The Seminar

Colleen Braddock sat alone at a table on the far end of the hotel's veranda, nursing a drink and watching the setting sun drift below the horizon. The Twenty-six year old had been sitting there waiting for at least half an hour, but she resisted the temptation to check her watch to be sure. She knew that she had come down to the bar at least fifteen minutes early, but not to have done so would've left her with too much of a possibility of not coming at all.

The cute redhead, draped in a simple but flattering green and black cocktail dress, scanned the room, trying not to make eye contact with anyone while she searched for the person she was waiting for. The drink she was now taking her time with, her second of the evening, had been sent over by a gentleman at the bar. When the waiter had put the glass down in front of her, she had turned in the man's direction and made as much of a noncommittal thank you as she could manage.

Under normal circumstances, she being a healthy, single woman and he being a reasonably good-looking man, she might've even invited him to join her. But her reason for being here was hardly what she considered ordinary circumstances, so it was with trepidation that she had watched him come over to join her of his own accord.

It had turned out that, like herself, the man was an employee of Trans- Continental Transport and was in Washington, D.C. for the week long seminar that had concluded on Friday, two days before. He had remembered her from some of the events, which hadn't been hard since she was younger than most of the participants, and wondered if she might like some company.

Colleen had thanked him for his offer but explained that she was waiting for someone, even offering to pay for her own drink. The man, who introduced himself as Bruce Myerson, declined, saying that the drink had come with no strings, but if her friend failed to show, he still be over at the bar for a little while. Watching him walk back to the seat he'd just vacated, Colleen thought that for a guy in his late thirties, Bruce had a pretty tight ass. The rest of him hadn't been that bad either, she added, an observation that reminded her that it had been more months that she liked to think about since she'd been with a man. But she'd made a commitment, one that if she didn't stick to she was sure she would regret later. Maybe not tomorrow or the day after but she was sure eventually.

Idly stirring the swizzle stick in her drink, Colleen brushed back her shoulder length hair and considered how she'd wound up here tonight. She had worked for TCT, as it was more commonly known, ever since she'd graduated from college, working her way up the ladder to assistant manager of shipping at the New York office. Considering that her two predecessors had been her senior by at least a decade, Colleen soon grew used to some people thinking that she'd advanced quickly because she had a pretty face. Some of those even entertained the notion that her rapid advancement was the result of her providing a service not recorded on her resume.

She quickly learned to ignore people who thought that way, secure in the knowledge that there were few, if any, co-workers in her office who shared that belief. Not only did Colleen know her job, proving it on a daily basis, but it was doubtful that her feminine attributes had any effect whatsoever on Jason Parkes, who had been the manager of shipping for over twenty years. The fifty- four year old was, as he often fond of pointing out, queer as the proverbial three dollar bill. Also, even if Colleen had instead been Colin, and of a similar persuasion, Jason had too much personal integrity to promote anyone who didn't do the job to his exacting standards.

In fact, Jason had so much confidence in Colleen that he felt perfectly comfortable in sending her to the seminar in his place. His lover of many years, Matthew, a prominent artist, had an exhibition of his work during the same week and that took precedence in his eye. It had also been Jason's suggestion that she stay in D.C. over the weekend and have a little fun. He didn't expect her, he'd said, back in the office until Tuesday morning.

The seminar had turned out to be as interesting as Colleen had hoped it would, although she realized by the end of the first day that she found it so because unlike most of the other attendees she didn't have an overabundance of practice experience. It was also soon apparent that most people only attended just enough events to justify the trip as a genuine business expense. Colleen was probably the only one who tried to attend every single lecture, even to the point of having been the sole attendee at one of them. During which she'd had a delightful discussion with the shipping manager of Los Angeles County, Linda Marshall, who was giving the talk. It had been Linda's suggestion that they leave the large empty conference room behind and instead go to lunch where she would be happy to answer any questions Colleen might have.

Colleen and the forty-six year old brunette hit it off so well at lunch that they wound up also having dinner together for the next three nights. Linda was everything Colleen was striving to be and her personal insight into the business was illuminating to say the least. Having started off at just about the same age as Colleen, Linda faced many if not more of the difficulties in advancing her career. She explained to the younger woman that she had to decide early on just what was going to be important to her and then go for it.

Of course, she also added with a grin, it wasn't like she ignored that old adage about all work and no play. While marriage and kids weren't a goal, there had been lovers, including two whom she had lived with at different points in her life. Colleen was surprised at how easily it was to open up to the older woman, sharing aspects of her personal life in a way she couldn't imagine doing with friends her own age.

It wasn't until Saturday night, after the two of them had come back from a day of sightseeing and went out to a quiet restaurant that Colleen discovered what should've been obvious from the start, that Linda's interest in her company hadn't been entirely platonic. In retrospect, the signs had all been there, but she hadn't recognized them for what they were coming from another woman. Had Linda been a man, Colleen would've recognized them in a minute.

Thankfully, Linda wasn't offended when Colleen told her she really didn't go that way and she hoped she hadn't given any impression that she did. Linda had smiled and said that if she had, it was no doubt unintentional and there was no reason to worry about it. She herself had been unsure, which was why she had finally brought the subject up with an invitation to spend the night together. After all, nothing ventured, nothing gained.

When they had finished the meal and were taking the elevator back to their respective rooms, Linda mentioned that like Colleen, she wasn't going home until Monday, having booked a night flight back to Los Angeles. If Colleen had a change of heart before then, well she had her cell phone number.

Then, just before she exited the elevator, she leaned forward and kissed the younger woman right on the lips. It had been a relatively chaste kiss, but one whose feel lingered long after Colleen exited on her own floor.

-=-=-=-

Lying in bed last night, Colleen couldn't fall asleep, her mind too wrapped up in the thought that perhaps she had been too hasty earlier, her decision made without appropriate consideration. True, she had never been with another woman, but that didn't mean that the idea hadn't ever occurred to her. Back in college, she was well aware that there had been girls who'd "sampled the delights" as some liked to call it. In fact, one of her closest friend, Mamie Brown had gone out of the way to describe her own experience to her, in quite intimate detail. Colleen later wondered if Mamie's sharing had been perhaps an invitation to experience it on her own. If it had been, it was one that also hadn't been repeated.

It was also worth considering, Colleen thought, that after having worked with and enjoying a friendship with both Jason and Matthew, she wasn't put off by the idea of a same sex encounter as she might have been when she was younger. Nor would it being a one-night stand be a hindrance, since it would hardly have been the first one of those she'd ever had.

And if asked, she certainly would describe Linda as pretty, and not in that "good for her age" sort of way. Her dark hair showed no sign of grey, and her body while slightly over what she might've liked it to be, was certainly well proportioned. Slightly taller than Colleen's five foot six, the West Coast manager also had a bust at least a cup size bigger. In many ways, the brunette was more attractive than many girls the redhead's age, and she meant that in much more than a physical way. There was something that just drew you to her. As if all the inanity of youth had been left behind, leaving only a striking maturity.

The more Colleen thought about the possibilities, the more she began to regret her snap decision. Even if she later decided it hadn't been for her, who would ever know? After all she was two hundred miles from home. That had been her final thought before giving in to the sleep she had been resisting.

When she opened her eyes come the morning, her first thought had been to call Linda, apologize once more, and see if they could spend their last day in Washington together. Her heart dropped when Linda, after saying how overjoyed she was to have Colleen call, had to apologize herself as only a half hour before she had made plans to spend the day with friends over in Alexandra. She'd arranged to spend the afternoon catching up with them, and then have an early dinner before going a school play that her friend's daughter was in. She simply couldn't call them back now and cancel.

Colleen said that of course she understood, all the while cursing herself silently for having let the opportunity again slip through her hands. There was a momentary pause on the phone, after which Colleen's heart rose again as Linda remarked that the play was expected to be over by eight and it was quite possible that she could make it back to the hotel that long after that. If Colleen wanted, they could meet at the bar downstairs, say about eight-thirty, for a drink.

With as little hesitation as she had shown when saying no only a half day before, Colleen now said yes.

-=-=-=-

Finally giving into temptation, Colleen glanced at her watch and saw that Linda was now a half-hour late. She could call her cell phone she knew, but that wasn't something she was sure she wanted to do yet. Better to give her a little more time than to appear over anxious. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Bruce still sitting at the bar, occasionally glancing in her direction.

That was already an avenue that she'd decided she wouldn't be going down, no matter how late it got. She would've been mortified if Linda showed up late, only to find Colleen already snuggled up to some guy she'd met in the bar. Better to go back to her room alone if, for some reason, Linda never showed at all. A possibly she wasn't yet ready to consider.

Only a few minutes alter, just as she finally put away the last of Bruce's drink, Colleen looked up to see Linda walking toward her through the crowd. She was dressed in a simple, but elegant black cocktail dress, making Colleen glad that she had decided to dress for the occasion as well. With one eye still on the approaching brunette, Colleen tilted her head just enough to see if Bruce was watching as well, still curious as to whom she'd been waiting for all this time.

"I hope you haven't been waiting too long," Linda said as she sat down in the empty chair next to Colleen. "By the time I caught a cab back to the hotel, then ran upstairs to shower and change..."

"I only got here a little while myself," Colleen said, trying to mitigate the lateness as she often did when her companion was worth waiting for.

"Liar," Linda said with a smile.

Colleen gave her an "excuse me" look.

"I glanced into the bar when I got back to the hotel a half hour ago to see if you were here," Linda added. "I was going have one of the waiters slip you a note that I was running behind, but then changed my mind."

"Why?" Colleen asked.

"I guess I wanted to see if you considered me worth waiting for," Linda said as she ordered a drink from the waiter who came up to the table, adding that he should bring Colleen another of whatever she'd been drinking.

"Why wouldn't I wait?" Colleen asked, taken slightly aback by the way Linda almost knew what she'd been thinking.

"You might have gotten a better offer," Linda smiled after the waiter had headed back to the bar. "Well, maybe not better, but another offer nevertheless."

"I would never..." Colleen started to say, but was cut off before she could finished her sentence.

"Then I guess I'm just imagining the guy at the bar who hasn't taken his eyes off you since I sat down," Linda grinned as the waiter returned with their drinks.

"That's just some guy who ordered me a drink, that's all," Colleen said defensively, "I told him I was waiting for someone."

"What's his name?"

"Bruce," Colleen said automatically, "Bruce Myerson."

"Well, for someone who just ordered you a drink, you seem to know at least a little about him."

"He came over and introduced himself," Colleen explained.

"And I bet he also said that if your friend didn't show up, he'd be right over there."

"Something like that," Colleen admitted.

"Can't say as I can blame him for that," Linda smiled as she tasted her drink. "If I didn't know you and saw you sitting here all alone in that sexy dress, I'd want to make your acquaintance too."

Linda paused a long moment to let Colleen realize that contrary to the impression she might have been giving, she wasn't angry.

"I only mentioned all of this," she said in a much lighter voice, "because I want you to know that if you'd rather go off and get to know Mr. Myerson better, I'm okay with that. I know he's seen me at a few of the seminar workshops, so as far as he's concerned, we're just two associates having a drink. If we leave together, or even if we leave separately and then you follow me, I think he might get a different impression. Possibly even the right one."

"Given the choice, I'd rather get to know you a little better," Colleen replied without having to think about it.

"Only a little better?" Linda laughed.

"Okay, a lot better," she corrected herself, reaching across the table to place her hand on top of Linda's.

Linda responded by turning her hand upward and closing her fingers around Colleen's. Heartbeats passed as unsaid volumes passed between them.

"My room or yours?" Colleen finally asked, the strength of her voice saying that was the only question on the table.

"You're sure?"

"I'm sure."

"My room then," Linda smiled. "It has a double bed, among other things."

As they left the table, no longer physically linked but obviously together, they walked right past Bruce Myerson. As they did, Colleen tried to look straight ahead, but Linda couldn't help but turn in his direction just long enough to give him a glance that said, "Sorry, better luck next time."

This time, as the elevator doors closed behind them, the kiss that Linda gave Colleen was anything but innocent.

-=-=-=-

Thankfully, the corridor leading from the elevator to Linda's room was empty, as the two women raced down the hall, eager to find the privacy a locked door would bring. Linda anxiously swiped her keycard through the electronic lock, stepping inside with Colleen only a half step behind her. The redhead turned to lock the door, even as Linda brought her body closer to press against the back of Colleen's. Strong, yet soft hands closed around her waist as the younger woman turned in those arms.

Hungry lips met once more as Linda pressed Colleen back against the wall. Eager tongues slipped in and out of each other's mouth as roving hands moved up and down their bodies. Colleen's right hand glided up Linda's leg, lifting her dress to expose the smooth flesh beneath. Linda in turn cupped the redhead's breast, fingers massaging the equally smooth skin beneath the thin material.

Their attention moved to each other's shoulders, a trail of wet kisses to mark their passage. Then they reversed course and again their mouths met. Neither seemed willing to relinquish their embrace of the other, until Linda paused just long enough to whisper something into Colleen's ear. Then she took the other woman by the hand and led her over to the large double bed.

Linda sat on the bottom edge of the bed, parting her legs wide enough for Colleen to stand between them. Her hands slid up and down the body before her as Colleen ran hers though Linda's locks, and then down across her bare back. Linda cupped both of the standing woman's breasts, then moved her hands down her back to her legs, sliding them back up to the cheeks of her ass.

Colleen brought her hands around and took hold of the straps of Linda's dress, moving them across and down the brunette's arms, until the dress fell free down around her waist. The younger woman paused for a moment to look down at the breasts so much like her own, just slightly larger with thick, dark nipples. She brought her hands across them, feeling the warmth of the flesh and the excitement of their hardness. It was the first time she had ever touched another woman in this way and Colleen thought it impossible to find the words to describe it. Fortunately, words weren't needed and the soft sigh from Linda that her simple touch had produced proved more than enough.

Lind leaned forward and kissed Colleen's breast though her dress. She replied by undoing the straps, letting the outfit drop until the charms beneath were fully exposed. Linda just as quickly repeated her actions, this time on bare flesh. Starting at her belly, she kissed her way up to the rounded mounds above, running her tongue across each until, in turn, she took each hard nipple into her mouth. The wetness of the kisses sent tiny ripples of delight cascading across Colleen, who sighed with an appreciation that echoed Linda's.

Linda worked her way back up the bed, shifting her bottom just a bit at a time. With each pause, Colleen followed suit so that they were never further apart than they had been at the start. A quick kiss filled each interval, until Linda came to rest at the head of the bed, with Colleen coming to a stop practically on top of her. Then came multiple kisses, long and hard, interlaced with ones brief and soft, as Linda took hold of Colleen face and held it against her own. All the while, an eager Colleen worked to undo the straps that still held the rest of Linda's dress around her body.

"Let me help you with that," Linda smile as she also reached down.

Between the two of them, the dress lasted only a few moments more, dropping to the floor beside the bed as Colleen tossed it aside. She paused to look down at the body beneath her, now totally nude as Linda had not bothered with any undergarments at all. The brief observation passed and her mouth again sought out Linda's, her hands moving across the naked body.

Equally eager, Linda used her hands to tug down on Colleen's dress, now wrapped around her midsection. The redhead shifted position so that she was now on the bottom and with Linda's help, slid the bundled cloth down her legs until it was free. The simple black panties beneath followed with equal ease and both were soon au natural.

Lying side by side, their bodies interlocked, they kissed and caressed each other's nakedness, exploring the hidden recesses of the other. Extended fingers stroked excited mounds, both above and below their waists, the wetness of the latter attesting to their excitement.