death over her soul.

"One wants you to succeed and be happy, but the other wants to drag you down into the pit."

"So which wolf wins?" Jodie asked her.

"The one you feed the most."

Funny how she should think of that right now when she had a perky twenty year old woman making eyes at her. Jodie glanced at the suitcase by the wardrobe. She'd been living out of suitcases for a few years now, she was on the road at least once a month and while the pay was lucrative, the other side of the coin meant that she had little time to put into a relationship. She opened the wardrobe door and studied the small selection of blouses and two dresses, her own wardrobe at home was larger. Her eyes fell on a light green blouse with a mandarin collar, it would go well with a black suit and she could change out of the trousers later and into a pair of jeans.

What are you doing? Jodie fingered the silk blouse. She's twenty years old, in a year or so she'll be looking elsewhere and you'll be flicking through your wardrobe trying to find something to catch her eye.

She kept going along the rail but eventually returned to the green silk blouse, it was elegantly cut, with silk-covered buttons and three small pleats on each side of the bodice. A moment later she sighed and plucked it off the rail and hung it over the chair along with the trousers and jacket she was going to wear the next day.

Sleep came slowly that night, she was disturbed by dreams of Angie and she awoke to find herself finally remembering why she'd hesitated over choosing that blouse to wear tomorrow. It was what she'd worn the night Angie dumped her via a text message.

She glanced at the phone and a moment later reached out to check her messages. There was one from her friend, Lolita asking if she was still alive and another from Melissa. It had a link to her Pinterest account. Melissa must have been up half the night because she'd set up a new page titled Velvet Kisses. There were nearly thirty dresses on the page and Jodie scrolled through them, most were expensive designer labels but there were a couple that might be cheaper.

Her phone beeped again and she read the message from Melissa.

Melissa: Hope it gives you some ideas and if not some inspiration for your banjo music.

Jodie: Banjo music?

Melissa: Masturbation, the most amount of fun you can have without spending a dime. Sleep tight, catch ya tomorrow sugar.

Jodie fell asleep not long after and this time Angie didn't come to her in her dreams until she woke the next morning and looked at that blouse.

"Fuck it," she propped on her elbows, "it's time to make better memories in it."

She felt something akin to excitement and fear mingling freely as she dressed that morning. She'd taken a little longer in the shower and with her hair, this was the first time she'd been on a date since she was with Angie. Jodie stared at the blouse as she fastened another button. Too daring or not daring enough? She lingered with one button and then remembered she was working a half day at the mill first and she fastened it to the top.

The arrangement they made was that she would change at Melissa's house and they'd leave from there, and midway through the morning there was another text from Melissa.

Melissa: Mom invited you for dinner again, guess you must have made an impression.

Jodie: I'm relieved.

Melissa: I'll say, you're the first Democrat she actually liked.

Julie wasn't home when Jodie pulled up outside but one of Melissa's brothers was sitting on the front porch drinking a beer and reading the Auto Trader with a highlight pen in his hand. Their eyes met and he grinned.

"Hey, you here for Melissa?"

"Yeah," she glanced down at the paper, "you looking for a car?"

"Nope, just browsing," he highlighted another advertisement.

Melissa stepped outside a moment later and whistled.

"Nice shirt, don't she look purty, Bobbie?"

"Sure does," he smiled, "where you two fixin' on goin?"

"Charleston."

"Ain't nothin' in Charleston but fags and Democrats."

"And dresses," Melissa added, "c'mon in, I was just fixin' a coffee when you rolled up."

"Your brother doesn't like gays?" Jodie asked her some time later as she pulled the jeans over her hips.

"He's just shootin' bull," Melissa laid back on the bed, "his best friend turned gay on him two years back and he's still trying to make sense of it. They done everything together, hunting and fishing, camping out and they used to pass on women to each other when they were done. Then one day Jake went down to Charleston to beat up a queer but this boy was built like a mountain and kicked his ass."

"Uh huh," Jodie fastened the jeans, "and what happened next?"

"Jake stumbles into this bar all covered in blood but he didn't know it was a gay bar. This gay guy got him all cleaned up, took him home and converted him. Now Jake is as queer as a three dollar bill and my brother is trying to make sense of it all."

"Makes sense to me," she fluffed out her hair, "a lot of homophobic people are like that."

"I ain't," Melissa sat up and looked out the window, "I'm more the curious kind," she looked at her for a moment, "so what does that make me?"

"Curious," she undid the top button.

Melissa said nothing to that but she was staring at her and Jodie hesitated before undoing a second button, and caught the slight smile on Melissa's face.

"So, we ready to go?"

"Yeah, pretty much," she undid a third button and fluffed at her hair, "we taking Dog?"

"We don't have to if we're taking your car."

"He's a part of you, we'll take him," she decided.

Dog's tail thumped on the floor and Melissa chuckled.

"I swear that dog is half human."

They headed out a little while later after collecting the essentials. A water bowl for Dog, and some water, a couple of root beers and Jodie let her hook the phone up to her stereo system.

"I gotta get me one of them for my ride," Melissa sighed.

***

"So," Jodie looked over as they neared Charleston, "have you told your boyfriend about me yet?"

"Josh?" she looked across and pushed her hair over her ear, "not on your life. If I told him he'd be wanting us to go doing the sixty nine push up while he sat and jacked off. No way am I telling him about you, you're my dirty little secret."

"I guess not," she smiled crookedly, "I like a little privacy."

"So you're normal," Melissa looked across.

"Yeah," she slid a hand under her silk blouse, "God, it feels weird when a straight says that, it sounds like I'm some kind of weirdo."

"You're not weird," she shrugged, "you're cool, so not like the women around here and you're doing a great job at the mill. My daddy has been raving about you and I've been puttin' in the good word to the boys at the mill as well, you're doin' just fine," she grinned.

"He's a really cool guy," she mused, "I've emailed a college in Charleston that has a small business course, it'd be great if he could be his own boss."

"I guess," she stared at a sign, "it's gotten me thinking about what I could do with myself, not much work for a high school graduate although I've always liked drawing and painting, reminds me, I gotta show you my art folder. I keep talking college but it seems so out of reach and Josh wants to start a family with me as soon as he gets divorced," she frowned.

"And I keep saying ain't two kids enough?"

"So, this thing with Josh?" Jodie glanced at her, "does he live with his wife or not?"

"He does but she's a real basket case, she drives him mad and I keep sayin' you gotta move out and get your own place but he wants to be there for the kids, he's got two boys under five. Her folks are from Vermont so they ain't exactly a hoot and a holler away."

Jodie said nothing for a few minutes as she digested this information but eventually she threw it out into the open.

"Do you think he'll ever leave her?"

For a moment she thought she'd gone too far but then Melissa replied.

"Look I know how it looks from the outside but deep down he's a good guy who just don't know how to say no to anyone. I got my red lines too, and getting pregnant to Josh is one of them, which is why I'm a thinking about college."

"College would be a good thing," she agreed.

"But in the meantime I gotta earn me some money," she frowned. "I guess I could get a job in an office, be a nice change from delivering pizzas. I could move to Charleston, at least then Josh could see me more often, he lives just outside of Charleston."

"Uh huh," she slowed for a truck.

"You think I'm being stupid, don't you?"

"I guess," she frowned as the taillights flashed and a hand waved them forward, "that if a man hasn't left his wife then he hasn't left his wife, it can't get simpler than that. A man will always try to have the best of both worlds, the cook and the mistress."

She pulled in front of the truck and held up a hand in thanks.

"Sorry to put it like that but this guy sounds like a real jackass. If I was straight and some guy couldn't leave his wife for me then I'd tell him to go back to his wife, fuck the ass off her and find some way of making it work. There's no way it's going to work if he can't make up his mind, and as for the kids excuse, kids are resilient, they're gonna cope with a new dad just fine but their old dad on the other hand," she looked over, "sounds like he won't cope with a new dad screwing his ex wife."

Melissa said nothing to that until they pulled up in the parking lot.

"My mom has been saying that for the last six months."

"Then maybe you should listen to your mom," she leaned on the steering wheel, "I know how it is, we want them to change. The fault of women is that we love too much for too freaking long and for what? We say he's different with me, all I have to do is rearrange the furniture, tidy my hair, put his dinner on the table, pad his ego and he's gonna change, I can change him. Truth is," she nodded at an overweight man leading a younger woman by the hand, "that fat guy won't lose weight because she's still there holding his hand. But the instant she lets go of his hand he's gonna be pounding the road in his trainers and sweating his ass off just to keep her."

"I'll keep that in mind," she leaned back, "I hope we can keep in contact after you go, maybe I'll save my money and come visit you in New York. I might even apply for a college in New York, be a hell of a change from living out here."

"I'd like that," she smiled, "you like spending time with a washed up old lesbian?"