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Message-ID: <58222asstr$1225948209@assm.asstr-mirror.org>
From: Ann Douglas <ann_douglas@hotmail.com>
Importance: Normal
Subject: {ASSM} AnnD"Cordial Relations" FF -  (1/1)
Lines: 1068
Date: Thu, 06 Nov 2008 00:10:09 -0500
Path: assm.asstr-mirror.org!not-for-mail
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Newsgroups: alt.sex.stories.moderated,alt.sex.stories
Followup-To: alt.sex.stories.d





      Cordial Relations
         by Ann Douglas
      (ann_douglas@hotmail.com)

       "Oh shit,"  Rachel Parker exclaimed as the twenty-five-year old
redhead recognized the well dressed older woman standing at the corner
bus stop, not ten feet from the building she had just exited.

      Her outburst had been louder than she'd realized as both of her
companions turned in her direction.  Mary Ann Bradley, standing to
Rachel's left, had been a friend since high school while Brenda Phillips,
on Mary's left, had only met the two of them at another club a few weeks
before.  Realizing that, whatever the reason, her comment was directed to
something ahead of them, they shifted their attention in that direction.

       "Fuck!"  Mary said in a much lower tone, echoing Rachel's
reaction, as she recognized the woman, now close enough to display a
similar recognition.

       "Oh my goodness, Rachel, it is you,"  Belladonna Giordano said
as she closed the distance between her and the three girls.  "I was sure
when I first saw you standing there that I had to be mistaken, but I can't
say how happy I am to have been right."

      Normally, Rachel would've had no problem with running into
Belle Giordano, no matter how unexpectedly.  After all, up until nine
months ago the forty-two-year old was on track to become her mother-in-
law, and throughout the two years that Rachel had dated Anthony
Giordano she and Belle had enjoyed more cordial relations than she did
with her own mother.

      That situation was exemplified by the different way Belle and her
own mother had reacted to the couple's breakup, only three days before
the wedding, when it came out that "the asshole", as Rachel would now
forever think of him, had been cheating on her.  Elizabeth Parker's counsel
had been to forgive his little transgression because, after all, men were
men and good ones were hard to find.

      Getting a blow job by, or even screwing, one of the hookers his
best man had hired for the bachelor party was a little transgression, Rachel
had shot back at her mother in an angry tone she had never used before.
What Anthony had been doing was fucking his former high school
girlfriend, Karen Miller, who he'd run into a few months before at his
grandfather's garage.  Moreover, he had been doing it right up until two
weeks before the planned nuptials

      Belle, on the other hand, had been the first one to refer to her son
as "that asshole" and had immediately taken her almost daughter's side,
agreeing with her that the wedding be called off.  She had divorced her
own husband for similar behavior a few years after Anthony had been
born and had zero tolerance for such behavior.

      No, running into Belle Giordano wasn't the problem.  The problem
was that she had run into her just as Rachel and her friends were coming
out of Cherry Pie, one of the best lesbian clubs in the city.  Going there
tonight had been Brenda's idea and as luck, or lack of it, would have it;
Belle had to have seen them.  It just didn't seem possible that she couldn't
have since she was looking right at her as they came out the door.

      Yet, as she kissed Rachel on the cheek, the statuesque brunette
didn't seem to have any reaction to it at all.  In fact, she was just going on
about how much she had missed spending time with Rachel.

      "I've missed you too, Mrs. Giordano,"  Rachel finally replied with
a surge of relief as she accepted the fact that the impossible was indeed
possible.

      "Oh, it's Mrs. Giordano now, is it?"  Belle asked, taking a step
backward to better see the young woman.

      "I'm sorry, Belle,"  Rachel apologized,  "I've missed you too."

      "And are you going to introduce me to your friends?"  Belle asked.

      Introductions were quickly made and Belle smiled at Mary Ann
and Brenda, remarking that she knew Mary Ann, didn't she?  When the
younger woman replied that yes she did, Belle made a further remark that
she really had to make the time to have her eyeglass prescription checked.

      "It's getting so I can't see what's ten feet in front of me at times,"
Belle laughed,  "or at least clear enough to really recognize it."

      "Let's hear it for bad eyesight,"  Mary Ann whispered to Rachel in
a very low voice.

      "So where are you all off to tonight?"  Belle asked after explaining
that she was meeting a friend and going to the late night showing of her
favorite old movie at a theatre on the next block.

      "Oh we had no specific plans,"  Rachel quickly said, "just a girls'
night out."

      "Well you all have fun," Belle said, adding that she'd love to come
along but knew they didn't need an old lady like her slowing them down.
"It's been a long time since I had a girls' night out,"  she laughed.

      "You're hardly old,"  Rachel insisted, a sentiment both of the other
girls echoed.

      "Well I really must run,"  Belle said,   "Julie will be waiting at the
theatre and wondering what's become of me.  But before I go, I want you
to promise that you'll come to dinner next week, and I won't take no for
an answer."

       "All right,"  Rachel gave in,  "how about Thursday night?"

      "That would be fine,"  Belle agreed,  "say about seven?"

      "I'll be there,"  Rachel said as she leaned forward and kissed Belle
on her cheek.

      Belle took a further moment to say goodbye to Mary Ann and
Brenda, saying again how delighted she had been to meet them.  Then she
turned and hurried down the street toward the old Rialto Theatre.

      "Wow, that was close,"  Mary Ann said once Belle was across the
street and far out of earshot.

      "You're telling me,"  Rachel laughed.

      "I don't get it,"   Brenda said, feeling she was missing something.

      "Well, let's just say that not all of us are out of the closet,"  Mary
Ann explained.

      "I still can't believe that she didn't see us coming out of the club,"
Rachel said.

      "So what if she did,"  Brenda asked.  "It's not as if she would've
known what kind of club it was, would she?"

      Both Mary Ann and Rachel turned around and took a long look at
the "Cherry Pie."  It really didn't look any different from any other club
they had been to.  In fact, except for the decorative lettering, and the
picture of a pie with a slice cut out, on the smoky front window, there was
nothing to identify it at all.  The short line of girls waiting outside to get in
really didn't say much either since you could find similar lines at many
straight clubs too.

      "I guess we were just being a little paranoid,"  Rachel concluded.

      "Or feeling a little guilty,"  Brenda suggested.

      "I guess that too,"  Rachel agreed, if somewhat reluctantly.

      "God, that's why I'm glad I'm not in the closet anymore,"  Brenda
laughed.  "Life is too short to spend your time worrying if someone is
going to find out that you're a dyke."

      "Half-dyke,"  Mary Ann said with a grin.  "Some of us still drive
stick on occasion."

      "So, are you going to have dinner with the old lady?"  Brenda
asked Rachel, not wanting to have that particular argument with Mary Ann
again.

      "Sure, why not.  I have honestly missed her,"  Rachel answered,
then added in a stronger tone,  "and I meant it when I said she wasn't old.
She has more energy than any two of us."

      "Hey, I didn't mean anything by it,"  Brenda replied,  "In fact, I
thought she was still pretty good looking,  nice tits too.  If she had decided
to come along with us, I might've even tried giving her a tumble."

      "Brenda!"  Rachel exclaimed in a shocked tone, unable to imagine
what Mrs. Giordano's reaction might've been to being approached by her
friend.

      "Hey, it was just a thought,"  Brenda laughed.  "You know what
they say about good women and fine wine, they both get better with age."

      "Let's just end this here and head on to the Pink Pussycat like we
planned,"  Mary Ann interjected.  "It's obvious that Brenda here is in
serious need of a good fuck, and it wouldn't do you or I any harm either."

      All three of them laughed in agreement and started out for the
other club, which was about five blocks north.

                                -=-=-=-

      Leaving work six days later, Rachel decided to stop off at the
liquor store on the corner and pick up a nice bottle or two of wine to take
with her to Mrs. Giordano's.  Anthony's mother had called her earlier in
the day to confirm their dinner date and to assure her, in case she had been
worried, that her son wouldn't show up unexpectedly.

       "Actually, Anthony moved out not long after the wedding that
wasn't,"  Belle had said.  "He's been living over at his grandparents' until
he can afford a place of his own.  The two of us didn't see eye to eye
about a number of things and we both thought it best."

      It was one small bit of consolation, at least to Rachel, that "the
asshole" had been left with the cost of the wedding reception even though
no one actually went to it.  The caterers, band and photographer still had to
be paid, having signed contracts that had passed the date he could get any
kind of refund.  In addition, without the money he expected to get as gifts,
all of it had to come out of his own pocket.

      Faced with several thousand dollars in bills, he'd actually had the
nerve to suggest that Rachel cover half the cost.  She in turn had suggested
that he ask Karen Miller for half, since she was the reason there hadn't
been a wedding.  Unfortunately for Anthony, she had already moved on to
another hard cock and wasn't returning his calls.

      With two bottles of wine that she was sure would go well with
what Belle was making for dinner, Rachel boarded the cross town bus and
headed over to the Riverside section.  She worked later than she planned
and hadn't had time to change, but she was sure Mrs. Giordano would
understand.  The last thing she had wanted to go to dinner in was the black
skirt and white blouse she wore as a hostess at Papa Giovanni's.

      The bus left Rachel off two blocks from the Giordanos' so she
found herself ringing the doorbell at five past seven.  Almost as if she had
been waiting by the door, Belle answered the chimes before the echo had a
chance to fade.

      "I'm so sorry I'm late,"  Rachel said as soon as the door was fully
open.  "Things were crazy at the restaurant and my relief was late and ..."

      "No need to apologize, my dear,"  Belle assured her with a warm
smile.  "As far as I'm concerned, you're right on time,"  she added as she
led her dinner guest into the foyer.

      "And I'm sorry that I didn't have time to change,"  Rachel
continued as she followed Belle out into the kitchen with the bottles of
wine, thankfully noting that the older woman was also dressed on the
casual side, with a soft blue blouse atop a pair of dark slacks.

      "Perfectly understandable,"  Belle said as she took a large bucket
out from under the cabinet and filled it with ice.  "Work does come first.
Besides, I think you look really cute in that outfit,"  she laughed.

      Rachel replied with a smile as she took the two bottles out of the
bag and put them into the bucket of ice.  The smell of lamb chops in the
broiler filled the kitchen and she remembered the best thing about nights at
the Giordanos'.  One thing you could say about Belle was that she really
knew how to cook.  A few years ago, she had started a small but highly
successful catering service, and Rachel had often thought that if she ever
wanted to open a restaurant, Belle could've given Mario Giovanni a run
for his money.

      "Now if we're lucky, these will be chilled by the time everything
else is done,"  Belle said as she checked on each aspect of their meal.  "If
not, I already have a bottle in the fridge that we can open first."

      It turned out that they did need to use the one from the refrigerator,
but that in no way detracted from Rachel's enjoyment of the meal.  The
over dinner conversation was pretty commonplace, more a matter of just
catching up with what had been happening in each other's life since the
break-up of Rachel and Anthony.  It wasn't until the dishes had been
cleared and they'd retired to the living room couch with the first bottle of
Rachel's wine that their discussion became more personal.

      "So,"  Belle said as she stretched out her legs, kicking off her
shoes so that she could slide her legs up onto the cushion,  "are you seeing
anyone?"

      "No, not really,"  Rachel replied, following Belle's example and
making herself more comfortable.  "I guess I'm just not ready yet to get
into anything serious."

      "That's understandable,"  Belle said as she took a drink from her
wine glass.  "In fact, I think you're probably better off being like that for a
while.  I never said it before because I didn't think it was my place to
interfere, but I thought you were way too young to be getting married."

      "Really?"  Rachel said in surprise.

      "You have your whole life ahead of you,"  Belle went on,  "and if
at some point you want to follow the traditional wife and possibly mother
route, there will be plenty of time for that.  But I think that someone as
young and beautiful as yourself should take the time to see what's out
there, to enjoy life before you get yourself tied down."

      "That's funny,"  Rachel said.

      "Why is that?"  Belle asked.

      "Because that's exactly the opposite of what my mother still tells
me,"  Rachel replied.  "That there are only so many good men out there
and that I should latch onto one before they're all gone."

      "Well, men aren't the world,"  Belle said as she refilled her glass.

      "What?"  Rachel asked, not sure what she had meant.

      "Oh nothing,"  Belle said, discarding her remark with a wave of
her hand as simply thinking out loud, then changed the subject to how
Rachel was making out at Papa Giovanni's.

      "I'm doing okay,"  Rachel answered,  "but it has become sort of a
dead end."

      "How so?"

      "Well, it's fine being a hostess,"  Rachel said,  "but I'd really like
to get more involved in running the restaurant.  I've been taking some
business classes at the community college and I really think I could
contribute something in that area."

      "So have you talked about that with Mario?"  Belle asked as she
refilled Rachel's glass.

      "Twice,"  Rachel answered as she took a slip from the now filled
glass,  "but as long as he has two unmarried daughters working there, he
really doesn't need anyone else in the back office."

      "I see,"  Belle said.   She remembered Maria and Sophia Giovanni
well and was quite ready to accept  that the two of them were going to be
unmarried for a very long time.  It wasn't a nice thing to say, but the truth
was that the only way a ring was going on either of their fingers was if a
percentage of the restaurant went with it.

      "Have you thought of looking elsewhere?"  Belle asked after a
moment's pause.

      "I've actually gone on a half dozen interviews,"  Rachel said, "but
the end result is always the same.  I don't have any real experience and no
one is going to hire me without it."

      "Catch-22,"  Belle observed.  "You can't get hired without
experience but you can't get experience if you don't get hired."

      "At least not until I get my associate's degree,"  the redhead
clarified,  "but at the rate I'm going that's going to take another two years
at least.  With the hours I work at Papa Giovanni's, I can only take one or
two classes at a time."

      "I see,"  Belle commented, thinking that she might have a solution
to Rachel's problem but that now wasn't the time to bring it up.  Not when
she had other things on her mind.

      The phone on the end table rang, providing a break in the
conversation.  Belle excused herself for a few minutes while she went
back out into the kitchen to take the call in private.  Closing her eyes as
she rested her head on the couch's high back, Rachel remembered how
much she'd missed spending afternoons and evenings with Belle.  In a
way, they had been the best part of her relationship with Anthony.

      Of course this wasn't the first time that thought had occurred to
her.  During the weeks after she and Anthony had broken up, Rachel had
often asked herself that if she hadn't enjoyed being part of his family so
much, would their relationship have lasted as long as it did.  Even before
the Karen revelation, Rachel had been having second thoughts about the
marriage.  She had chalked it up to cold feet, but the nagging thought that
she might be making a mistake never really went away.

      "Sorry that took so long,"  Belle said as she came back into the
room.  "I have a catering job on Sunday and the client just wanted to
confirm some last minute details."

      "That's okay,"  Rachel replied as Belle took back her place on the
other end of the sofa.  "It must be nice being your own boss."

      "It is,"  Belle agreed,  "if only for the reason that you get to set
your own hours, allowing time for other interests as well."

      "Yes, that's definitely an advantage,"  Rachel said, thinking how
her own life was ruled by the big assignment board in Papa Giovanni's
kitchen.

      "It was nice seeing Mary Ann the other night, she's a lovely girl,"
Belle said, again changing the subject.  "She always seemed very nice."

      "She is,"  Rachel said.  "We've been friends a long time."

      "And that other girl, Brenda was her name, right,"  Belle asked.
"Have you known her long too?"

      "Actually, Mary Ann and I just met her a few weeks ago at a club,"
Rachel said, bringing her glass up to enjoy more of the wine.  "We all just
seemed to hit it off and became almost instant friends."

      "I see,"  Belle said while Rachel took her drink.  "Was that at
"Cherry Pie" or another club?"

      Caught in mid swallow, it was all Rachel could do not to spit out
the wine in her mouth.  As it was, it took a few long seconds before she
could stop choking from having the wine go down the wrong way.

      "The what?"  she sputtered.

      "Cherry Pie, the club the three of you were coming out of the other
night,"  Belle repeated.  "You seemed a little embarrassed about it at the
time so I thought it best to act like I hadn't noticed."

      "Oh God,"  Rachel gasped, thinking herself pretty foolish to have
bought the poor eyesight excuse.  Then again, she had accepted it because
she wanted to believe it.  "Mrs. Giordano, Belle," she corrected herself,  "I
swear to you, I'm not, I mean I was never..."

      "Rachel, take a deep breath,"  Belle said in a calm tone.

      "Belle, I swear,  I'm not..."  Rachel started to say after taking that
breath, then paused as she realized that she was reacting defensively
without any regard for whether she was speaking truthfully or not.  She
had never lied to the woman sitting across from her and she wasn't about
to start now.

      "It's okay Rachel,"  Belle said in the same reassuring voice,  "take
your time and say what you want to say.  I promise that, whatever it is, it
will be okay."

      "I was about to say that I'm not a lesbian,"  Rachel said, pausing
for a few extra moments before going on,  "but that wouldn't really be the
truth, at least not the whole truth.  I guess I've always been attracted to
other women, but I like men too, at least sometimes."

      "So you're bisexual,"  Belle said, her tone carrying no more
surprise than if she'd accused Rachel of not being a natural redhead.

      "I guess so,  I mean I think so,"  Rachel replied, then added in a
much more determined voice,  "but I want you to believe that I did love
Anthony, I really did, and when we were together I never cheated on him
with another man or woman."

      "Well, then you were a lot more committed to the relationship than
he ever was,"  Belle said,  "but then again you were always a lot more
mature than Anthony."

      Rachel showed surprise that Belle would make an observation like
that about her own son.

      "Don't look so surprised,"  Belle said,  "I'm only speaking the
truth.  Do you remember when you were planning the wedding and I
offered to take care of the catering?  If not to do it myself then to at least
make all the arrangements.  Anthony wouldn't hear of it and had to do it
all on his own, just to prove his independence.  In the end, that cost him a
lot."

      "I remember,"  Rachel said, the smallest of smiles on her face.

      "Mary Ann and Brenda, are they like you too?"  Belle asked, her
question seeming to carry a lot more weight than simple curiosity.

      "Mary Ann is,"  Rachel answered.  "I mean she likes both guys
and girls.  Brenda is totally into women only."

      "I see and have you and they...?"  Belle further asked, the full
extent of the question not needing to be said.

      "Mary Ann and I,"  Rachel started to answer, pausing to think that
this was a discussion she could never imagine having with her own
mother.  "Mary Ann and I used to, I guess you could call it experimenting,
back in high school.  We were never really a couple, you know girlfriends
not just girlfriends,"  she added, trying to explain what she really didn't
know how to explain.

      "Have you ever had a lover?"  Belle asked, her use of the word
leaving no doubt she wasn't talking about a man.

      "Two,"  Rachel said, surprising herself with her honesty.  "One
before I met Anthony, and one after.  The first one lasted about six
months, the second less than six weeks."

      "She caught you on the rebound, huh,"  Belle smiled.

      "I can't believe I'm having this discussion,"  Rachel finally said,
adding her earlier thought that she couldn't have imagined having it with
her mother, or that Belle didn't seem to be shocked by what she'd already
told her.

      "Well, I'm not your mother,"  Belle grinned,  "and I don't shock
easily."

      Belle waited a beat, then went on.

      "Have you stopped to consider for a moment, how it was that I
knew what kind of club the three of you were coming out of that night?"
she asked.  "It's not like they have a big neon light outside flashing
`lesbian bar'."

      The look on Rachel's face said she hadn't.

      "Well, I could say that I knew exactly what the Cherry Pie was
because I'm friends with the owner and did a few catering jobs for private
parties there,"  Belle answered.  "And if anyone else asked, that's the
answer they would've gotten.  The truth, however, would be that I knew
what kind of place it was long before that, because I'd been there several
times as a customer."

      It took a moment for the implications of that admission to sink in.
Then Rachel asked the obvious question if Belle was also bisexual.

      "Actually, I'm more like your friend, Brenda,"  Belle said without
hesitation.  "I've never had any interest in men, at least not sexually.  Men
can be great friends, but I've never felt the need for one in my bed."

      "I don't understand,"  Rachel said, the confusion in her voice quite
evident.  "You were married, you have a son."

      "And that, is a story and a half,"  Belle said, adding that Rachel
should open up that last bottle and sit back to hear a tale, one that didn't
involve a fateful trip but a walk down the aisle for two people who were as
unlike as could be.

      It only took Rachel a minute to open the bottle and fill both
glasses, after which Belle began her story.

      "I met Stephen Giordano back in high school,"  she began as she
picked up her glass again.  "He was a junior and I was a freshman.  As I'm
sure it still was in your day, the two groups hardly mixed.  In our case, it
was different, but I'm getting ahead of myself."

      "Stephen was the All-American boy back then,"  she explained.
"Top of his class in almost every subject, as well as lettering in both
baseball and track.  His parents had great dreams for him, among which
was setting him up in the family business.  Even back then they already
owned two garages and were planning a third.  Also of prime importance
to his grandparents was for him to eventually find a suitable bride and
continue the family line.  The latter seemed much more important to the
family judging from their reaction the first time he brought me home to
meet them."

      Even though her own family consisted only of her parents and a
little brother, Rachel could easily imagine the family structure and
priorities Belle described.

      "I think Nanna Giordano starting planning our wedding that first
night at dinner, never mind that I was barely thirteen and we'd only been
on a few dates so far,"  Belle said.  "Still, her persistence paid off and only
three years later we walked down the isle according to plan."

      "I don't understand,"  Rachel interrupted.  "If you never liked men,
why would you marry one?"

      "Well, I said it all went according to plan, but I didn't say exactly
whose plan it was, did I?"  Belle grinned.

      Rachel's face displayed an even more of an `I don't understand'
look.

      "You see, there was one aspect of Stephen's life that his family
never knew,"  Belle said.  "Dear Stephen was as queer as a three dollar
bill."

      "Anthony's father was gay?"  Rachel said, finding the revelation
the biggest surprise in a night of surprises.

      "Absolutely,"  Belle beamed.  "He was a cocksucking, fudge
packing, member of the fraternity."

      "I'm getting confused,"  Rachel confessed.

      "It was really quite simple,"  Belle continued to explain.  "Even at
thirteen, I knew I was as queer as he was and somehow we managed to
recognize that in each other.  We worked out an arrangement between
ourselves and all through high school we covered for each other.  Neither
of our parents ever suspected, seeing only the nice traditional couple that
they wanted to see.  In fact, we used to double date our respective
significant others, going so far as going on vacations together.  Of course
after the day was done we used to switch bed partners when no one else
could see."

      "I've heard about things like that, but I never imagined that they
really happened,"  Rachel commented.

      "Getting married seemed the logical next step,"  Belle said.

      "And you had Anthony as part of this plan?"

      "No, we would never have had a child just to help the
masquerade,"  Belle stated emphatically.  "Our baby was, living proof of
the adage that, yes you can get pregnant the very first time."

      Belle stopped to catch her breath and have a sip of wine.

      "While Stephen and I didn't mean anything to each other sexually,
we were always the very best of friends,"  Belle continued.  "Otherwise
this never would've worked.  There came a night when we got a little
drunk celebrating something or another, I forget what it was now, and for
some also long forgotten reason, we decided to give it a try.  Find out what
straight sex was like, if only out of curiosity.  Of course, impaired as we
were, and the need never having come up before for either of us, birth
control never came to mind."

      "Anthony was an accident,"  Rachel noted.

      "Yes, as many babies are,"  Belle admitted,  "but that didn't mean
we loved him any less."

      "Okay, I can understand most of this,"  Rachel said,  "but both you
and Anthony have told me that you divorced his father because he was
screwing around with a girl in his office."

      "And that's what the divorce papers say,"  Belle confirmed.  "That
had always been our exit strategy, and with his grandparents now satisfied
with an heir apparent, it seemed time to put it into practice.  It was far
easier for the family to accept that Stephen was a skirt chaser who couldn't
keep it in his pants than that he was the kind of man who liked to take it up
the ass."

      "I never imagined,"  Rachel said, thinking that her life was hardly
as complicated as she thought it was.

      "So with the cooperation of a girl that he hired only two months
before with the understanding that she was in no way being employed for
her office skills, we had our divorce and our individual freedom,"  Belle
said as she brought the story to a close.  "We could've never envisioned
that tragic car accident that poor Stephen was in only a year later, and after
that, it hardly seemed important for anyone else to know what our
marriage had really been about."

      "Did he have someone who was special to him?"  Rachel asked,
her curiosity aroused.

      "Yes he did,"  Belle said, an obvious affection in her tone,  "there's
a picture of the two of them on the bookcase over there."

      Curious, Rachel got up and walked over to the bookcase and
picked up the framed picture.  She was surprised to find that it was their
wedding photograph.

      "That's Tom Albert,"  Belle said from over on the couch.  "Not
only was he the best man at our wedding, but he was the one we used to
double date with all through high school."

      Rachel's eyes then focused on the maid of honor in the photograph,
wondering if she had been the other half of those double dates.  That
thought was quickly superseded, however by the realization that aside
from the dress and hairstyle, the girl in the picture bore a striking
resemblance to herself, right down to the short red hair.

      "Her name was Lucy Walsh,"  Belle asked when she saw the
recognition in Rachel's eyes, adding as she put the frame down and started
back to the couch,  "and yes, she was my Mary Ann."

      "What happened to her?"  the younger woman asked.

      "She was like Mary Ann in a number of ways, the most important
to the answer being that she found still liked boys as well,"  Belle
explained.  "Some girls go off to college and sample lesbianism.  In Lucy's
case, it was heterosexuality.  She met a nice boy, things just seemed to
work out and now they have three lovely children, two boys and a girl."

      "This is all a lot to take in,"  Rachel said as she sat back down.

      "I know it is,"  Belle said,  "and I hope you're not too
overwhelmed by it all."

      "No, I'm pretty sure I'm okay,"  Rachel replied.

      "Good, because there's one more thing that I need to tell you,"
Belle said.  "In fact, it's probably the hardest thing to tell you and if I
wasn't just a little bit tipsy right now, I don't think I'd even consider saying
it."

      "After everything else, I can't imagine what that might be,"  Rachel
said, feeling the effects of all that wine herself,  "but this does seem to be a
night for secrets.  So what the hell, let me have it, I doubt anything else
could shock me."

      "I'm very attracted to you, Rachel,"  Belle quickly said, as if to
hesitate would be to lose her nerve.  "I've been attracted to you, as women
like us are attracted to each other, from the day Anthony first brought you
home to meet me.  And it's not solely because you resemble Lucy,
although that might've been responsible for the initial infatuation.  I never
would've said anything while you were with Anthony, but now I can't hold
back from at least saying it.  Even though I know that nothing will ever
come of it."

      "Oh my God!"  Rachel said, each syllable seemingly taking an
eternity to come out of her mouth.  She had been wrong; this had been the
most stunning disclosure of all.

                                -=-=-=-

      A deafening silence hung in the air as Rachel continued to absorb
what had just been said.  Belle knew that her revelations had been a shock
and a part of her now wished she had never made them.  It certainly hadn't
been her plan when she invited Rachel over for dinner, but the wine had
loosened her inhibitions just enough for her to say what was on her mind.
Nevertheless, what was said was said, and her concern now was how
Rachel would react to it.  Would they ever be able to put the genie back in
the bottle and let things go back to the way they were, or would the
admission of a sexual attraction to her sunder their friendship?

      If Belle had only confessed that she was gay and that her marriage
had only been one of convenience, then the awkward moment would've
already passed as both were easy enough for Rachel to accept.  It was her
attraction to her that was giving the redhead pause and not for the reasons
Belle might think.  It wasn't how Belle saw Rachel that was on the
younger woman's mind, but rather the opposite.  How did she now see
Belle?

      Actually, it wasn't so much how she saw her now as revisiting how
she had seen her all along.  By her own admission, Belle's company had
been a good part of the reason she had continued her relationship with
Anthony.  And the other night, when Brenda had, jokingly or not, alluded
to a sexual interest in Belle, Rachel had truthfully felt a tinge of jealousy
rather than the outrage she expressed verbally.  Searching back her
memories of the past two years, she now knew that it had been Belle she
was always looking forward to seeing, not Anthony.  If they had met at
Cherry Pie or some other place where that attraction could've been more
honestly expressed, Anthony might never have come into the picture at all.

      "Belle, I..."  Rachel started to say, and then decided to hell with
words.  Instead, she propelled herself across the couch and kissed the
brunette in a way not usually exhibited by women who had almost been
family.

                                -=-=-=-

      Rachel's response was one that Belle had dared not hope for, and
as such, the unexpectedness of it took her by surprise.  Nevertheless, that
lasted only a moment as her body responded almost instinctively, with her
conscious mind only a heartbeat behind.  Once the reality of her dream
took hold, she responded to the soft lips against her own with all the
passion she was capable of.  Her tongue dancing across Rachel's, probing
deep into her mouth.

      That first kiss lasted what seemed an eternity, only to be eclipsed
by the one that immediately followed.  By the third time their lips met,
Rachel had taken Belle's hand and placed it against her breast, letting her
feel the excitement of her heart.  Even though the thin layers of clothing,
Belle could feel the warmth of her skin.

      Their mouths still interlocked, Rachel reached out and began to
unbutton Belle's blouse.  Despite having seen the older woman in various
stages of undress during shopping trips many times before, this time she
knew it was different.  This time she looked at her as a desirable woman,
one that was now attainable.  As more of the brunette's flesh became
visible, Rachel found it harder to concentrate on what she was doing.
Belle sensed the distraction and found it only increased her own
excitement.

      Even with the distraction, it didn't take much longer for Rachel to
work her way top to bottom.  Sliding aside the folds of Belle's shirt, she
exposed the large round mounds, now only covered with a white lace bra,
the top of which barely covered the edge of her nipples.

      Feeling the same fires burning within, Belle reached for Rachel's
top, only to have her hand stopped halfway there.  With an eager smile,
the redhead eased Belle back onto the cushion, her own body following
close enough for her to whisper in her ear that she would get her chance
soon enough.  For now, she just wanted her to lay back and relax.

      Maneuvering into a position where her knees could rest between
Belle's legs, Rachel leaned even closer and ran her hands down the length
of Belle's body, caressing the exposed flesh with outstretched fingers.
Her hands met at the underside of her breasts, closing around the ample
globes as she squeezed them softly.

      "Damn, Brenda was right,"  Rachel found herself thinking as she
looked at the well kept form beneath her,  "she does have great tits."  It
was an observation that she dared not take note of before.

       "Mmmmm,"  Belle moaned softly as she felt the tips of Rachel's
fingers rubbing against her nipples, causing them to grow hard against the
soft material of her bra.

      Rachel leaned in and again kissed Belle softly, a kiss that was
returned with equal fervor as the older woman wrapped her arms around
the younger and pulled their bodies tight.

      Another round of deep, endless kisses followed as their hands
roamed at will, taking stock of the delights yet uncovered.  The promise of
what was to come.

      Breaking their embrace, Rachel lifted herself up and, starting at the
top, worked her way down her own row of buttons, pausing at each just
long enough for Belle to nod in appreciation and encouragement.  The
plain uniform shirt was casually tossed aside, as was the equally ordinary
white bra.

      Belle's eyes reflected the smile on her face as she gazed upward at
the pair of symmetrical orbs above her.  They were perfectly rounded,
with only the smallest of nipples to mar their flawlessness.  In the months
Rachel had been dating her son, Belle had lost track of how many times
she had chided herself when she realized that she had been staring at
Rachel's beautiful bust.  Now there was no need for reproach, only
admiration.  That, and anticipation.

      Unable to miss the eagerness in her dark eyes, Rachel again
lowered her body, this time bringing her bare breasts to within an inch of
Belle's mouth.  The initiation was enthusiastically accepted as Belle
reached out with her tongue and caressed the tip of the closest nipple.
Then, lifting her head just a bit higher, her lips closed around its totality.

      Now it was Rachel's turn to softly moan as Belle drew her deep
inside, caressing her flesh with her tongue, massaging her softness with
her lips.  The enjoyment of a treat long desired was shared by both as
Belle duplicated her attentions on Rachel's other breast, then returned to
the first as the sensations she produced echoed across the redhead's body.

      Finally, Rachel couldn't wait any longer to return the compliment
and slipped her hands under the cups of  Belle's bra, feeling now the
warmth of her flesh against bare skin.  The thick, hard nipples of the larger
mounds filled the space between her fingers as she squeezed them tightly
between.

      The clasp of Belle's bra was situated between the two cups and
while Rachel was enjoying the mix of hardness and softness, the dark
haired woman brought her own hands up and undid the restraint.  The
once tight material collapsed upon itself, falling loose across the soft flesh
and Rachel's fingers.

      Moving those fingers ever so slowly, Rachel teasingly exposed
what was beneath a little at a time.  First one cup fell away, then the other,
and finally Belle's breasts lay naked in all their glory.

      Twice the size of Rachel's, the broad nipples that pressed against
her hands were similar in size and shape to those on a baby bottle.  And
like a hungry infant, Rachel quickly made use of them in the way nature
had intended, the closest of the two disappearing between her lips.

      Eagerly she sucked it into her mouth, using a combination of
mouth, tongue and teeth to produce a delightful mix of sensations.
Wondrous feelings that were the stuff of dreams for Belle.

      "Oh baby, you don't know how many times I've imagined this,"
Belle cried out as she held the back of Rachel's head tight against her
mound.

      As Rachel had done only a while before, Belle now let her lover
take her time and enjoy her mammary delights, content to just lay there
and enjoy her attention.  She knew that soon enough, Rachel would want
to move on to more interesting possibilities.

      Belle's prediction proved true enough, but not in its entirety.
Rather than give up the bounty of her feast, Rachel chose to include it in
her plans.  Her generation might call it multi-tasking, but Belle just called
it delicious.

      Slipping her hands downward, never losing her mouth's contact
with Belle's breast, Rachel undid the clasp and buttons of Belle's dark
slacks, giving her just enough room to slip her hand inside.  Nimble
fingers quickly worked their way beneath the elastic of what she would
later see were matching lace panties, coming to rest on what even just her
sense of touch could tell was a quite hairy mound.  The evident dampness
excited the redhead as her finger danced across the treasure, gently parting
the soft folds to gain access to the even richer reward within.

       "Oh God, yes!"  Belle cried out as Rachel found the prize she
sought, her fingers probing deep inside the woman beneath her.

      Their bodies now pressed together, Rachel increased the tempo of
her penetrations, causing Belle to quiver and quake under her
ministrations.  The skill of her touch both pleased and surprised the older
woman.  Earlier, when she realized that her most secret fantasy was indeed
coming true, Belle had assumed she would have to take the initiative.  Not
even in that fantasy had she imagined how good a lover Rachel would turn
out to be, or how good she was capable of making her feel.

       "Rachel, I'm going to come!"  Belle called out a short time later,
surprising herself as much as Rachel.

      In response, the redhead shifted her body just enough so that she
could reach Belle's lips, bringing her own to meet them in a kiss.  All the
while, her fingers never missing a beat.

       "Oh yes, oh yes, oh yes..."  Belle gasped repeatedly until her
body exploded in orgasmic fury, rendering her quite inarticulate.

      Her body pressed tight against hers, Rachel could feel the force of
Belle's orgasm.  The unexpectness of which only added to the delight of
what she had done.  So much so that, on a much lower level, she felt a
pleasing pulse between her own legs.

                                -=-=-=-

       "Not that I'm about to complain in the least,"  Belle said a bit later
when, sitting back up on the couch, her voice returned,  "but where the
hell did you learn to do that?"

      Rachel, who was also sitting back up, just sort of smiled and
shrugged her shoulders.  The answer that came to her, that the kind of sex
they'd just had was the norm in the bathroom stalls in some of the clubs
she frequented, wasn't really one that she wanted to give.  Not that she
was ashamed of it, she just wasn't sure if Belle's generation would
understand.

       "Well, all I can say is, if you can make a man feel half as good as
you just made me feel,"  Belle said, not really thinking about what she was
saying,  "then my son is a bigger asshole than I ever imagined."

      Up until that moment, Rachel had managed to dissociate herself
from the fact that, up until a few months ago, she had been sleeping with
the son of the woman she'd just fucked.  Her fear being that recalling that
fact would make the current situation seem all too strange.

      Surprisingly, now that it had been brought to the forefront, it didn't
seem that way to her at all.  Without really thinking too hard about it, she
could recall three people she knew who dated one member of a family, all
to the point of intimacy, only to wind up with one of their siblings instead.
Extending that to include a parent might be a stretch, but not outside the
realm of possibility.

      That brief look of contemplation on Rachel's face made Belle
think she had made a grievous error reminding the girl beside her of her
relationship with her son.  In line with her long held view that the best
defense is a good offense, Belle quickly decided the best way to correct
her assumed mistake was to take Rachel's mind off it as soon as possible.

      Asking Rachel to stand up,  Belle took hold of the zipper on the
back of her skirt and pulled it down until the bottom half of her uniform
grew slack enough to slide free.  A pair of light blue panties followed,
along with a pair of black loafers and the low cut socks that filled them.

      Unlike Belle's, Rachel's sex was almost bare, with only a tuft of
red hair above it.  Despite her years of experience, Rachel was the first girl
she had seen this way, at least since she'd become sexually active in her
teens.  She couldn't help but take a few long moments to admire it before
returning her attention to the matter at hand.

      Guiding Rachel back onto the couch, spreading her legs open as
she did, Belle dropped down on her knees between them.  As she moved,
her eyes never diverted from the smooth mound only inches away, her
gaze intent enough to take note of a small dew drop of honey resting near
the center.

      Adjusting her legs to their most comfortable position, Belle
reached out and ran her fingertips across Rachel's smooth skin.  The
electrifying touch sent a shiver across the younger woman's body, one that
was just a forerunner of many more to come.  Picking up that dew drop on
the tip of her finger, Belle brought it back to her own lips and licked it
clean.

      "Mmmm, ambrosia,"  she softly whispered.

      Her finger returned to Rachel's mound, accompanied by the two
around it.  Gently, they parted the folds of her sex and carefully worked
their way inside her.

      "Ooooooo,"  Rachel moaned, delighting in the feel of the welcome
penetration.

      Slowly Belle's fingers disappeared until they were gone from
view, only to reemerge a moment later.  Then the process repeated itself
time and again, growing shorter each interval.  With each new penetration,
Rachel's breaths grew shorter and her sweet cries of appreciation longer.

      The movement of Belle's hand soon became too much of a blur for
Rachel to follow, not that she was trying too hard to watch.  Instead she
was content to lie back against the cushions, eyes closed, as she enjoyed
the obvious talents of her almost mother-in-law.

      Artfully,  Belle's fingers danced along the sensitive flesh,
transforming that first spark into a resounding and pleasing pulse that
echoed across Rachel's body.  A pulse that doubled and tripled in intensity
as the touch of Belle's talented fingers was joined by that of her even more
talented tongue.

      With consummate skill, Belle's agile tongue probed the furthest
recesses of Rachel's sex, bringing with it a euphoric blanket that
enveloped the younger woman's body.  There was no place in the world
more pleasing to be for Belle than between a beautiful woman's legs with
her mouth pressed tightly against her sex, and no feast more satisfying
than the nectar found there.

      In a thought that some would undoubtedly consider perverse to say
the least, Rachel considered that Anthony could certainly have used an
afternoon's instruction from his mother in the art of pleasing a woman
orally.  Belle was an artist, there was no other word for it, the redhead
concluded.  With half as much effort, she made Brenda, who had gone
down on so many women that the number shocked Rachel, seem like a
rank amateur.

      The experience of age proved true as all of the small ripples of
delight that had been washing over Rachel began to converge until they
formed one great oscillating surge.  A tidal wave of passion that burst
forth from the core of her being, carrying her to heights she had never
before imagined.

      As words had failed Belle earlier, they now failed Rachel as well,
with only a silent scream filling the air.  Nevertheless, the force of her
orgasm could be felt through the tremors that rippled across her body,
forceful testaments easily read by the woman whose hands held her so
tightly.

                                -=-=-=-

      "So how did your dinner with the old lady go?"  Brenda asked
three days later as she sat at the outdoor caf� where she'd met Rachel after
work.

      "It went fine,"  Rachel said as she took a sip of the ice tea she had
ordered when she arrived a few minutes before.  "And her name is Belle,
as I'm sure you well remember."

      "Just fine?"  Brenda asked, ignoring the reproach.

      "Well, let's say interesting,"  Rachel added with a smile.

      "Interesting, huh,"  Brenda repeated as she leaned across the small
table.  "I think you're going to have to define interesting because I know
that smile."

      "My God, Brenda, you're incorrigible,"  Rachel said, hoping her
tone carried the right amount of indignation.  "Is that all you ever think
about?"

      "No,"  Brenda responded with a broad smile,  "it's not all I think
about.  It's just the most fun thing I think about.  So if not that, what made
dinner so interesting?"

      "Well for one thing,"  Rachel said, pausing for a moment as if she
was thinking about her answer,  " she offered me a job."

      "A job?"

      "Yes, a job,"  the redhead said.  "Evidently, she's been planning to
expand her catering business for some time now, but was holding off until
she could find an assistant that she felt she could feel comfortable working
with."

      What Rachel left out was the fact that the job offer had actually
come at breakfast, not dinner.  The interval between the two being hours
where neither of the two had gotten much sleep.

      "And this would be better than working at the restaurant?"  Brenda
asked.

      "Immensely so,"  Rachel replied.  "Not only would I finally be
getting practical work experience, the schedule will be flexible enough for
me to take another class or two."

      "Well, it seems like you definitely lucked out,"  Brenda said as she
brought her own drink to her lips.  "Who'd have imagined that just
keeping up cordial relations with someone would have so many benefits?"

      "Yeah, there certainly have been benefits,"  Rachel said almost
wistfully.

      The change in tone and the look of bliss on Rachel's face made
Brenda want to continue their discussion, but Mary Ann's arrival at that
moment put an end to that.  Where they were going to party tonight was a
more important topic than what Rachel had done three nights before.  At
least to two out of three of them.

      END

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