You Can Ring My Bell
                by Ann Douglas


	Rachel Kent stood at the glass counter just to the right of the restaurant's vestibule.
Without conscious effort, the twenty-two year old redhead smiled warmly at the lunchtime
customers as they came in, welcoming them to D'Martini's.  It was a greeting she had perfected
long ago, which was good, because putting on a happy face was the furthest thing from her mind
right now.  Instead, her thoughts dwelled on the question of how had she had gotten herself into
the mess she was in.  No, that wasn't right, she corrected herself; she knew exactly how she had
gotten into it.  What she needed to figure out was, how was she going to get out of it?


	How had the most innocent of decisions, she asked herself again, led to such an
unmitigated disaster?  It was a question that caused her to once more recall the events of the
last twenty-four hours.


			-=-=-=-


	It was already ten minutes past the end of her shift, and Rachel had her coat on and was
headed for the door.  She'd almost made it when Clarence Winchester, the owner of D'Martini's,
stopped her and asked if she would mind doing him a small favor.  Before heading home, he
asked, could she drop off the morning receipts at First National Bank?  He normally would've
done it himself during his noontime walk, but one of the cooks had called in sick and he'd been
too tied up to do so.


	The truth was, Rachel had indeed minded, especially since not only was the bank a half
mile in the wrong direction, but she was supposed to meet her boyfriend, Frankie, in less than an
hour.  But as much as she had wanted to say no, she knew she couldn't afford to, and instead
flashed her patented false smile, saying she'd be happy to help out.  If only she'd been honest,
she told herself, she wouldn't be in her current predicament.


	Life really hadn't worked out the way she thought it would, back when she'd been head
cheerleader and most popular girl at Darbyville High.  Back then, she'd believed that studying
hard and getting good grades was for those without active social lives.  In her mind, it was
enough just to get a passing grade.


	And while she was willing to give college a try, if only for the partying possibilities, her
track record in high school made her father a bit reluctant to foot that bill.  As a compromise,
he'd suggested she take out a student loan to pay her tuition, with the promise that if she
managed to actually get herself a degree, he would pay it off when she was done.  Otherwise it
would be her responsibility to make restitution.


	It was a gamble she hadn't been willing to take, at least not back then, so she had
passed on the offer.  So while most of her classmates continued their schooling, Rachel went off
to work.  It never occurred to her that the road ahead wouldn't be full of possibilities.


	Her job here at D'Martini's had been her fourth job since graduation, and the only one
that she'd had for more than a year.  Now, she wasn't sure if she'd still have it at the end of the
day.


	When Rachel had reached the block the bank was on, she was confronted by a police
barrier and a street full of fire trucks.  The fire seemed concentrated in a building two doors down
from First National, but it had caused all the businesses around it to close early, including the
bank.


	Rachel had considered for a moment whether she should take the money back to the
restaurant.  A glance at her watch, however, told her that would make her even later than she
already was.  The bank would be open in the morning, she reasoned, and she could make the
deposit just as easily then.  Such were the simple decisions, she would later realize, which could
change your life.


	Twenty minutes after she left the fire scene, Rachel met up with Frankie McManus, her
boyfriend of the last four months.  A mechanic at Petrocelli Auto, Frankie was not only drop-dead
handsome, with a body the result of at least three days a week in the gym, but he was, almost as
importantly, truly incredible in bed.  Regrettably, the combination had also been enough for
Rachel to overlook some of the twenty-nine year old's faults.


	As early as a month into their relationship, their dates had fallen into a predictable
pattern, and last night had proved no different.  Dinner and a movie, then back to her place, the
over-the-garage apartment behind her parents' house which her father had the nerve, in her
mind, to actually charge her rent for.  It didn't matter that it was less than half what he would've
gotten on the open market. Once there, it wasn't long before the two of them were fucking  each
other's brains out.


	Several hours later, Rachel awoke and, as she glanced at the empty space next to her,
she wasn't surprised to find Frankie gone from her bed.  More often than not, he tended to leave
soon after they had taken care of business.  Tossing aside the sheet that covered her naked
body, she headed for the bathroom, but paused halfway there when she caught her reflection in
the large, stand-alone dressing mirror that had once belonged to her grandmother.


	The body she saw in the mirror was one that pleased her greatly, having changed little
from that of her cheerleading days.  Her breasts were just large enough to catch a man's
attention and firm enough that she could go bra-less when she chose to.  Her hair was longer
now then it had been back in school, coming down to just below her shoulders.  The opposite
was true of the hair below her waist, which had been reduced to a small, tightly trimmed patch.
All the curves were still definitely in the right places, she liked to point out, and if she had wanted
to try, she was sure she could fit into her old uniform easily enough.


	Rachel was on the way back to bed when she noticed her pocketbook sitting on the
kitchenette counter, despite the fact that she clearly remembered leaving it on the coffee table
the night before.  Concerned, she changed direction and checked the contents.  Concern quickly
turned to panic as not only was her wallet now empty, but the envelope with the restaurant's bank
deposit was gone as well.


	Pulling her cell phone from the bag, she frantically dialed Frankie's number, only to have
it go to voice mail after what seemed like an endless number of unanswered rings.  Frustrated,
she left a message for him to call her as soon as he checked his phone.


	An hour passed, and then two, until the glow of the morning sun began to appear in the
window - and still no call from her missing boyfriend.  Finally, just a bit after seven, there was a
knock on the door and, after racing to it, Rachel pulled it open to find her bed partner of the
previous night, looking somewhat worse for wear.


	"Where the fuck have you been?"  the furious redhead said without any preamble, not
even letting him get into the apartment first,  "and where the hell is the money that was in my
purse?"


	"Calm down, baby,"  Frankie said as he turned on the charm that had served him so well
over the last few months.  "I borrowed it for a few hours, that's all."


	"Borrowed it?"  Rachel asked in disbelief.  "For what?"


	"My man, Jesse sent me a text that he was working up a game that I just had to get in
on,"  he said, a noticeable lack of concern in his tone.  "I was just a few bucks short and I knew
you wouldn't mind.  I'd have gotten it all back  to you in the morning."


	"You thought I wouldn't mind if you went into my purse and took money out of it?"
Rachel asked in disbelief.


	"Sure, we're a couple, right?"  he replied, causing Rachel to think that they obviously had
different view of what their relationship entitled them to.


	"There was a deposit envelope in my bag…"  she started to say.


	"Yeah, I was surprised about that,"  Frankie said.  "I didn't think you had that kind of
money."
	
	"Where is it?"  Rachel further asked, deciding that was the important thing and she could
deal with the rest of it all later.


	It was only then that the confident expression on Frankie's face changed.


	"I'm afraid I ran into a little, unexpected problem,"  he said after a long pause.


	"What do you mean, a little problem?"  Jessie asked, certain that she wasn't going to like
the answer.


	"I sort of lost it,"  he said in an almost unheard voice.


	"You did what?"  Rachel thundered.


	"I was doing great, in fact I had to have been up at least five hundred,"  Frankie said,
"but then Billie Winslow, who normally can't play cards for shit, drew an inside straight and took
the biggest pot of the night.  That little bastard was never so lucky in his life."


	"Are you telling me,"  Rachel said in a slow and deliberate tone, still unable to believe
what was happening, "that you took money, that in no way belonged to you, and you lost it in a
card game?"


	"That's about it,"  Frankie said with a shrug that seemed to say, shit happens.


	"There was more than a thousand dollars in that envelope,"  Rachel said, more to herself
than to Frankie.


	"Look, baby, I'll make it up to you,"  he said, again trying to turn on the charm.  "I just
need a few days, a week at most."


	"Frankie, that wasn't my money,"  Rachel said, the shock of it all sinking in.  "It belonged
to the restaurant, I was supposed to deposit it this morning."


	"Well, how the hell was I supposed to know that?"  Frankie said, trying to claim some
measure of innocence.


	"You didn't have to know it,"  Rachel said.  "All you had to know was that it wasn't yours."


	Again, Frankie just sort of shrugged his shoulders, this time keeping his unspoken reply
to himself.  In the end, that was probably the best thing because, in his mind, he still couldn't see
that he had done anything wrong.  He'd been on such a hot streak lately, it never occurred to him
to doubt that he would have been able to double that money and replace what he borrowed
before she even woke up.


	Rachel took another long deep breath, trying to regain a measure of calm.  Her thoughts
began to shift to damage control, trying to come up with a plan of action.  She might have been
guilty of poor judgment in bringing the deposit back home, but everything after that really hadn't
been her fault.  It was all a misunderstanding, really; all she had to do was have Frankie explain
that he would pay it all back in just a few days, and that would be that.


	"No fuckin' way, babe,"  Frankie unexpectedly said after Rachel explained what she
wanted him to do, his tone becoming highly defensive.  "What if that boss of yours calls the
cops?  I can't take that chance."


	"I'm sure he wouldn't do that,"  Rachel said, even though she didn't know anything of the
sort.


	"You can't be sure, people act differently when money is involved,"  Frankie said, the
irony in his words lost on himself.  "And after all, you're the one who didn't make the bank deposit
in the first place.  If you had, then the money wouldn't have been in your bag."


	Rachel just shook her head, unable to follow his twisted logic.  As if it was somehow her
fault that he took and lost the money.


	"You know, the more I think about it,"  Frankie said, "the more I wonder why it's even my
problem at all.  In fact, maybe I never even saw that deposit envelope in your bag."


	"What?"  Rachel said.


	"Yeah, in fact, now that I think about it even more, I'm sure it wasn't even there in the
first place,"  Frankie grinned.  "You must've lost it somewhere else."


	"You miserable bastard!"  Rachel cried out, slapping him across his face as hard as she
could.


	At first, Frankie didn't say a word.  He just stood there and rubbed his hand across the
red mark Rachel had left on his cheek.  Then, in a cold, unemotional voice, he showed a side of
his personality that Rachel had never seen before.


	"That was really dumb, bitch,"  he said, anger in his eyes.


	For a moment, Rachel was afraid that he might hit her back.  Instead, he just turned and
began to walk out the still open door.


	"Wait a second, what about the money?"  Rachel called out after him, her initial fear
turning back to worry about the missing funds.


	"Like I said, it's not my problem,"  he said, not even bothering to look back as he started
down the staircase to the street below.


			-=-=-=-


	Rachel spent the next two hours trying to come up with an alternate plan, with little
success.  If she emptied out both her checking and savings account, she would still be about five
hundred dollars short of what was missing.  And of course there was the little matter of what she
was going to live on if she did that.


	She'd run down her list of friends, but none of them were likely to have that kind of
money, all being in school or having jobs that paid no better than hers.  There was always the
possibility of asking her parents for a loan, but then she would have to explain just what had
happened.  Her father had never liked Frankie, and her trust in him would have been one more
proof that she wasn't capable of handing her own affairs.  No, going to her parents for help wasn't
much of a solution either.


	The clock on the wall finally said it was time to get dressed for work.  She took a quick
shower, then dressed in the black slacks and ruffled white blouse that all the hostesses at
D'Martini's wore.  It was time to face the music, she thought, hoping it wouldn't be a funeral dirge.


	Uncharacteristically, Rachel was fifteen minutes early for her shift when she walked
through the front door of the restaurant.  She barely heard any of the good mornings of her fellow
workers as she walked past them, concentrating instead on seeking out one worker in particular.


	Finally, she spotted the short haired blonde coming out of the kitchen.  Grabbing her
arm, she pulled Heather Marks, who had been her friend since high school and had
recommended her for this job, into the ladies' bathroom.


	"Careful with the arm,"  Heather said as they came to a stop,  "I might need it later on."


	The whimsical nature of her complaint faded as she watched Rachel take a moment to
double check the stalls to make sure they were empty.  Then she saw the look of concern on the
redhead's face.


	"Rachel honey, what's wrong?"  she asked.


	"Heather, I can trust you, right?"  Rachel asked in turn.


	The blonde replied with a look that said, do you have to even ask.


	"I'm in trouble,"  Rachel said,  "big trouble."


	Heather listened as Rachel told her story, not saying a word until she was done.  Her first
words, however, were not what the troubled redhead needed to hear.


	"I hate to say this,"  Heather said,  "but I can't say I'm surprised.  How many times did I
tell you that no matter how good a fuck he was, Frankie McManus was trouble waiting to
happen?"


	"That doesn't matter now,"  Rachel countered.  "What am I going to do?"


	"I don't think you have many options,"  Heather offered.  "Do you think you could borrow
any money from anyone, your parents maybe?"


	"No, I already thought of that,"  Rachel quickly replied.


	"Then the only thing I can think of is just tell Mr. Winchester the truth and hope he'll let
you work it out somehow,"  Heather said.


	"You've worked here a lot longer than I have,"  Rachel said.  "How do you think he'll
react?"


	"I'm not sure,"  she replied.  "He's always been a pretty good boss, but that can change
real quickly when money is concerned and …"


	Heather had stopped in mid-sentence and her expression suddenly changed enough for
Rachel to realize that there was something she didn't want to say.


	"What?"  Rachel asked.


	"I'm not sure this is going to make you feel any better, but I just remembered something
that happened a few months before you came to work here,"  Heather answered.


	Rachel listened, her own expression changing to one of even greater concern as Heather
related how a hostess was once found to be taking money from the register.  It was never much,
a ten here, twenty there, and over all only added up to a few hundred dollars.  But rather than
just fire her, Mr. Winchester had called the police and had her arrested right here in the
restaurant.


	"Oh fuck!"  Rachel exclaimed.


	"But that doesn't mean he would do the same with you,"  Heather quickly said, trying to
sound hopeful.  "After all, you didn't really steal anything, you just left it where someone else was
able to take it."


	"I am so screwed,"  Rachel lamented, no longer seeing much of a difference in that fact.


	Long moments passed as Heather tried to think of what else she could suggest to her
friend.  Finally a course of action occurred to her - a desperate course, but the only one she
could come up with.


	"Do you want to know what I'd do if I were you?"  Heather asked.


	"Absolutely."


	"I'd go into his office and tell him exactly what happened, be totally honest,"  she began,
then took a deep breath and dived in.  "Then I'd tell him that I'd pay back every penny, giving
him as much up front right now as I could, to show my good faith."


	Rachel found herself nodding her head in agreement.


	"Then, and again, this is what I would do, I'd offer him something a little bit extra."


	"You mean like interest on the money?"  Rachel inquired.


	"Actually,"  Heather said, pausing another long heartbeat before continuing,  "I was
thinking more along the line of offering to suck his cock."


	"What?"  Rachel said in disbelief.


	"Oh, don't give me that 'I'm so shocked' look,"  Heather shot back.  "We've known each
other too long not to admit we've both done worse."


	Rachel had to admit that, yes, she had more than once given a guy head for much
poorer reason.  So it wasn't the act itself that was giving her pause; rather, it was the balding and
overweight, fifty-something restaurant owner  that she would have to perform it on.


	"Well you wanted to know what I would do,"  Heather said, noting the look on her friend's
face.  "I'm afraid that's the best I can come up with."


	Rachel took another few moments to think about what Heather had suggested.  Yes,
there had been incidents in her past that she'd now rather forget, but at the time all of them had
seemed like the thing to do.  Was this really any different?


	"Do you really think he'd go for something like that?"  she heard herself ask Heather,
surprising both of them in that she was actually considering the idea.


	"Well, I can't know for sure, of course,"  Heather replied,  "but I have seen how he
sometimes looks at the girls out there, especially you.  I don't think he'd ever make a pass at any
of us, but if it was freely offered…"


	"He might be receptive,"  Rachel said, completing the thought.


	"Besides, what have you got to lose?" Heather pointed out.


	"Not much,"  she admitted.


			-=-=-=-


	As the lunchtime crowd began to thin out, Rachel  glanced back at the door leading to
Mr. Winchester's office.  She hadn't seen the owner so far today, but knew he had to be in,
because one of the other girls had brought in the morning receipts a half hour ago.


	Finally, it was time for her break and, summoning what courage she could, she headed
toward the office door.  She checked her appearance, then knocked on the door and waited for a
response.  It seemed like forever, but eventually she heard a muffled voice acknowledge her
knock.  Gripping the doorknob tightly, she turned it and stepped over the threshold.


	As Rachel stepped inside, she saw the morning receipts spread across the desk and the
tall chair behind it turned around towards the filing cabinet against the wall.  Wondering if
perhaps she had only imagined the barely audible voice a few moments before, Rachel cleared
her throat to announce her presence.


	"Do you mind if I speak to you for a moment, Mr. Winchester ?"  she then asked.


	There was no reaction to her question at first, but then the chair began to slowly swing
around.  When it had reached the point where the occupant became visible, Rachel let out a
small gasp of surprise.


	"I'm sure he wouldn't mind at all,"  the woman in the chair said with a smile,  "if he was
here, that is."


	Rachel recognized the woman behind the desk as Audrey Stewart, the business partner
Clarence Winchester had taken on two years before when he'd had a few financial difficulties.
Two inches taller than her own five foot five, the woman wore her light brown hair in a rather
short cut, one that sometimes led people to describe her features as handsome rather than
pretty.  Once you dropped your gaze below the neckline, however, there was no doubt that she
was all woman.  Nature had given her assets that even the most gifted surgeons could only hope
to copy.


	It was a surprise to find her here, as the usually silent partner normally only stopped by
once or twice a month to check on her investment.  The last visit had only been the week before.


	"I'm afraid Clarence had a family emergency that took him out of town last night,"  the
thirty-three year old said,  "something about his mother-in-law being ill.  But if there's any sort of
problem, I'm sure I can take care of it."


	"There's no problem,"  Rachel quickly said.  "I just wanted to talk to him about
something, that's all."


	"Good,"  Audrey said in reply,  "I always like to see things running well here at
D'Martini's."


	"It can wait until he gets back,"  Rachel said as she started to leave, breathing a heavy
sigh of relief at the thought that she'd just been granted a reprieve.   She didn't wish his mother-
in-law ill, but Rachel hoped that her sickness kept Mr. Winchester away long enough for her to
come up with a more appealing solution.  	


	She had gotten as far as the door, when Audrey unexpectedly called out her name.
Hesitantly, she turned around in response.


	"Rachel,"  Audrey said,  "Clarence happened to mention to me before he left that he'd
asked you to drop off yesterday's morning receipts at the bank on the way home.  I don't see the
deposit slip here; do you have it?"


	Rachel paused as she tried to come up with any explanation other than the truth.  When
nothing came to mind, she reluctantly decided that she would have to go with that, or at least a
selective version of it.


	"I didn't get to make the deposit,"  she said hesitantly. "There was this big fire on the
block and they closed the bank early."


	"I heard something about that on the radio this morning,"  Audrey noted,  "but didn't
realize that it was on the same block as First National.  No problem though, just give me back
the deposit and I'll just add it to today's receipts."


	"I.. I.."  Rachel stuttered, wondering if she could lie convincingly enough to say she had
left the envelope home in her apartment.  With the weekend ahead of them, it might at least give
her that much more time.  "I don't have it.  I mean, I took it home last night and left it on my
kitchen counter.  I was running a bit late and I …"


	"I see,"  the older woman said, her tone still casual.  "I would really like to close out the
week's books, though.  Tell you what, it's usually pretty quiet around here until people start
coming in for the early dinner special.  Why don't you head home and pick it up?  It shouldn't
take that long, and I can drop it all off at the bank on my own way home."


	The matter settled in her mind, Audrey turned her attention back to the papers on her
desk, dismissing Rachel with a casual wave of her hand.  It was only when she realized that the
younger woman hadn't left that she looked back up.


	"Was there something else?"  Audrey asked, surprised that Rachel hadn't left.


	"I really didn't forget the money at home,"  Rachel admitted after a short pause.


	"I see,"  Audrey said, putting down the papers in her hand and giving the girl her full
attention.  "Why don't you have a seat and start from the beginning?"


	Rachel sat herself down in the empty chair in front of the desk and, hoping for the best,
told the truth and nothing but.  At least up until the point where she came in this morning and had
her talk with Heather.


	"And obviously, that was what you had wanted to talk to Clarence about when you came
in here,"  Audrey said once Rachel had finished, to which the hostess nodded her head in
acknowledgement.


	"So it seems that we do have a bit of a problem after all, don't we?"  Audrey commented,
rising from behind the desk and walking around to the front where she sat down on the edge next
to Rachel.


	Silence filled the room as she looked at Rachel, waiting to see if she had anything else
to say.  When nothing else was forthcoming, Audrey went on.


	"I guess the question we have to consider now is,"  she said, "whatever shall we do about
it?"


	"Like I said, I'm more than willing to make up the money,"  Rachel repeated,  "half now
and the rest as soon as I can."


	"Yes, I understood that,"  Audrey said,  "but I really do have to consider how Clarence
would want me to handle this.  After all, I'm just a limited partner and it is his business."


	Rachel wasn't sure she liked the sound of that.


	"I suppose I could simply turn the matter over to the Sheriff's office and let them sort it
out,"  Audrey mused out loud,  "but that would be somewhat hard on you, wouldn't it?"


	Rachel thankfully recognized the question as rhetorical and didn't make a stupid
comment.  She found herself holding her breath in anticipation of what Audrey was going to say
next.


	"No, this is going to take a bit of consideration,"  the older woman said.  "Clarence will be
gone a few days at least, so it gives us a bit of time to think about what to do."


	Rachel saw a glimmer of hope in that statement.


	"I am a bit curious about something, though,"  Audrey said as she adjusted the skirt of
the business outfit she was wearing.  "You undoubtedly had a plan when you came in here, some
line of thought on how to convince Clarence to let you work off the debt.  Why is it that I have the
feeling that there was more to it than what you've told me?"


	With any chance of resolving the matter to her advantage resting on a razor's edge,
Rachel knew she had to be as truthful as possible with the woman just a few feet in front of her.
The question was, how was she going to explain what Heather had suggested she do?


	"Please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, but I can't help but think that it was your
intention to offer Mr. Winchester a bit more of an incentive than you explained a minute ago -
one of a more, shall we say, personal nature,"  Audrey offered, pointing out that she also couldn't
help but notice that there were two more open buttons on Rachel's blouse than there had been
when she had walked by the hostess earlier.


	Rachel glanced down for a second and sure enough, an ample amount of cleavage was
indeed visible, along with just a hint of the bra containing it.  That she didn't even remember
undoing the buttons when she had checked her appearance outside the door didn't bother her as
much as the fact she'd been so lost in her concerns that she hadn't even noticed Audrey walk
past her.  What else might she have missed?


	"Since I haven't heard an objection,"  Audrey continued after allowing her what she
thought enough time to do so,  "I guess I can assume I was right in my supposition.  That being
said, I'm further curious as to what that incentive might have been.  Or to put it more simply, just
how far were you willing to go?"


	"I was going to offer to blow him,"  Rachel said with a bit of hesitation, deciding, in for a
penny, in for a pound.


	"I'd have been surprised if it was anything less,"  Audrey said, a small smile on her lips.
"Still, we are talking about a great deal of money here.  What were you planning to do if he
wanted more than you were offering?"


	The question took Rachel a bit by surprise.  She had considered that Mr. Winchester
might be one of those men who were actually faithful to his wedding vows.  In fact, one of the
more hopeful scenarios she's entertained had been that he would turn her down, but be so
impressed by the offer that he'd let her off the hook.  That he might ask for more hadn't even
occurred to her.


	"I'm not sure,"  she admitted honestly.


	"I bet it never even occurred to you, did it?"  Audrey asked, not needing a reply to know
her answer.


	Now that she was thinking about it, Rachel had to admit that, in view of the alternatives,
there was indeed little she might not be willing to consider in order to get out of this fix.


	 Audrey waited another moment or two to let Rachel think about it, then added her own
observation.


	"Well, for what it's worth,"  Audrey said as she slid off the desk and began walking back
around to her chair,  "I think that if I was in your situation, with the very real possibility of the
police becoming involved, I'd be willing to go pretty far to prevent that possibility as well."


	She paused for a second as she sat back down, then added.


	"Also, for whatever it might be worth, I think that, had he been here, Clarence would've
been impressed by your offer - very impressed indeed,"  she said with a smile.


	Behind that smile was the memory of having once had dinner with Clarence and his wife
soon after having become partners, after which she had formed a definitely unflattering opinion
of Mrs. Winchester.  An opinion confirmed a few months later when, after sharing a few drinks
one night, Clarence had shared the confidence that his wife had lost all interest in things sexual
early on in their marriage and that, on occasion, he had turned to others for solace.


	That her plan, however desperate it might have seemed, would probably have worked
brought little comfort to Rachel.  Now she was back at square one and she wasn't sure what her
next stop was going to be.


	"You know, with the length you were now admittedly willing to go to in order to resolve
the situation,"  Audrey said, her tone reflecting an even stronger touch of curiosity than before,
"I'm curious if, after you realized that the players in this little drama had changed, you
entertained, even for a little bit,  the possibility of making the same offer to me that you planned
to make to Clarence?"


	Audrey's question caused the look on Rachel's face to turn from disappointment to
confusion - a change that made the older woman realize that she had asked her question under
a false assumption.  What was, she believed, common knowledge evidently wasn't as common
as she had thought.


	"I'm sorry, I just assumed that you knew,"  Audrey offered.  "I've been called "that dyke
bitch" so many times that it never occurred to me that you didn't."


	Actually, Rachel had indeed heard a waitress once refer to Audrey in just those terms,
but at the time didn't take it literally.  Evidently, she should have.


	"Not the most flattering of terms, I'll admit,"  Audrey grinned,  "but technically accurate,
at least the first half."


	"Are you saying you want me to…"  Rachel started to say as comprehension dawned.
"You mean you want you and I to …"


	Audrey let her consider the implication for a bit and then laughed.


	"No, that was just my sometimes warped sense of humor coming into play,"  she
chuckled.  "I guess that the latter part of that epithet is also sometimes true."


	"Then you're not really a …"  Rachel started to ask.


	"No, I am most definitely a card-carrying carpet muncher."  Audrey grinned.  "I guess I
was just a bit curious as to what your reaction  to the question might have been."


	For the briefest of moments, Rachel was uncertain  whether she should've felt relieved
or disappointed.  She had never had any real curiosity about other women before, but in the few
seconds that Audrey's question had been out there, it had made her wonder.


	During that same short interlude, Audrey herself had been taken aback a bit by her own
reaction.  Pretty as the girl sitting across from her was, Audrey knew from comments by other
employees that she was as straight as an arrow.  So why had she even suggested what she had?
Especially since coercion had never been her style.  More importantly, knowing what she knew,
why had those few seconds when she considered the image of Rachel down between her legs
produced a reaction both immediate and profound?


	"So what do I do about the money?"  Rachel asked, hesitant to bring up the question
again, but finding it a safer topic than the one that had just flashed through her mind.


	"I think that perhaps the best thing I can think of is to take the weekend to consider it,"
Audrey replied, also a bit relieved to change the subject.  "But not to worry, I'm sure we can work
something out to everyone's satisfaction.  Contrary to what I said before, I'm really not a bitch -
well, at least most of the time."


	"Thank you,"  Rachel said, an intense sense of relief washing over her as she realized
that this all might just work out after all.  "Thank you so very much."


	She started to rise from the chair when the phone on the desk rang and Audrey reached
out to answer it.  Not certain if Audrey was done with her, Rachel waited to be sure.


	"Oh no, that's terrible,"  Rachel heard Audrey say in response to something she had just
been told by whoever it was on the other end of the phone conversation.  "Of course I'm
disappointed," she continued after listening a bit more,  "but the important thing is that you take
care of yourself first.  Don't give anything else a second thought."


	The conversation went on just a bit longer, then Audrey brought it to a close.  She
seemed to actually forget that Rachel was there until the younger woman broke the silence.


	"Bad news?"  Rachel said.


	"Of a sort,"  Audrey replied, seeing no reason not to.  "An old friend of mine is getting
married up in Blue Ridge Junction tomorrow, and it seems my date for the ceremony took a fall
last night and sprained her ankle rather badly.  She'll be okay but she'll have to stay off it for the
next few days at least."


	"Oh, that's too bad,"  Rachel said in sympathy, then, not even thinking that the question
might be inappropriate, asked out of curiosity if the lady in question was Audrey's girlfriend.


	"No, I'm not seeing anyone seriously right now,"  Audrey replied, thinking nothing of the
question.  "Jenna and I went to school together."


	"I'm sorry,"  Rachel said, not really knowing what else to say.


	"Thanks,"  Audrey said, disappointment evident in her tone.  "With the wedding
tomorrow, I don't know who I could ask…"  she started to say, but paused as an idea flashed
across her mind.  "Rachel, do you have any plans for the weekend?"


	Rachel was about to say yes, but realized that whatever plans there might have been
had involved Frankie.  It was going to take a bit of time, she realized, to remember that he was
no longer going to be part of her life.


	"No, I guess I don't, not anymore,"  she finally said.


	"I don't suppose you'd be interested in going to a wedding, would you?"  Audrey asked.


	The question hadn't come as a total surprise, given the one that had preceded it, but it
was still enough of one to give Rachel pause. There had been plenty of weddings that she'd gone
to as just a friend, but they had all been with guys.  She wasn't sure how she might feel about
being the plus one of another woman.  Especially in light of that moment of uncertainly earlier
when she thought Audrey was propositioning her.


	Thinking it over, the young redhead felt a sense of debt as well as of trepidation.  She
obviously owed this woman, but at the same time, hadn't it been doing someone a favor that had
gotten her in trouble in the first place?


	"Are you asking me to be your date?"  Rachel asked, looking for a bit of clarification.


	"I wasn't really thinking of it like that,"  Audrey said, "but I suppose that is what it would
be.  I'm really just looking for someone to go with me.  It's so awkward going to things like this
alone."


	Rachel nodded her head in agreement, not that she'd ever had a problem getting a date
to anything, at least not since she'd hit puberty.  Still, she could imagine that it could be awkward
indeed.


	"Would I have to do anything special?"  Rachel asked, not really sure why she had asked
that or what kind of answer she even expected.


	"Well, I supposed you might be expected to dance,"  Audrey smiled.  "It is somewhat
traditional.  But other than that, I guess all you have to do is have fun.  After all, it's a wedding,
not a funeral."


	While Rachel took a few more moments to think about it,  Audrey was considering that
the invitation might in itself have been too impulsive.  It wasn't really fair to put this young
woman on the spot, and she was about to say just that when Rachel unexpectedly said yes.


	"I'd love to go,"  she said, with enthusiasm that seemed a bit forced, but still genuine. "It
sounds like it might be fun."


	What she didn't say was that the deciding factor had been that, even if the ceremony
and reception were as boring as hell, it had to beat hanging around an empty apartment all
weekend, or worse, going out and having to explain to her friends how wrong she had been
about Frankie.  She would have to do that eventually, but better later than sooner - at least after
she came up with a breakup story in which she wasn't the complete idiot that she had actually
been.


	"Splendid,"  Audrey said, her voice reflecting both pleasure and surprise at her response.


	As Audrey gave Rachel all the details, she suggested that the younger woman take the
rest of the day off to pick out an appropriate dress and such.  She herself had packed her travel
bag last night, but she appreciated that Rachel would need a little time to do the same.


	This time, Rachel didn't hesitate to rise from the chair and head for the door.  As she did
so, she had a momentary flash of second-guessing her decision.  Did she really know what she
was doing, going to a wedding as another woman's date?  Probably not, she told herself as she
pushed that brief doubt aside, but it would hardly be the first time that had been true.
	
	Stepping back out into the restaurant, Rachel spotted Heather waiting by the hostess
station, undoubtedly anxious to learn what had happened in the office.  Since Heather also
hadn't known Mr. Winchester was out today, Rachel wondered if, given the amount of time she'd
spent inside, her friend had just assumed that she'd spent that time down on her knees.


	Having a bit of a warped sense of humor of her own, Rachel brought a hand up to the
side of her mouth as if she was wiping away a non-existent smudge, a reflex that she knew her
friend would interpret wrongly.  Then she headed to the bathroom as she if was in need of
freshening up.


	She would tell Heather about what had happened in the office soon enough - well, at
least the part where Audrey promised to help her work out a solution to her problem.  That part
about her agreeing to be the brunette's date at a wedding tomorrow was something she would
keep to herself.  She'd known Heather long enough to know that there was no way she'd ever
believe that there wasn't some sort of quid pro quo involved.  	


	Back in the office, Audrey had waited until the door had closed behind the hostess
before reaching again for the phone, dialing from memory the number of the local Sherriff's
Office.  Once the connection had been made, she asked to speak to Deputy Marla Dunn.  The
conversation was brief, but what she wanted done didn't take long to explain and with the
number of favors owed her by the deputy, Audrey had no doubt it would be done.


	Hanging up the phone, Audrey leaned back in the tall leather chair and smiled in
satisfaction.  If there was one thing she hated, it was a thief, and it satisfied her to know that this
one wasn't going to get away with it.


			-=-=-=-


	Blue Ridge Junction was two hours north of Darbyville, which was one of the things
Rachel had taken into account when agreeing to go to the wedding.  The chance of her running
into anyone she knew was so slim as not to be not worth worrying about.  The ceremony wasn't
scheduled until the late afternoon, but, in order to have plenty of time to drive upstate and check
into the Inn beforehand, Audrey had told Rachel that she would pick her up at half past nine.


	That they would be staying overnight after the reception was what had caused Rachel to
second-guess her decision as she was leaving the office.  Yet when she thought about it, it
certainly made more sense to get a good night's sleep and come home bright-eyed on Sunday
morning than to drive home in the dark after a night of partying.


	The traffic was just a bit heavier than expected and they arrived at the Inn a little bit
before noon.  After checking in, Rachel was pleased to see that the room had double beds.
Since the arrangement had originally been made for Audrey and Jenna, it seemed that the two
were indeed just friends, after all.


	"I don't know about you,"  Audrey said once they'd unpacked and settled in,  "but I could
use a little nap before the ceremony."


	Not waiting for a reply, Audrey quickly pulled off the sundress she had worn for the trip,
leaving her in just a simple bra and panties.  Then, pulling down the covering on the bed closest
to the far wall, she climbed in and pulled the blanket up over herself.  In almost no time at all the
brunette was fast asleep, impressing Rachel, who had always envied people who could do that.
	
	Not having stayed up late working, as Audrey had said she had, Rachel didn't feel the
least bit tired.  However, she had skipped breakfast and was feeling a little bit hungry. With a few
hours to go before the cocktail hour started, a little snack might, she thought, not be a bad idea.
She'd noticed a small coffee shop just off the lobby when they'd checked in, so after leaving a
note, Rachel headed off in that direction.


	Sitting at a small table with a coffee and a piece of pie, Rachel thought about the ride
here with Audrey.  Much to her surprise, the conversation had been quite enjoyable, something
she hadn't expected, given the difference in their ages and lifestyles.  It had actually been the
second part of that thought that concerned Rachel, worrying that once they'd started talking,
they'd find little in common to talk about.


	To her knowledge, Rachel had never even had a conversation with a lesbian before,
although there had been a girl or two in school that she'd had her suspicions about.  In her
ignorance, the twenty-two year old had subscribed to the notion that all lesbians hated men, but
over the course of their road chat she learned that was hardly the case.  Audrey had a good
many male friends, and generally liked men.  She just had no interest in having one in her bed.
It was as simple as that.


	Listening to her story as they drove, Rachel began to actually admire the older woman.
Audrey had grown up with no more advantages than Rachel had.  Yet, right out of  college,
which she'd worked her way through, she'd opened her own clothing boutique, and that became
successful enough in a few years to give her the money to invest in D'Martini's when that
opportunity arose.


	Rachel had also been surprised to discover that being in a relationship with another
woman held many of the same problems that she'd discovered with men.  Audrey had been quite
forthcoming in answering some of her questions, a lot more so than most friends her own age
usually were.


	Returning to their room an hour later, Rachel found Audrey's bed empty and the sound
of the shower running.  With her party clothes already laid out on a nearby chair, there was little
for her to do but lay back on her own bed to wait her turn in the bathroom.


	Her head has just hit the pillow when Audrey's cell phone, left on the night table between
the beds, went off.  The ring tone, Katy Perry's "I Kissed a Girl", brought a smile to Rachel's face.


	Propped up on the bed, Rachel could see the caller's name displayed on the smart
phone's screen and wondered why the Darbyville Sheriff's office would be calling Audrey.  Her
curiosity became stronger when, right after the  phone went to voice mail, a text message
appeared on the screen.  Shifting over to the side of the bed, Rachel was able to read a bit of the
message before it disappeared.


	The text had come from someone Audrey's phone identified as Lady Law and mentioned
something about an arrest warrant being able to work wonders.  Rachel was tempted to try and
access the rest of the message, but the sound of the shower being shut off quickly dashed that
thought.


	Feeling a touch guilty for even having considered the idea, Rachel quickly moved back
to her original position, trying to act nonchalant as she did so.  She was turning her head as the
bathroom door opened, then had to do a sudden double take when she saw Rachel walk through
it without so much as a towel wrapped around her body.


	Rachel had only gotten a brief glimpse of Audrey's body when she had undressed for her
nap earlier, just enough for her to think that, for someone a decade her senior, the brunette was
in pretty good shape.  Now, with nothing standing between her and all of the older woman's glory,
she had to quickly update that to being in great shape for any age.  Back in high school, few girls
on the cheerleading squad had looked that good.


	"Oh, I'm sorry, I guess I wasn't thinking,"  Audrey said when she noticed the look of
surprise on Rachel's face.  "It's just that I never bother with robes or such when I'm home.  It
always seemed so pointless to cover up just to walk from one room to another.  I could change in
the bathroom if it bothers you."


	"No, it's okay,"  Rachel finally replied,  "I just didn't expect it, that's all."


	"Alright then,"  Audrey said as she walked across the room towards where she had laid
out her own clothes.


	"Oh, before I forget, your phone went off while you were in the shower,"  Rachel said,
having actually forgotten it for a moment when Audrey had walked back in.  "I think you might
have gotten a  text also."


	Pausing and turning around, inadvertently giving Rachel an even closer look at her
naked form, Audrey leaned down and picked up her phone from the nightstand.  It took but a
moment to read the text message, but as she did, her face filled with a smile.  One that Rachel
first would've described as mischievous, but then decided could more accurately be called
wicked.  Then, without comment, Audrey put the phone back down and went back to where she'd
left her outfit.


	Concern mixed with curiosity again filled Rachel's thoughts, so much so that she felt she
had to ask about the call and text.  By her own admission, Audrey did say she could be a bitch at
times.


	"Audrey, can I ask you a question?"  Rachel said.


	"Of course,"  Audrey said as she took a fresh pair of panties out of the dresser beyond
her bed.


	"I couldn't help but see the caller ID when your phone rang,"  she said cautiously,  "and
maybe I'm being a bit paranoid, but I can't help but wonder if maybe that call was about me and
my problem."


	"I see,"  Audrey simply said after sliding the underwear up along her legs.  "What you're
wondering is if, despite what I said in Clarence's office, I called the police about you after all and
you're going to find yourself being led away in handcuffs come Monday morning."


	"I guess something like that,"  Rachel replied, now feeling a little bit foolish.


	"Well, given the way some people have treated you, I guess it's understandable that you
might be a little suspicious,"  Audrey said.  "But believe me, when I tell you something, you can
take it to the bank.  That said, yes, the call and text were about your problem, but not in the way
that you are thinking.  I just didn't want to say anything to you until I was sure."


	Rachel was a little confused, but Audrey had her full attention.


	"I asked an old friend of mine,"  Audrey said, with such emphasis on the word friend that
Rachel knew it meant lover, "to pay a visit to Petrocelli Auto this morning   and have a few words
with Mr. McManus.  You wouldn't know it from looking at her, but Marla, who's a deputy sheriff by
the way, can be quite persuasive when she needs to be."


	Audrey paused for a second to be sure Rachel understood.


	"It turns out that your now ex-boyfriend," she continued, "had good reason not to want to
risk police involvement, because he's still on probation from a previous arrest last summer.  In
the end, all it took was the suggestion that his name might appear on an arrest warrant to
convince him that he had better beg, borrow or, well, perhaps not steal, whatever he had to in
order to come up with enough cash to replace what he took out of your purse."


	"You mean he's giving me back the money?"  Rachel said in disbelief.


	"Every penny,"  Audrey smiled.


	"I can't believe it,"  Rachel said in a soft, thankful voice.


	"So it looks like your problems are over,"  Audrey grinned,  "at least those with that waste
of life.  I was going to tell you before we went over to the ceremony."


	"Would that have even been legal?"  Rachel asked as she took in exactly what had
happened.  "Putting his name on an arrest warrant, I mean."


	"Let's not worry about little things like legalities, and just be satisfied that everything
worked out to your advantage," the brunette smiled.


	"I don't know what else to say,"  Rachel said.


	"Thank you might be appropriate,"  Audrey suggested.


	"Of course, "  Rachel said as she felt such a weight lift from her shoulders.  "Thank you,
thank you so very much."


	"Just learn from it, my dear,"  Audrey said as she reached back into the drawer and
pulled out the bra that went with her panties,  "and be more careful about whom you give your
trust to in the future."


	Rachel nodded her agreement, thinking that those were words she should try and learn
to live by.


	"But for now,"  Audrey concluded, "I think you might want to hit the shower, because we
do have a wedding to go to and we wouldn't want to be late, would we?"


			-=-=-=-


	By the time Rachel came out of the bathroom ten minutes later, a large towel wrapped
tightly around her, Audrey had already finished dressing.  The garment bag she had laid across
the bed earlier had contained a simple but elegant navy blue evening dress, that was designed to
accent rather than display the body beneath it.  Topped by a matching jacket, there was just
enough of a hint of a nicely proportioned bust to draw even a casual onlooker's interest.


	"Wow, you look great,"  Rachel said.


	"Thank you,"  Audrey smiled.


	"I'll be ready in five minutes,"  Rachel promised.


	"Don't worry, we still have a little time,"  Audrey assured her.


	The dress Rachel had brought with her wasn't as stylish as the one Audrey was wearing,
but it was the best one she owned.  Bright red and strapless, it was just short enough to show off
her legs and tight enough to accent her generous curves.  It was her favorite party dress, but as
she laid it out on the bed she wondered if perhaps it might be too much for a wedding.  After all,
since these were Audrey's friends, it stood to reason that it would be an older crowd than she was
used to.


	'Well, it's not like I have something else to change into,'  she thought as she placed the
appropriate undergarments next to it,  'so it will have to do.'


	As she quickly got dressed, Rachel found herself surreptitiously glancing over her
shoulder to see if Audrey was watching her change.  But each time she looked, the older woman
didn't seem to be taking any notice at all.  The lack of interest was almost disappointing.


	"All done,"  Rachel finally said after slipping on her most comfortable shoes, at least the
most comfortable ones that went with the dress.


	"That … is a fantastic dress,"  Audrey said, looking at Rachel as if she was seeing her for
the first time.  "I wish I could get away with wearing something like that."


	"I'm sure you could,"  Rachel replied.  "You have a fantastic body,"  she added, the
thought of how much of that body she had seen this afternoon flashing though her head.


	"Maybe I could, ten years ago,"  Audrey mused, laughing softly, then glancing at the
clock added.  "I think we'd better get going if we don't want to be late."


	It was only four miles to the catering hall where the wedding was being held, but an
accident on the only access road turned what should been a brief run into a twenty minute trip.
Then it was a matter of finding a parking spot in the overcrowded lot, which was surprising since
only one of the banquet rooms was being used at the moment, the other being under renovation.
As a result of both delays, the cocktail hour was already underway by the time the two of them
finally walked in.


	Rachel did a rough count as they made their way across the room, quickly estimating
that there had to be at least sixty couples already there.  That most of them were made up of
women was just about the only thing that hadn't surprised her so far today.  Audrey had been
quick to tell her yesterday that there would be no groom at this particular wedding.


	Late as they were, they still had a half hour to go before the couple were scheduled to
exchange vows out in the garden where a flower trestle and rows of chairs could be seen through
large glass covered doors.  Then it would be back inside for the reception.


	"Would you like a drink?"  Audrey asked once she spotted the bar set over in the far
corner.


	"I'd love one,"  Rachel replied.  "But why don't you let me get them?  I think that couple
over there is trying to get your attention."


	Sure enough, the couple in question, another redhead and brunette combination, had
been waving to catch Audrey's eye and were now moving toward her.  Deciding it would be rude
not to wait for them, Audrey told Rachel what she would like and watched for a second while she
headed off towards the bar.


	There was a small crowd at the bar, just enough women to make it difficult for Rachel to
get the attention of the middle-aged bartender.  She hadn't noticed, at least at first, that there
were two women working on the other side of the counter, and was taken by surprise when the
other bartender suddenly appeared right in front of her.


	"What can I get for you, love?"  the tall, dark skinned woman asked as she leaned across
the bar top.


	The woman, whose nametag identified her as Alice, was dressed in a white top and
black slacks that reminded Rachel of her own work outfit.  The version the bartender wore,
however, would hardly be appropriate for the family style restaurant - at least as far as the top
went.  Sleeveless, with enough open buttons to display more cleavage than the dress Rachel
was wearing, the blouse was also made of a material translucent enough to show off not only the
thick nipples of Alice's breasts, but the dark silver dollar-sized areola around them.


	"I said, what can I get you, love?"  Alice repeated, well aware that Rachel had been
staring at her chest.


	"Oh, two white wines,"  Rachel said, feeling a bit embarrassed to have been caught
looking.


	She was originally planning to order a beer, but changed her mind when Audrey had
asked her to get her the wine.  It was going to be a long night and, upon reflection, Rachel
decided that it might not be a bad idea to pace herself.


	Rachel was a bit confused when, after taking her order, Alice didn't immediately head off
to fill it.  The delay was long enough for her to wonder if perhaps it was a cash bar.  Tacky as
that might be at a wedding, she had once been to one that actually had one.


	She was about to ask when the black woman again smiled and finally went off to get her
drinks.  It was only once the bartender had stepped away that Rachel realized what had just
happened.


	'Oh my God,'  she thought,  'that woman was checking me out.'


	When Alice returned, two glasses in hand, she gave Rachel such an inviting smile that
there was no doubt she had indeed been doing what the redhead had imagined.


	"Here you go, darling,"  Alice said as she placed the two drinks on the counter in front of
Rachel.  "One for you, and one for your girlfriend over there."


	Evidently, Alice had spotted Rachel with Audrey before she had come over to the bar.


	"Oh she's not my girlfriend,"  Rachel said without thinking,  "I mean, she's a friend, but…
well, you know."


	"Really?"  Alice replied,  the tone of her voice recognizable as reflecting a higher level of
interest.  "Well, if you need anything else, anything at all, you just come back to my end of the
bar."


	"Thank you,"  Rachel said, giving the woman a smile that didn't cost her anything to give,
"I'll remember that."


	Walking back toward Audrey, a glass in each hand, Rachel couldn't resist the temptation
to glance back over her shoulder to see if Alice was still watching her.  Sure enough, she was,
with a look on her face reminiscent of that she'd seen on any number of guys.


	"Would you believe the bartender was actually checking me out?"  she said to Audrey as
she handed her one of the glasses.


	"Really,"  Audrey asked as she took her wine,  "which one?"


	Rachel didn't understand what she meant for a second, then realized that Audrey thought
it equally possible that her admirer could've been the fiftyish woman whose attention she had
first tried to get.


	"The one on the left,"  she said, thinking that was the simplest and most diplomatic
designation she could make.


	"Hmmm, quite sexy,"  Audrey said with an admiring smile as she shifted her gaze to that
end of the bar.  "But I don't know why you find that so surprising,"  she added as she took a taste
of her drink,  "especially in that dress."


	"I don't know,"  Rachel replied as she took a sip of her own wine.  "I guess I never had it
happen before, I mean with another woman."


	"You mean you never noticed it before,"  Audrey grinned.


	Thinking about it, Rachel decided that was probably true.


	"What happened to your friends?"  Rachel asked, changing the subject.


	"Oh, they'll be back,"  Audrey answered.  "They just wanted to say hi and see if we were
sitting at the same table later."


	As they moved about the room, Rachel was introduced to a few more couples.  Despite
what she'd said at the bar, she was surprised when Audrey introduced her as simply her guest -
especially once she learned that the bride, or at least the one that they had come to wish well,
had been a lot more than just the old friend that Audrey had initially named her as.


	Rachel couldn't imagine any circumstances that could lead her to invite an old boyfriend
to her wedding, but as she was quickly learning, these women seemed to subscribe to a very
different set of rules.


	A perfect example had been the way Audrey had called on Deputy Dunn to help her with
Rachel's problem.  It would never occur to the younger redhead to reach out to any of her ex-
boyfriends for help of any kind.


	"Are you having a good time?"  Audrey asked a short time later, as they moved away
from yet another couple who had to come over to say hello and meet the girl Audrey had brought
to the wedding.


	"I'm having a great time,"  Rachel replied.


	"I'm glad,"  Audrey said,  "but I'm afraid that, despite anything I've said to the contrary,
my friends seem to think that I'm sleeping with you,"  she added, sounding to Rachel as if she
was apologizing for their  assumption.


	"Yeah, I kind of picked up on that,"  Rachel replied, having seen the same knowing
smiles when Audrey had insisted that Rachel was just a friend.  "It's okay, I don't mind.


	She had already decided that was the least she could do, seeing that Audrey had really
saved her ass.  In fact, she decided to do what she could to enhance that perception, wrapping
her arm around the brunette and holding onto her  as if they were indeed lovers.  And while
Audrey had indeed apologized for the mistaken impression, once Rachel had begun to act as if
she was indeed what they thought she was, the brunette did little to correct it.


	The mistress of ceremonies soon called for everyone's attention and asked that they
move out into the garden.  Once they were there, Rachel had her first chance to see the soon to
be married couple.


	Elisa, Audrey's friend who had been more than just a friend, was wearing a traditional
wedding gown.  She was quite pretty, Rachel thought, in her late twenties, with long black hair
that ran half way down her back.  The other bride, much to her surprise, bore more than a
superficial resemblance to Audrey, with equally short dark hair and features that could also be
called more handsome than beautiful.  She was decked out in an all-white pants suit, complete
with a matching vest and ruffled blouse.


	The ceremony was as simple as it was brief, just an  exchange of vows with a few words
from the presiding official.  It was over almost as quickly as it had begun.  The passionate kiss
the two women shared at the end seemed to  be the longest part of the ceremony.


	"Ladies and gentleman," the woman who had officiated announced,  "may I present Ruth
and Eliza Nichols."


	The pronouncement was met with thunderous applause as the now wed couple made
their way down the aisle between the rows of folding chairs.  The newlyweds then went off to
have a few more photographs taken in another part of the garden, while the guests moved back
into the hall for the reception.


	Once back in the banquet hall, Audrey and Rachel found their seats, right next to the
couple who had first inquired about them earlier.  Rachel was impressed at how quickly the
caterers had transformed the room, laying out rows of tables around the perimeter, with a dozen
table settings at each.


	The other guests at their table proved to be as friendly as she could have hoped for, and
it wasn't long before Rachel began to view the wedding as just like any other.  The broad mix of
couples fascinated her, as they ranged from women just about her own age to some who
appeared to be older then her parents.  And there were even a few couples who seemed to be a
mix of the two extremes.


	The bride and bride soon made their reappearance, and were immediately ushered onto
the dance floor so that the traditional first dance could start off the festivities.  After a minute or
two, the mistress of ceremonies called for anyone else who cared to, to join in.  All around the
hall you could hear the sound of chairs being pulled out as most of the guests left their table and
did so.


	"Shall we?"  Audrey asked, reaching out her hand to Rachel.


	"Of course,"  she answered as she offered her own in turn.  "After all, you did tell me it
would be expected."  she added with a broad smile.


	As she moved across the floor, with Audrey's arms tightly wrapped around her, Rachel
felt a strong sense of the familiar.  At just about every wedding she'd attended, at least a quarter
of the quests on the dance floor turned out to be girls dancing with other girls.  She also
discovered soon that Audrey was an exceptional dancer, making it a genuine pleasure to dance
with her.


	In fact, it had been so much fun that Rachel was eager to get back out on the floor after
dinner as well.  It didn't matter if the dance was fast or slow, traditional or modern, the brunette
seemed inexhaustible.  It wasn't until they'd danced their third set in a row that Audrey suggested
they take a little break.  As they started to walk off the floor, a much older woman with white hair
came up to the two of them and asked if she could have a few minutes of Audrey's time.


	"I have to make a visit to the little girls' room anyway,"  Rachel said, as Audrey turned to
her with an expression that seemed to ask if she minded.


	Leaving the two women behind in conversation, Rachel headed toward the other end of
the hall, where a wall sign indicated the rest rooms could be found.  She was dismayed to find,
after stepping into the outer corridor, that there were more than a dozen women already online in
front of her.  For some reason she'd never understood, the mere fact that she had to wait always
made her need to go seem much more urgent than it had only a few moments before.


	'Well, nothing I can do about it,' she thought with a shrug as she took her place at the
end of the line.


	Two very long minutes passed, during which the line barely moved.  Rachel felt
someone tap her on her shoulder, and turned to find Alice from the bar standing next to the
queue.  The smiling bartender didn't say a word, but motioned with her hand for Rachel to follow
her.


	Hesitant at first to lose her place on line, since two more people were already behind her,
Rachel finally responded to a more urgent hand signal from Alice and followed her back down
the hall and then around the bend to a second corridor.


	"The second banquet room is still being worked on,"  Alice said,  "but the bathrooms are
just fine.  Just make another left when you get to the end here and you're right there."


	"Wow, thank you,"  Rachel said, truly appreciative of the gesture.


	"My pleasure,"  Alice again smiled, reaching out as she did with an outstretched hand to
gently run her fingers down the length of Rachel's arm.  "I have to get back to work, but like I
said, if you need anything else, I'm your girl."


	As she returned the smile, Rachel couldn't help but think that simple touch, along with
the words that had accompanied it, held a wealth of possibilities - if of course she was interested
in that sort of thing...


	Reaching the unused bathroom, Rachel found it as empty as its counterpart was full.
She stepped into the closest stall, made sure it was fully stocked, and closed the door behind
her.  The sense of relief that followed was nearly overwhelming.


	Rachel had just finished her business when she heard two voices outside the stall door.
Evidently, someone else had also discovered that there was a second bathroom available.


	The conversation seemed quite animated, but the voices were too low for Rachel to
really make out what was being said.  It was only when she heard the unmistakable sound of
laughter that she allowed her curiosity to get the better of her.  Quietly opening the stall door just
enough to look out, Rachel got the surprise of her life.  As it was,
she barely managed to suppress a gasp.


	There were indeed two other women in the bathroom, a tall brunette and a slightly
shorter blonde, neither much older than she was.  Both also had on dresses not much different
than the one Audrey had admired on her, the only real different being that the brunette's was
blue and the blonde's emerald green.  It was immediately obvious that they hadn't come to the
unused facility for the same reason Rachel had.


	The brunette had the blonde up on the vanity counter, with the top of her dress undone.
Like Rachel's outfit, the dress had its own built-in bra, so that when it came loose the girl's
breasts came free as well.  From where she sat, Rachel got a brief glimpse of the nipple of her
left breast, brief because almost as soon as it was exposed, the brunette shifted her mouth from
her companion's lips down to the center of the mound, even as her left hand closed around the
other.  The soft moan that came from the blonde as her friend closed her mouth around her
nipple was loud enough to be heard across the room.


	Rachel watched in fascination as the brunette moved her other hand beneath the folds of
the emerald dress, lifting it up high enough to expose the charms beneath.  It was clear that the
blonde had gone without undergarments this afternoon, and that she had also taken the time to
shave herself smooth.


	A longer cry of delight reached Rachel's ears as the brunette slipped her fingers into the
blonde, the ease with which she found the other woman's most sensitive spots indicating that this
was hardly the first time she'd reached for them.  For what seemed like an incredibly long time,
the taller woman glided her hand in and out of the other, shifting her mouth's attentions to her
other breast at the same time.


	Afraid almost to breathe, least she be heard, Rachel slowly closed the door and eased
back on her seat.  Two long minutes passed as she listened to the sounds coming from only a
dozen feet away.  Then, when the cries of the woman being pleasured suddenly became more
intense, Rachel couldn't resist taking another look.


	She found the blonde was now leaning back against the large mirrored wall behind the
vanity, her legs bent and resting atop the counter.  The brunette was on bended knees as well,
her head now pressed tightly between the other woman's thighs, her mouth tight against her
pussy.  The acoustics of the bathroom carried the sounds of her tongue against soft flesh across
the room, filling Rachel with enthrallment and perhaps a touch of envy.


	So absorbed had she become that she barely had time to pull back into her hiding place
after the blonde reached what had to be, from the volume of her cries, a most satisfying climax.
Then hiding behind her door, with her own legs lifted high lest they be spotted from the outside,
Rachel waited as they cleaned themselves up and then exited the bathroom.


	'Omigod, I can't believe that I sat here and watched all that,'  Rachel thought as, after
waiting another long minute to be sure she was indeed alone, she exited the stall and looked at
herself in the mirror.


	What she didn't want to admit, even to herself, was how strong a reaction she'd had to
the Sapphic display.  Her panties, if she had been wearing them at the time, would've been
soaked, given her level of arousal.


	There had been times when she'd seen girls kiss in a bar or at a party, but that was
usually to turn on some guy.  In fact, she'd done it a few times herself, the recollection bringing a
further one of the time Dotty Morgan had actually slipped her tongue into her mouth.  But never
had she seen anything like this.


	Worried that someone else might appear to make use of the restroom, for whatever
reason, Rachel pulled a few paper towels from the dispenser and cleaned herself up at the sink.
Then, after tossing the wet cloths into the trash, she retraced her path back to the wedding
reception and stood at the entranceway as she searched for Audrey.


	Looking around the room, she didn't find Audrey, at least not at first, but she did find the
two women from the bathroom.  They were sitting at one of the tables chatting away with another
couple as nonchalantly as could be, as if the previous quarter hour had never occurred.  Just
looking at them caused a rush of warmth to flash across Rachel's body.


	"Oh, there you are,"  Rachel heard Audrey say from behind her, turning around at the
sound of her voice.  "You were gone so long that I was beginning to become worried."


	"The line was a bit long,"  Rachel replied, thinking that was indeed the truth, if not the
reason.


	"Yeah, that sometimes happens at things like this,"  Audrey commented.


	Without really realizing that she was doing it, Rachel glanced back again towards the
table where the two women from the bathroom were sitting.  Audrey caught the motion and
asked her if she had spotted someone she knew.


	"Why would you ask that?"  Rachel inquired.


	"The look on your face,"  she said.


	"I just thought that couple over there looked familiar for a moment,"  Rachel answered.
"But on a second look, I was wrong."


	"Oh, that's Serena and Anna Marie,"  Audrey said, identifying the brunette and blonde.  "I
don't think you'd know them; they came down from Vermont for the wedding."


	"But you do,"  Rachel queried out of curiosity.


	"A bit,"  she answered.  "I think they've been together even longer than Ruth and Eliza."


	At that moment, some memory caused Audrey's face to fill with a broad smile.  One
wide enough for Rachel to ask what had caused it.


	"Nothing really,"  she offered.  "I just remember hearing earlier that the two of them had
some kind of bet about whether Ruth and Eliza would actually go through with the ceremony.
They had called it off twice before."


	"What did they bet?"  Rachel asked.


	"No idea,"  Audrey replied,  "but I did hear Anna Maria say earlier to Serena that she lost
and it was time to pay up."


	Now it was Rachel whose face formed a wide grin.


	The band then started up again, playing Anita Ward's "Ring My Bell," prompting Audrey
to remark that she really loved that song.


	"Then by all means,"  Rachel said, motioning to the dance floor which was again filling
with people.


	As they moved in time to the music, Rachel listened to the lyrics, thinking how
appropriate they seemed at the moment.  Especially the part about the night being young and full
of possibilities.


	No sooner had the last echoes of the song faded than sound of an actual bell filled the
air.  It was something that Rachel had heard at a few other weddings, a call for all the attendees
to share a kiss in honor of the newly married couple.


	"You don't have to,"  Audrey said in a low whisper.


	"Hey, when in Rome…"  Rachel replied, pressing forward as she wrapped her arms
around the taller woman.


	The kiss was soft, as she knew from her own limited experience that it would be.  It was
more than that you would give a friend, but far less than you would a lover.  Feeling the mood
around her, Rachel pressed her tongue just far enough forward to meet the tip of Audrey's, then
pulled it quickly back.


	"That … was nice,"  a visibly surprised Audrey said once the kiss was over.


	Rachel didn't reply, at least not with words.  Instead she just smiled as warmly as she
knew how to.


	Afterwards, they just concentrated on having a good time, both on the dance floor and
interacting with other couples.  When, later in the night, it came time for the newlyweds to make
the rounds and thank their guests for coming, Audrey introduced Rachel to the two brides.


	"God, you are lovely,"  Eliza had gushed after being introduced.  "Audrey, I think you'd
better hold on to this one,"  she added before moving off to thank someone else.


	"I hope that didn't embarrass you,"  Audrey said to Rachel after the newlyweds walked
away,  "but she' s right, you are lovely."


	Rachel again smiled.


	Soon after, the cake was cut and served with coffee or tea.  Then Eliza and Ruth again
came to the stage and thanked everyone one more time for coming, wishing everyone a safe trip
home as well.  Then they said goodnight, bringing the occasion to a close.


			-=-=-=-


	"That was one hell of a party,"  Audrey said as they stepped back into their room at the
Inn.


	"It was,"  Rachel agreed as she followed her in and closed the door behind her.  "Thank
you so very much for inviting me."


	"You really enjoyed it?"  Audrey asked.


	"Absolutely,"  Rachel beamed.  "I can't remember the last time I had so much fun at a
wedding."


	Actually, that wasn't true, but Rachel didn't really think this was the time to mention how
she had gotten really drunk at her cousins wedding and fucked the brother of the groom.  She
had been maid of honor and he had been best man, so it had just seemed to be the thing to do -
at least at the time.


	"I'm glad,"  Audrey replied, not realizing that the smile on Rachel's face had a double
cause.  "I really did appreciate your coming, even though I know it's not exactly your scene,"  she
added as she dropped her pocketbook on the dresser.  "It wasn't until we actually got here and I
saw everyone that I realized how out of place I would've felt if I'd come alone."


	"Like I said, I was happy to do it,"  Rachel smiled again,  "especially after the help you
gave me and…"


	"And one had nothing to do with the other,"  Audrey interrupted her,  "I hope you
understand that.
Helping you with your problem was simply the right thing to do and I would've done it regardless
of anything else."


	"I know,"  Rachel said, remembering that the wedding invitation had indeed come after
Audrey had promised to help.


	"That said, I guess I also owe you a second thank you for the way you let my friends
think you were something more than I introduced you as,"  Audrey added.  "It's hard enough to
watch a woman you once loved marry someone else, without having everyone around you feel
sorry for you because you couldn't even get a real date for the occasion."


	"I just hope I didn't overdo it,"  Rachel said, thinking that she had been so determined
that no one should fail to draw the inference, she'd done everything but grope Audrey on the
dance floor.


	"No, you did just fine,"  Audrey again grinned,  "worthy of an Academy Award at least."


	"That's funny, 'cause acting class was one of the few things I actually applied myself to
back in school,"  Rachel replied.  "Being someone else, even if only for a few hours, was always
one of my favorite things to do."
	
	"Well, like I said, I did appreciate it,"  Audrey said as she began to undress.


	"Did your friends really think we were lovers?"  Rachel asked, as if she was seeking a
further validation of her performance.


	"Honey, I'd bet twice the money that you misplaced that there's not a one of them that
doesn't think, right now we're in bed doing it,"  Audrey commented with a little laugh.


	"Good thing none of them knew that I'm not your type,"  Rachel pointed out.


	"Excuse me,"  Audrey asked, pausing in what she was doing.  "Whatever gave you that
idea?"


	"Yesterday, when we were in Clarence's office,"  Rachel answered, her tone wavering
just a bit with the thought that she might have been wrong in her assumption,  "you could have
had me in any way you wanted - I was that desperate.  But you turned me down."


	Audrey laughed, but did so at what she thought was the humor in the situation and not at
Rachel.


	"Sweetheart, trust me, not taking you to my bed had nothing to do with any lack of
attraction,"  she explained, remembering the feeling between her legs the girl had produced
when she had only considered the idea.  "I don't know how you could even look in a mirror and
ever think that."


	She went on to say that while she enjoyed a casual roll in the sack as much as the next
girl, she had never forced anyone into her bed in her life.  It just wasn't in her nature.  She might
play the bitch at times, but that was really just a bit of amusement.


	"So if I had been interested?"  Rachel asked.


	"I find it better not to dwell on what might have beens,"  Audrey laughed as she folded
her dress and laid it on the bed.  "So let's just appreciate that we both had a good time today and
leave it at that."


	With that, she picked up the small toiletry bag that she had left on the night table earlier
and headed off to the shower.


	Rachel sat down on the side of her bed and found herself staring at the now closed
bathroom door.  The thoughts that filled her head would've been inconceivable only forty-eight
hours before.


	Up until today, the idea of sex that didn't involve a hard cock seemed unimaginable.
Yet, in just the last few hours, she had been hit on by a beautiful woman, highly aroused by the
actions of two others, and passed herself off as the lover of a fourth.  Also, even more
disconcerting, if that was the right word to use, was the fact that no matter how she tried, she
found it impossible not to think about how that woman, now in the shower just a few feet away,
had looked naked.


	It would be easy, Rachel thought, to put what she was feeling down to the number of
drinks she'd had at the wedding.  Lord knows some of the things she'd done under the influence
over the years!  But being honest with herself, she knew that, at least in this case, that wasn't the
answer.  She might have a bit of a buzz on, but she was certainly far from drunk.  No, whatever
she decided to do about the images in her head, she would have to accept full responsibility for it
come the dawn.


	"Oh hell,"  she finally said after a few more long moments of reflection,  "why the fuck
not?"


			-=-=-=-


	With the rush of water from the overhead fixture filling her ears, Audrey didn't hear the
bathroom door open, nor did she notice the shower curtain being partially pulled back.  In fact,
her first inkling that she was no longer alone came when Rachel stepped naked into the small
cubicle and placed her hand on the brunette's shoulder.


	"Rachel!"  Audrey cried out in surprise, the unexpected touch making her lose her
balance on the wet floor.


	"Careful,"  Rachel said, quickly reaching out to steady the woman in front of her,
wondering as she did so if perhaps she should've waited until Audrey got out of the shower.
Then she decided that no, if she had done that she might very well have lost her nerve.


	"What are you doing?"  Audrey asked as she turned around, as if the answer wasn't
obvious.


	"Well, I could say that I wanted to see if you needed help washing your back,"  the
redhead said as they came face to face,  "but we both know that would be a lie."


	"I see,"  Audrey asked, pausing  a moment to glance down at the body of the woman
before her.  "Are you sure you know what you're doing?"


	"Honestly, no,"  Rachel admitted honestly,  "but I am certain enough to know that if I
don't at least give it a try, I will regret it come tomorrow."


	"And if, come the morning,"  Audrey asked a long moment later, her tone decidedly
neutral,  "you decide that this was a mistake, what do you do then?"


	Since Rachel had asked herself that same question just a few minutes ago, she already
had an answer.


	"Then, like so much else in life, I chalk it up to experience and move on,"  she replied
confidently.


	"I see,"  Audrey replied, her tone  still dispassionate.


	Rachel was about to open her mouth to say something else, but at the expression on
Audrey's face, held her words.  It was not the look of happiness she had anticipated.


	"You know, some women might have  a problem with this."  Audrey said, the
unemotional tenor of her voice illustrating a seriousness that hadn't been there before, one that
made Rachel wonder if perhaps she had misread the situation.  "In fact, they might even find it
offensive to find themselves little more than a prop for your sexual experimentation."


	That hadn't occurred to Rachel, and it showed in the expression now on her own face.
Thinking she had made a horrible mistake, she was about to say so when Audrey chimed back
in.


	"Lucky for you,"  Audrey said, her somber expression suddenly replaced by a wide grin,
"I'm not one of them."


	With that, she pulled Rachel's body against her own and kissed her.  A kiss that was as
pleasant as it was unexpected.


	The press of Audrey's soft lips against her own sent a surge of warmth racing through
Rachel's body.  The kiss they had shared on the dance floor had been nice, but there had been a
certain unreality to it.  This time, there was no mistaking the passion behind it.  Rachel felt
Audrey's tongue slide into her mouth, probing its inner recesses and caressing the tip of her own.


	"Mmmm, that was nice,"  Rachel whispered as Audrey pulled her head back.


	"It gets better,"  Audrey whispered back in a voice filled with promise, even as she
leaned in for another kiss.


	The stand alone shower, not much bigger than an old time phone booth, wasn't really
designed to be used by two people at once.  Still, neither woman seemed to mind the confined
space as their bodies continued to press hard against each other.  Just prior to Rachel's entry,
Audrey had run a washcloth covered with body wash up and down her form, leaving a soapy film
all over it.  As they entwined, it didn't take long for that film to cover Rachel's body as well.


	As she spread the soap across Rachel's chest, Audrey placed an outstretched hand on
the redhead's left breast, the tip of her fingers caressing a nipple that was already hard with
excitement.


	"Oh yes,"  Rachel moaned, bringing her own hands up towards Audrey's larger mounds.


	As many times as she had touched her own breasts, it was still an incredible thrill to
touch those of another woman.  Soft was the first word that popped into her head as the palm of
her hand made contract, followed quickly by warm.  A warmth that had little to do with the
temperature of the water raining down on the two of them.


	Following Audrey's example, Rachel ran her outstretched fingers across the older
woman's breasts, paying careful attention to the dark nipples that sprang to life at her touch.
They felt so good in her hands, giving her at least a partial understanding of why men were so
fascinated by them.  A more total understanding, she was sure, would come later - at least she
hoped so.


	As Rachel explored Audrey's bounty, the brunette shifted her hands and ran them down
the redhead's back until they came to rest on the cheeks of her ass.  She squeezed them gently,
just enough to elicit another sigh of appreciation.


	From there she worked one hand across Rachel's right thigh, bringing it around to the
small gap separating their bodies and then to the even narrower one between the younger
woman's legs.


	"Oh God, yes,"  Rachel moaned even louder as she felt the tip of Audrey's fingers glide
across her sensitive mound.


	Rachel had often heard the comment that no one really knew the secrets of a woman's
body quite like another woman, and sometimes wondered if it were true.  It only took a few
minutes for Audrey to answer that question for her.  In that brief span, she worked her fingers
deep inside Rachel and with infinite ease, located just about all of her most responsive spots.


	In less time than Rachel had thought possible, Audrey brought her to the edge of climax.
Then, with a skill that was even more unbelievable, she somehow managed to hold her at that
point for what seemed like minutes - as if time itself had been suspended.


	Finally, still held tight in Audrey's embrace, Rachel's body exploded with a small but
highly pleasing orgasm, sending rippling waves of delight throughout it.  On her own personal
scale, Rachel would later judge the climax as a six out of ten, which considering the cramped
circumstances, hadn't been bad at all.


	"I hope you enjoyed that,"  Audrey said with a soft kiss a dozen or so heartbeats later, as,
feeling Rachel's body relax in her arms, she reluctantly relinquished her hold on it.


	Rachel thought the comment superfluous, as if there had been any doubt that she had
indeed done so.  Especially in light of the broad smile that she found impossible not to  display.


	"Good,"  Audrey said with her own smile,  "'cause that was just a little appetizer.  Like I
said before, it only gets better."


	With a little maneuvering, they changed places under the showerhead so that both of
them could rinse off.  Then Audrey reached past Rachel and turned off the single shower valve,
causing the stream of water from above to abruptly cease.  Pushing back the shower curtain all
the way, she stepped out onto the small circular bathroom rug and then reached out her hand for
Rachel to follow.


	It took a bit longer for the two of them to dry off than it normally would, but neither
seemed to care.  The small kisses and playful touches they continued to share made the delay
more than worth it.  By the time they strode hand in hand back into the outer room, both were
more than ready for the main course.


			-=-=-=-


	Contrary to what Rachel had believed earlier, Audrey had indeed peeked when she had
changed clothes.  She had just done it so inconspicuously as not to be noticed.  Now, however,
there was no need for her to be discreet and she took a long step back to fully appreciate the
twenty-two year old's body.  To say that she liked what she saw would've been an
understatement at best.


	Rachel also paused to better view the woman who had just brought her to orgasm.  A
fact that only added to her admiration of the older woman's natural beauty.  The thought of what
they had just shared, and what was still to come, made Rachel moist between her legs and again
eager  for Audrey's touch.


	"What?"  Rachel asked, as she realized that Audrey had just said something but she had
been too absorbed in her own thoughts to hear.


	"I said,"  Audrey repeated with a smile,  "I guess the question is, your bed or mine?"


	Rachel glanced at Audrey's bed and the expensive blue outfit that had been carefully
laid across it.  Then her gaze shifted to her own bed where, in her eagerness to join Audrey in
the shower, her party dress had been haphazardly tossed.  It would've only taken a minute to
hang up either outfit, but that was a minute that Rachel didn't want to waste.  She leaned over
and, grabbing the edge of her bedding, pulled it and the dress on to the floor.


	"Yours it is, then,"  Audrey laughed.


	As they fell onto the now clear bed, their mouths locked in a kiss, the press of Audrey's
lips and the soft caress of her tongue sent an illicit thrill through Rachel.  It the light of what
they'd already shared in the shower, it was silly to still think of anything as forbidden, but doing
so made it all the more exciting.  Besides, Rachel reminded herself, there were still a few things
she had yet to try, and was eager to do so.


	Their kisses continued as they rolled back and forth on the bed, lips against lips, tongues
exploring the depths of their mouths.  Enthusiastic hands roamed across all too willing flesh,
applying just the right amount of pressure in the most sensitive of areas.


	Rachel brought her hand up and cupped Audrey's left breast, working her way across the
supple flesh toward the hard nipple near the center.  She rubbed it back and forth, squeezing it
with her fingers.


	"Am I doing this right?"  she asked as she glanced up into Audrey's face, not having
much to go on other than her own knowledge of what felt good to her.


	"Baby, you're doing just fine,"  Audrey said as she leaned in for another kiss.


	Even if she had an unlimited amount of time to try, Rachel doubted that she could ever
remember the names of all the guys she'd kissed in her life.  But if she lived to be a hundred,
she knew she would never forget the name of the first woman - or how it felt to have her lips
against hers.  Magical seemed such an inadequate word to describe what she was feeling, but
for now it would have to do.  By morning, it would become the most overused word in her
vocabulary.


	By now, Rachel's other hand was working on Audrey's right breast, massaging the soft
skin and playing with the hard center with her thumb.  After kissing Audrey one last time, Rachel
brought her head down and softly kissed each nipple, running her tongue over the tips.  Then she
closed her lips around the closest of them, pulling it deep inside her mouth.  She savored the
sensation for a few long moments, then duplicated her action on its twin.


	Her heart raced as she rained kisses all over Audrey's larger breasts, covering them with
wet trails of her excitement - alternating soft licks with small, affectionate love bites.  Audrey's
moans were, Rachel felt, the most pleasing song she had heard in a very long time.


	Relinquishing her hold on one breast, Rachel reached down between Audrey's legs and
traced the outline of the dark bushy mound with her fingers.  Moving to the center, she applied
just a bit more pressure and parted the curtain the protected the depths of Audrey's womanhood.
A sharp, louder moan escaped the brunette's lips as the redhead moved first one, then a second
and third finger inside of her, moving them all in and out.  Slowly at first, but then with increasing
speed.


	"Oh yes,"  Audrey purred.


	Rachel continued for another minute or two, delighting in the feel of her fingers inside
the older woman and the reactions her motions were producing.  She kissed each of Audrey's
nipples one last time, then began to work her way down across her stomach, kissing and licking
her way with unrestrained joy.  Lower and lower she went, continuing the ministrations of her
darting fingers as she moved.  Suddenly, she paused at the edge of Audrey's wetness, taking in
the sweet nectar of her sex. The heady aroma brought to mind a line she had once heard on a
cable TV series.


	"Sweetheart, that's all very nice..."  an Asian lesbian had said to one of the show's
female leads, "...but if you're not going to eat pussy, you're not a dyke."


	Rachel wasn't sure why exactly that line had suddenly come to her, other than the fact
that eating pussy was exactly what she was now about to do.  Once she did, a line would be
forever crossed.  It was one she stepped over without another thought or hesitation.


	As Rachel's tongue slid over Audrey's most sensitive of spots, sending an electrical
surge ripping through her body, the thirty-three year old couldn't help but be reminded of her own
first time with Jenny Downing, on a sleep-over back in tenth grade.  She hoped Rachel would
remember what was happening now as fondly as she remembered what had passed between her
and Jenny.


	If her actions were any indication, Rachel had every intention of making sure that it did.
She reached out with her hand and parted Audrey's lips with her fingers, the closeness of her
goal making her feel a bit giddy.  She didn't remember feeling this excited the first time she had
beheld a man this close, but she noted that in that instance, it had actually been a boy, and
Audrey was undeniably a grown woman.


	As her tongue probed deep inside Audrey, Rachel closed her eyes as if to insure this
'first time' would be something she would always remember, no matter how many time she might
repeat it in the future.  That she was already considering that there might be more women in her
future would not occur to her until days from now when she looked back on the event.


	Filled with euphoric excitement, Rachel moved closer and sought out Audrey's clitoris.
Unlike the boy who had first gone down on her back in high school, she had the advantage of
knowing just where it was.  Once she made contact, she alternated between her fingers and her
tongue, quickly driving Audrey wild.  So much so that it proved impossible for her to maintain the
silence she had been trying to preserve, lest anything she say detract from Rachel's big moment.


	"Oh God, yes…"  Audrey moaned loudly,  "you're right on the money."


	Audrey wasn't sure if Rachel's success was the result of luck or if the girl was that rarity,
a natural born cunnilingist, but either way she didn't care.  All she cared about, at least at the
moment, was that this neophyte was getting to her in a way experienced lover rarely did.


	"Oh yeah, baby, just keep going like that,"  Audrey moaned in encouragement, pressing
her pussy against Rachel's mouth as she rode along on waves of ecstasy.


	It was now all just tongue against pussy as Rachel placed both hands against Audrey's
legs and held her tightly.  The older woman joined in as she placed interlocking fingers against
the back of Rachel's head, holding her in position just as tightly.


	Neither was certain just how long they went at it, Rachel using her tongue to send ripples
of joy racing through excited flesh and Audrey rocking her body back in forth in time with those
waves, continuing to cry out encouragements as she did. The rise to the summit was a gentle,
constant climb, one that nevertheless exploded with pleasing force.  A force that was as
unanticipated as it was enjoyable.


	"Oh God, oh God… oh my God!"  Audrey cried out at the top of her lungs as Rachel
gave her one last thrust of her tongue and sent her hurtling into heavenly bliss.


	Her body quivered, her heart raced, and sweat covered the brunette as a resounding
orgasm spread across her from top to bottom.  It wasn't the best climax that she had ever felt,
but it certainly hadn't been bad.  Not bad at all.


			-=-=-=-


	"That,"  Audrey said between unevenly spaced breaths as she opened her eyes long
moments later,  "was really good."


	"Oh my God, I can't believe I really did that,"  Rachel said just as breathlessly, lifting
herself from between Audrey's legs.


	"That you just went down on another woman, or that you actually brought her to
orgasm?"  Audrey asked, her breathing now becoming more regular.


	"Both, actually,"  Rachel laughed.


	"Any regrets?"  Audrey inquired with just the slightest bit of concern in her tone.


	"Only that it's taken me this long to try this,"  Rachel smiled, amazing herself with her
words.


	"Well,"  Audrey said,  "I don't want to give you a swelled head or anything, but if I'd
known yesterday what you were capable of, I'm not totally sure that our little discussion would've
had the same outcome."


	That made Rachel smile even wider.


	"But like I said before, I really don't dwell on what might have beens,"  Audrey laughed
again,  "so I guess I'll just have to make up for the missed opportunity now."


	If it weren't impossible, Rachel would've smiled even more.


			-=-=-=-


	Audrey eased Rachel back on the bed, her head coming to rest against the two pillows
by the headboard.  Then she climbed into the space between the redhead's legs, leaning down to
kiss her hard on the mouth.  Rachel responded immediately, pulling Audrey down against her as
she pressed forward into the kiss.


	Their tongues darted back and forth, even as Rachel slipped her hand down into the
small gap between their bodies, bringing it to rest on a mound still wet from Audrey's orgasm.
She rubbed it softly as they continued to kiss, until the older woman lifted her head and laughed.


	"Hey, you had your turn,"  she said with a smile as she pulled herself back off just long
enough to break contact, then moved right back to where she had started.


	This time, Rachel was content just to lay back and enjoy it, bringing her free hand to rest
against the cheeks of Audrey's ass, an action that the brunette didn't seem to mind.  Audrey
kissed her even more deeply as her hand covered Rachel's breast, outstretched fingers pressing
deep into soft flesh.


	With a practiced skill, she toyed with the her nipples, bringing them to a hardness Rachel
hadn't thought possible, squeezing them tightly as their bodies rolled back and forth. Audrey
soon replaced her fingers with her mouth, bringing a warmth to Rachel's mound that she had
never experienced with a lover before.


	It wasn't long before Audrey was duplicating what Rachel had done before, the tip of her
tongue rolling across the younger girl's skin until it too soon stood against the threshold of her
tightly trimmed mound, a treasure that Audrey took more then a few heartbeats to admire and
appreciate.


	If the question had ever been asked, Audrey could, without even having to think about it,
come up with the number of women she had been with since that night with Jenny seventeen
years ago.  It was a simple thing for her to remember, really, because she saw each woman as
unique and each experience as unlike any that had come before.  So it was with the young
woman spread out before her, and she knew their time together was to be savored, not rushed.


	During that brief pause, Rachel found herself filled with a sense of expectation unlike
any she had ever felt before.  It was hardly the first time anyone had gone down on her; in fact,
some of those who had done so had been quite good at it.  The cause of her anticipation, she
knew, was that now there was a woman before her, someone who
knew the secrets of her body almost as well as she did.


	"Blessed mother in heaven!"  Rachel gasped, using an invocation that the sisters at
Saint Matthews would've no doubt considered blasphemous, as Audrey dropped her head down
and immediately began to fulfill every one of her hopes.


	It didn't take long for Rachel  to learn that there was a very big difference between being
good at something and really being great.  There was no doubt that Audrey truly loved eating
pussy as her tongue rolled across the Rachel's wetness, working its way up to her clit where her
lips closed around it.


	Rachel brought her hand to the back of Audrey's head, much as Audrey had done to
hers.  But her touch was a gentler one, a soft caress rather then a guidance to her most secret
places.  After all, Audrey was having no problem finding them all on her own.


	Somewhere along the way, Audrey's fingers had also come into play, thrusting in and out
of Rachel's pussy, leaving her tongue to concentrate on the crown above.  The waves of delight
that washed across the younger woman quickly equaled, then exceeded those she had enjoyed
in the shower.


	And as it had in the shower, it didn't take long for Audrey to bring Rachel to a pleasing
climax, one that gently reverberated all across her body.


	"That was number two,"  Audrey said with a smile as she lifted her head up but didn't
withdraw her fingers,  "care to try for number three?"


	'That's like asking a six year old if she would like another ice cream cone,'  Rachel
thought as she smiled her acquiescence.


	Audrey wasted no time in going for number three, working her magical fingers in and out
of Rachel, gliding her thumb against her clit as she shifted her body so that she could again kiss
the redhead.  Never missing a stroke, she duplicated her earlier success in even less time than
before, giving Rachel a smaller but almost as pleasing orgasm.


	With one orgasm on top of another,  Rachel needed a few minutes to collect herself.
Once she had, however, she was determined to, if not even the score, at least make it a close
game.


	She changed places with Audrey, putting herself now on top and her head tight between
the brunette's legs.  It took twice as long as before, but the no longer Sapphic virgin finally
brought her new lover to a satisfactory climax.


	"Proud of yourself?"  Audrey asked as Rachel rolled out from between her legs and
climbed up to the empty space next to her on the bed.


	"Actually, I am,"  she said with a grin.


	"Well, you should be,"  Audrey replied with an equally broad smile.


	They laid there for a few minutes, bodies pressed close together as they shared each
other's warmth.  Rachel couldn't remember the last time she'd had so much fun in bed.  She let
her mind wander for a bit, only to find the strangest of thoughts filling it.


	"A dollar for your thoughts,"  Audrey said, having noticed the perplexed look on Rachel's
face.


	"A dollar?"  Rachel laughed.


	"Well, inflation, you know,"  Audrey laughed back,  "plus, I'm sure your thoughts are
worth at least that."


	"Somehow, I doubt what I was thinking would be worth even that,"  Rachel said.


	"Why don't you let me be the judge of that?"  Audrey suggested.


	"Well, as silly as it sounds,"  Rachel remarked,  "I was thinking that if that asshole
Frankie hadn't taken the money, none of this ever would've happened.  In fact, right now I'd
probably be in bed with him instead of you."


	"I guess it just goes to show you that no one is totally worthless,"  Audrey softly laughed.


	Rachel smiled at the reply, glad that Audrey hadn't found it silly at all.


	"Do you think you'd have enjoyed yourself more if you were there instead of here?"
Audrey unexpectedly asked.


	The question took Rachel by surprise, but not so much so that she didn't quickly come
up with an answer.


	"I've been told that it's better not to dwell on what might have beens,"  she smiled as she
pulled close to Rachel and laid her head on top of her breast,  "and that was by a very smart
woman.  So I think I'll just take her advice."


	Audrey laughed, kissing the top of Rachel's head as she did.


	"I had a really wonderful time,"  Rachel added, giving at least part of the answer to the
question she'd just sidestepped.  "So much so that I actually feel sad that we're done."


	"Who said we were done?"  Audrey asked.


	Rachel looked a bit puzzled for a moment.  They had done what women do with each
other, hadn't they?  With most satisfying results, she recalled, more than once in fact.


	"There is something else we can try,"  Audrey said as she lifted herself up on her elbow
into a higher position.  "I didn't suggest it before, because I wasn't sure how you might react, but
now I think it might be something you'd enjoy."


	"What?"  Rachel asked, filled with curiosity as she lifted herself up as well.


	Audrey took another long moment to think before, without answering the question, at
least not with words, she slid off the side of the bed.  Rachel watched with curiosity as Audrey
stepped over to her bed and picked up the small gym bag on the floor by it.  She couldn't see
what it was that Audrey took out of it, at least not until she turned all the way around.


	"Well, what do you think?"  Audrey asked as she held what she had taken out of the bag
in her hand.


	"Omigod!"  Rachel called out as she saw what Audrey was holding.  "Is that what I think
it is?"


	"If it's not, I can't imagine what else it might be,"  Audrey laughed.


	There in her hand, eight thick inches long, was the most perfect copy of a man's cock
Rachel had ever seen.  It was attached to a leather harness, illustrating that, unlike the much
smaller version she had once been given as a gag gift, this one was meant to be worn.


	"So what do you think?"  Audrey asked again.


	"I think that evidently I was wrong,"  Rachel said.  "It seems that I can eat pussy and still
have a cock too. "


	"So, I take it you want to give it a go then," Audrey grinned.


	"Abso-fucking-lutely,"  Rachel enthusiastically replied.


			-=-=-=-


	Rachel watched in fascination as Audrey stepped into the black leather harness and
then, after pulling it up around her pelvis, tightened the straps until it rested firmly against her
body.  With one arm resting on her hip, Audrey struck a pose, allowing the woman on the bed to
get a really good look at her new appendage.


	"It almost looks like the real thing,"  Rachel said as she looked it over, thinking that its
dimensions were pretty close to the natural one she had enjoyed not more than forty-eight hours
before.


	"Almost,"  Audrey replied, "but it does have one distinct advantage."


	The expression on Rachel's face seemed to ask what.


	"You never have to worry about it going soft before the job is done,"  Audrey grinned.


	Rachel laughed, agreeing that was indeed an important distinction.


	Audrey climbed in bed, moving back to the spot next to Rachel that she had just
vacated.  She started to lean over but was stopped when Rachel put up her hand.


	"Wait a second,"  she said, causing Audrey to pause,  "something's just not right here."


	Not sure what that could be, Audrey backed up a few inches and replied with a look that
said, ask away.


	"Not that I'm not glad that you brought your little, okay maybe not so little, toy along,"
Rachel said,  "but I can't help wondering why you did.  Do you always carry it everywhere you
go?"


	"No, not everywhere,"  Audrey laughed.  "Only places where I think I might have
occasion to use it."


	"And you thought tonight might have been one of them,"  Rachel queried, suspicion in
her voice,  "despite everything you originally said about my just being a platonic guest?"


	"Actually, my bags were all packed before I even went over to D'Martini's yesterday
morning,"  Audrey said, sincerity in her own tone.  "When I tossed it in my bad, I still thought I'd
be attending the wedding with Jenna."


	"Jenna, who you also said was just a friend,"  Rachel pointed out.


	"Well, there are friends, and then there are friends,"  Audrey said, a much stronger
emphasis in the way she said it a second time.


	It took a few seconds for Rachel to realize it, but the unsaid phrase 'with benefits' could
almost be heard in the way Audrey stressed the word a second time.


	"But you said she wasn't your girlfriend,"  Rachel recalled.


	"And she's not,"  Audrey replied.  "We're, what's the best way to describe it, oh, I know,
fuck buddies.  Perhaps you've heard the term before."


	'Yeah, I've heard it before,'  Rachel thought, thinking of someone who had fitted that
description more than once in the last few years.


	In the space of seconds, Rachel's expression encompassed suspicion, embarrassment
and finally  apprehension.  That her accusation might have just ruined what had up to now been
a really interesting experience was a real concern.


	"Okay, I can live with that,"  Rachel said with a smile, hoping that Audrey was willing just
to ignore her momentary distrust.


	"I'm glad,"  Audrey answerered with her own smile,  "because I was really looking
forward to fucking you."


	There was joy to Rachel's eyes, because from the moment she had seen the sex toy,
she had been looking forward to that as well.


			-=-=-=-


	"Oh yes, oh yes, oh baby, fuck me, fuck me harder!"  Rachel cried out, not caring if the
guests in the rooms around them heard her.
	
	She was on her back with Audrey lying on top of her, her legs wrapped tightly around the
brunette's thighs.  They had been fucking for almost twenty minutes now, long having passed
even Frankie's best record.


	When Audrey had first come close enough for Rachel to actually put her hands on the
counterfeit cock, she'd remarked that it almost felt real.  Audrey had laughed and said she'd have
to take the younger woman's word for it, not having ever seen one for real, much less felt it.


	They had started off leisurely enough, with Audrey insisting that, despite Rachel still
being wet, they also use just a bit of lubricant.  That done, Audrey has placed the tip of her cock
against Rachel's pussy and ever so slowly filled her with its length and girth.  Her initial thrusts
were gentle enough, interlaced with soft kisses.


	Then she began to quicken her pace, soon reaching a point where Rachel was glad they
had taken the extra precaution.  It allowed her to relax and enjoy the hardness deep inside of
her.


	Together they rocked back and forth, sharing kisses less frequent but more intense.
Audrey slammed into Rachel with such force that the latter's body bounced against the mattress,
even as her body quaked with the erotic vibrations that were radiating throughout her.


	At one point, Audrey lifted herself up and pushed back Rachel's legs, not missing a
single stroke as she did.  She looked down at the younger woman's bouncing breasts, the smile
on her face reflected in her own.


	Holding tightly onto Audrey's legs, Rachel pushed her body forward to meet the former's
thrusts, delighting in the sensation as she filled her repeatedly.  Wetting her fingers, she reached
down and massaged her clit, adding to her pleasures.


	Audrey leaned forward just far enough to bring her breasts above Rachel's face.  The
redhead reached up with her free hand to steady one of them, then guided it to her eager mouth.
Long minutes passed as each did their best to bring bliss to the other, until Audrey signaled that
she was ready to shift that balance in Rachel's favor.


	She did so by totally withdrawing from her, at least for the time it took to turn Rachel
over and onto her knees.  Then she leaned down and kissed her pussy, licking it a few times, just
long enough to take pleasure in the thick ambrosia she found there.  Finally, repositioning
herself, Audrey took hold of her cock and guided it back into the younger woman.


	"Oh yes,"  Rachel moaned into the pillow her head was resting against.


	Her hands pressed tight against Rachel's hips, Audrey quickly resumed the pace she had
set before, continuing the reverberating satisfactions that filled the redhead's quivering form.
She varied flurries of quick thrusts with long slow entries, delighting Rachel who, looking back
over her shoulder, encouraged her onward.


	Audrey arched back, supporting herself on outstretched arms, allowing Rachel to lift
herself upward and, putting her own arms out for support as well, ride Audrey's ever hard cock.


	It wasn't long before they shifted positions, back to the previous one with Rachel down
against her pillow and Audrey driving herself forward.  That also lasted but a few minutes as the
brunette bent her knees into a sitting position and then pulled Rachel up against her.


	Rachel rode her as hard as she could, while Audrey brought one hand around to fondle
the redhead's breasts and the other down to play with her clit.  Their bodies became almost one,
sharing the rising tide within until it suddenly became a tsunami, causing Rachel to cry out with
pleasure-filled abandon.


	Audrey held Rachel tight against her, not relaxing her grip until the last of the tremors left
her body.  As they did, Rachel tilted her head back and kissed Audrey, thinking as she did so that
it was poor payment for the wonders that had been unlocked within her.  But, for now, it would
have to suffice, because that was all she had the energy to give.


	Then she leaned all the way forward, followed by Audrey, who was still inside of her.
Almost as soon as her head dropped against the pillow, Rachel let a lovely fatigue take over and
she fell almost instantly asleep.  Audrey followed just a short time later.


			-=-=-=-


	They slept late into the morning, and as much as the temptation to repeat what they had
shared the night before called to them, they both knew it was time to head home.  As they
retraced their journey of the day before, they talked about almost anything but what had
happened during the night.  Though neither of then said it, both seemed to agree that perhaps
they needed a bit of time to sort it out.


	"Well," Audrey said as pulled over to the curb a block away from Rachel's house and
shut off the ignition.


	"Yeah,"  Rachel replied, taking a moment to glance out the window to see if there were
any Sunday morning walkers about that might see her exit the car.  None could be seen, but still
she was reluctant to get out just yet.


	Seeing Rachel's hesitation, Audrey decided that perhaps she should say something after
all.


	"We could just decide that last night didn't really happen,"  Audrey suggested.  "That it
was, at best, a dream.  A very pleasant one, but in the end just a bit of  phantasm."


	"I suppose we could do that,"  Rachel replied, pausing for a second as if she was
considering it,  "but I'm not sure that's what I want."


	"Indeed?"  Audrey replied, a look of interest on her face.


	"I mean, I really don't see myself ever giving up cock,"  Rachel pointed out,  "at least
totally."


	"And I don't see myself settling down with a girlfriend any time soon,"  Audrey added,
pausing a bit as well before asking,  "So where does that leave us?"


	"Friends?"  Rachel asked.


	"Just friends?"  Audrey asked in turn.


	"Well, like you said, there are friends, and then there are friends,"  Rachel smiled,
holding her breath as she waited for Audrey's response.


	A response that took what seemed like a very long time to come.


	"I could live with that,"  Audrey grinned.


	Then, without double-checking to see if anyone had come onto the street since she had
last looked, Rachel leaned over and kissed Audrey.  It was a kiss that expressed all of the
gratitude that she hadn't been able to summon last night.  After which, she quickly opened the
car door and began to walk down the street in the direction of her house.


	As she watched her walk toward the corner, Audrey smiled when she heard the tune that
Rachel had begun to sing.  It was one that would now have an even more special meaning than
it had before.


	"You can ring my bell, ring my bell,"  she sang as she walked.  "You can ring my bell,
ring my bell."




END


 (c) Ann Douglas 2013

   
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