Chapter 1 - Ennui
"Should I give you a few minutes more?"
Michelle had been daydreaming, and hadn't noticed the woman approach. "Oh, no, I think we're ready," she said, glancing at her friends across the table for confirmation.
"I've heard that the steaks here are as good as anywhere," she said, after getting a nod from each, "so I'll take the eight-ounce rib-eye, medium rare."
"It's true," the waitress replied. "You won't be disappointed. What else?"
Her nonchalant but non-boastful tone caused Michelle to look up at the young woman, seeing her for the first time, and immediately wanting to take a second and third glance.
She appeared to be around Michelle's own age, a little shy of thirty, with short curls of an evening gold, several shades darker and more lustrous than Michelle's pale blonde, and eyes of a startling green. Freckles lightly dusted a button nose. She was slender, her build athletic, the widening of her hips subtle beneath her black skirt. Her crisp, white short-sleeved shirt had a disappointingly high neck, as she wore a complex red bow tie that hugged the shape of her shirt. A shape that strongly hinted at treasures within. The barely discernible outline of a low bra below the tie made Michelle doubly disappointed that the shirt's coverage was so complete.
Though she tried to be subtle as she checked her out, the woman must have caught a hint of Michelle's scrutiny, given her impish smile as she acknowledged the rest of her order.
It hadn't even been a conscious action on Michelle's part. Just an old pattern, no longer appropriate. Given her recent history, Michelle had no inclination to flirt, but force of habit and the waitress's undeniable allure made it impossible for her eyes not to wander.
She wondered what the young woman's reaction would be to her friends, who were clearly partners, and was pleased to find that she took their presence entirely in stride. If anything, her smile showed pleasure at the clear affection the two girls shared as they bickered over the menu. She glanced back, catching Michelle's gaze for a moment, and Michelle felt she could read her mind. "Are you also into women?"
Turning back to Michelle after the couple had finally come to an agreement and placed their orders, the waitress asked, "Will you be wanting wine, or staying with your Negroni?"
Studying the wine list had seemed too much like a reminder of her job, and Michelle hadn't picked it up. "What would you recommend?"
The waitress moved close, brushing against Michelle's arm. She felt goosebumps at the contact. A cool scent called to mind snowscapes and winter meadows. "This Malbec is as good as any we have," the waitress said, opening the wine menu and touching the selection with her pen.
It wasn't a label Michelle recognized, though O'Neill's, where she worked, often carried Argentinian wines. It was far from the most expensive wine on the menu - very reasonable, by restaurant prices, which pleased Michelle. She could have easily recommended the most expensive red on the list.
The waitress remained close. Michelle could still detect her cool perfume as she asked her companions, "What do you think? Shall we get a bottle? We are celebrating."
"We're Ubering," said Kayla, the girl in the round silver-framed glasses, with dark mermaid hair and intense blue eyes. "We can have a glass or two."
"Is it safe to allow you and Michelle to drink together?" asker her partner, with a sly grin. Anita was a slender Chinese-American girl, who'd been in Kayla's life since before Michelle had met her, though they hadn't started dating until later. "Remember what happened last time? Do I need to play chaperone?"
"Those days are over, love," Kayla said, with a mock sigh.
"I think I can keep myself in check," Michelle agreed, dryly. She turned to the waitress, her arm brushing the woman's again. She was clearly amused by the conversation. Michelle wondered what she'd gathered from it. "We'd like a bottle, please."
"I'll bring it right away," the woman said. "Give it a chance to breathe before your food arrives. And if you need anything" - there was a slight emphasis on the word - "at all, my name's Rose."
"Anything at all," Kayla repeated, after the waitress - Rose - had left the table. "Anything for you, I think."
Anita chuckled. "Oh yeah, she totally wants you, Michelle."
Sighing, Michelle shook her head. "She's just flirting for tips," she said. "I do it myself. It can make a serious bump in an evening's income."
"She wants you," Anita insisted. "And she's seriously hot."
"Hey, you're not supposed to notice other girls," Kayla objected.
"Like your eyes weren't glued to her skirt as she left?" her partner asked.
"In the spirit of scientific enquiry, I was curious how fabric could stay so tight and still stretch like that," Kayla argued, then gave Michelle a quick smirk. "You're facing the wrong way."
"However hot she is, I'm not interested," Michelle insisted. "You know that."
Kayla reached across the table to take her hand. She shook it gently against the table. "You're free now," she said. "It's why we're celebrating, after all. Isn't it time to let go?"
"One day," Michelle said. "When I'm ready. Soon, I'm sure."
Sensing a presence behind her, she looked up to find that Rose had returned. The faint wintry scent might have been her imagination as Kayla released her hand.
After serving the wine, Rose didn't leave immediately. "This is your first time here?" she asked. The flicking of her eyes was subtle, but she seemed to take in Michelle's appearance in a glance: the braided updo, with messy strands carefully teased out; the loose spaghetti strap top, quite revealing, though not out of place at this upscale-casual restaurant; the intricate dark artwork on both arms - her other tattoos would be hidden, though a butterfly's wing might be partially exposed, depending on how her top currently lay against her left breast. Michelle felt warmed by the woman's perusal.
None of the three companions had eaten at the golf club restaurant before, but it had a reputation as being the best casual dining place around. Michelle's comment about the steaks must have marked her as a newcomer. "It is," she agreed.
"I feel like I recognize you," the waitress said. "Have we met?"
"I tend bar at O'Neill's," she said. "And Gabby's."
"Oh, right! I'm sure I've seen you at O'Neill's," Rose said.
"Or maybe you've seen her singing with her band," interjected Kayla. "She has an incredible voice."
"Oh?" Rose's eyebrows quirked up. "What name?" she asked Michelle.
"'Of Darkness'," she replied.
"Oh yeah? I haven't seen you, but I dated someone who was obsessed with you. The band, I mean. Claimed you were destined to make it big."
Michelle laughed. "That's the reason you're not together?"
Rose returned her grin. "No, but it might be the reason I never went to a gig. My loss, I guess." This time her smile was clearly flirtatious. Michelle's belly tingled with a feeling that had become unfamiliar in the last several months. Not since that night over a year ago, that very naked, very physical, very orgasmic night with Kayla, who now sat across from her, holding her fiancée's hand.
When Rose left, Michelle turned her head to follow her movements, agreeing silently with Kayla that the tight skirt was unscientifically flexible, and observing the exaggerated swaying of her hips. She sighed. "Okay, you're right," she admitted. "She's coming on to me."
"And you're going to ignore it?" Anita asked, incredulous. She was the more reserved of the two - at least, outside the bedroom, though rumor had it that she was much less demure between the sheets. As the bartender of her favorite night spot, Michelle heard these things.
"I don't want to fall back into old habits," she said. "There's more to life than another girl in my bed."
"Oh, God, is there?" Kayla asked. "Did you know that?" she asked Anita, who released her hand to elbow her in the ribs.
"Oof," she continued. "Well, fair enough. We'll change the subject. But you should at least get her number."
Rose didn't intrude on their meal again, other than checking on their needs, which included a second bottle of the excellent wine. When she brought the check, Michelle took it. Her friends might have more stable incomes, but they'd stood by her through the divorce proceedings, and now that it was over, she wanted to treat them.
Returning with the credit card stub, Rose tore off a sheet from her order pad. Leaning close enough for her perfume again to remind Michelle of distant snowscapes, she said, "Would you text me when the band's playing next? I'd like to see them." Then she turned the pager over, and on the plain reverse, in large flowery characters - left-handed, Michelle noticed - she wrote "Rose," and her phone number.
Michelle turned to watch her leave again, the swaying of her hips in the tight, tight skirt pleasing her more than she would have expected.
Kayla looked up from her phone, with which she was summoning an Uber. "You're such a player," she said. "You didn't even have to ask," she continued, with a chuckle. "It would be rude not to call. You don't want to hurt the poor girl's feelings, do you?"
Adding a substantial tip, Michelle signed the credit stub, then stood to leave. Pursing her lips, she picked up the paper. She shouldn't find it frustrating. It wasn't Rose's fault that she was taking a break from affairs of the heart, and other parts of the body. Taking her number wasn't a commitment to call her, Michelle reassured herself, as she slipped it into her purse.
The gig was going great. Michelle was finally feeling that she was close to recovering the energy sapped from her over the last year.
Just six months ago, she'd been ready to quit the band. It had been so hard to make herself play the same songs at the same pubs for the same tiny fees. Tending bar had always paid better than music, especially on a good tip day, and devoting so many hours a week for such a low reward had left Michelle feeling trapped.
But she'd hung on. Jon had penned his first song, and it was a winner. Then Jon and Michelle had created one together, then the band had added other new material from Sydney, who was their most prolific writer, and who always included crowd-pleasing guitar riffs and solos. Slowly, her enthusiasm returned, and she was glad that she hadn't given up.
Mostly, though, it was the support of her friends. A year ago she wouldn't have envisioned rebuilding a relationship with Kayla, but now the pretty mermaid-haired girl was solidly in her life. And there was her friend and fellow O'Neills bartender, Austin, his girlfriend Dylan, her bandmates, and others encouraging her. She felt that she was back.
Almost back. The few one-night stands she'd had since initiating the divorce had been desultory events. She could and did have a more satisfying time with her personal massager. And she still didn't understand why.
But that was a concern for another night. Nothing was going to detract from the high a particularly good show gave her, as her bandmates and she took their well-deserved final set break.
Joe, the band's manager, approached, carrying a pint glass of something pale and slightly cloudy. "From an admirer," he said, wearing his usual sardonic grin.
Giving him a resigned smile, Michelle took the glass. Not even an overly attached fangirl (or fanboy) would spoil her mood. "Who?" she asked.
"Blonde at the bar," he said, waving in that general direction. "Don't think it'll be hard to find her."
She rolled her eyes and headed for the bar, where she found the blonde in question. Golden hair, green eyes, a smattering of freckles, and an athletic build. She recognized her instantly, though it took a second to come up with the name.
"Rose! Thanks for the beer.... what is it?"
Rose laughed. Off-duty, she was dressed much more casually. A burgundy long-sleeved tee, its keyhole slot shaped by pale curves, showed how correct Michelle's assumptions had been. And though she wore jeans rather than a skirt, they were tight enough to have been painted on, if not quite as pliant as her work skirt. She pushed herself off the stool, low-heeled sandals sliding to the floor.
"Hey Michelle," she said - yelled, really - holding out a hand. Michelle gave it a perfunctory squeeze. She moved away from the bar stool.
The pub was named the Englishman, with a replica British pub sign over the door, showing a faux weathered image of a skinny man wearing a black suit with a monocle and top hat. The bar had an arrangement with a craft brewer to carry the widest range of IPAs in the area.
Tonight it was packed to capacity, or more than, which had been the case the last few times the band had played here. A sizable crowd had taken refuge in the beer garden. With the doors open, and the volume of the music, they wouldn't have any difficulty hearing. But even with so many outside, there wouldn't have been a chance of finding a seat with Rose.
"I didn't think you'd want a Negroni," the girl yelled, "so I asked the bartender. He said you like to try new beers. It's a local wheat beer that they brought in last week."
"He's right," Michelle said. "This isn't honestly the best place for us to play, but the beer selection helps." She took a sip of the glass she'd been carrying for the last few minutes. Her eyebrows rose. "And this is a good one. Did you get one for yourself?"
Rose glanced down, seeming to notice that her hands were empty. She looked around, then laughed and squeezed back through the crowd at the bar to recover her drink. "Wine," she said, flourishing the oversized glass as she stepped close. In her low heels against Michelle's Doc Martens, she had to look up to meet her eyes. "I don't mind beer, but I don't like having to remember what I like and what's so bitter it makes my tongue shrivel. After hours on my feet, I don't want to think so hard."
Her innocent demeanor almost convinced Michelle she didn't intend any innuendo, so of course it was her job to bring it to the surface. "And God forbid you'd let a shriveled tongue cramp your style."
"Seriously limits my options, right?" Rose agreed, deadpan.
In a different time and place, Michelle might have wanted to explore those options. She'd never considered herself to have a type, but if she had, Rose would probably personify it. She had wit and snark, was fun to talk to and hot as hell, with a body that suggested stamina for energetic activities, and a smile and style of dress that hinted at what those activities might include.
If her libido wasn't on vacation, Michelle would be imagining how amazing her body might feel writhing under Michelle's. Or atop hers. And from the smoky look in her eye, Rose's thoughts were traveling the same paths.
Hell, who was she trying to kid? If her libido was still on vacation, it must be riding back to town on a tricked-out Harley. She couldn't quite hear the roar of its exhaust, but she could maybe perceive the sirens of the state troopers in pursuit.
"Did you get our schedule from the website?" she asked. "Or from a flier somewhere?"
Rose looked puzzled. "You texted me?"
"I... didn't?" Michelle replied. "I think I'd remember doing that." After a moment, she asked, "May I see the text?"
Still frowning, Rose unlocked her phone and found the message.
"Fuck," Michelle breathed. "That's Kayla's number."
"I see," Rose said. "I did say I wanted to see the band. I guess she's just being a good neighbor and letting me know where and when."
Michelle shook her head. "Oh, no, I'm sure she has much more specific goals than that," she said. "Goals that include both of us," she glanced around at the crowd, "in a more intimate setting than this."
"And you don't?" Rose asked. One eyebrow rose in amusement, though she seemed to be masking disappointment.
"It's... complicated," Michelle replied, "and it's time for the last set." She took a swig of her beer, but there was still more than half left.
"I'll be here afterward, if you want to uncomplicate it for me," Rose suggested.
"I would," Michelle replied, finding that she meant it, "but my bandmate's taking me home."
The other girl shrugged. "I could offer you a ride. Unless you have a lot of gear?"
Michelle shook her head. "Why not? I can leave my bass with Jon. We'll be able to find a table when the show's over."
She took the beer with her, back to the - well, it wasn't a stage in this place. Just an area of the floor marked out with some of the band's equipment. But along with the good beer, the enthusiasm of the bar patrons compensated for much of the discomfort of playing the pub. As Joe booked them better venues - and he'd certainly been moving the locations up-market in the last few months, in terms of scale and popularity - Michelle hoped they wouldn't completely outgrow a couple of the smaller spaces. Especially since those gigs let them focus on original material and skip the covers they had been known for.
So the encore was a new piece, one of Sydney's, and though the guitarist didn't have as much space to move as she preferred during her solo, her energy was still huge. Michelle screamed the chorus, her instrument seeming to play itself. As she sang, she noticed that the exuberant revelers crowding the band included a golden-haired girl who yelled and gesticulated with the rest of the fans.
Once the encore was over and the audience had begun to disperse, Michelle packed up her bass, and asked Jon to look after it. After she'd moved some of the gear out to his SUV, he took pity on her and told her he'd handle the rest.
Inside, Rose beckoned her over to the bar, asking what she wanted to drink. She waved off Michelle's attempt to pay, and bade her find a table. As Michelle had predicted, several had become open.
She was in the process of trading her tinted glasses for her usual rose gold-colored frames when the blonde appeared with a replacement beer and her own drink, sparkling with a slice of lime. The table was U shaped, and she'd moved partly around, giving Rose the option of facing her or sitting beside her. The girl chose the latter, pleasing Michelle. When their arms brushed she felt goosebumps, just as she had at the restaurant.
"Fuck, you're good," Rose said.
"I've heard that before," replied Michelle, "usually a couple of hours after the show."
Rose's smirk grew as she digested that rejoinder.
"So, I figured out how Kayla has your number," Michelle said. "She was summoning a ride on her phone when you left your note. She must have snapped a photo."
"You weren't going to call?" Rose asked, frowning slightly, though she didn't seem displeased with the direction of the conversation. Michelle was sure she wouldn't be very familiar with rejection.
Her chuckle sounded nervous to her own ears. "I hadn't decided," she said, truthfully. "Probably. Soon..."
Rose pursed her lips. "And would you..."
Her words halted as a small girl carrying a guitar case that looked far too big for her appeared, seemingly from nowhere. "Thank fucking Christ," she said. Before either woman could respond, she'd leaned in, kissed a startled Rose noisily on the cheek, then dashed out of the bar, raising her hand to wave behind her as she left.
"Was that..." Rose began, but Michelle had already started speaking.
"That was Sydney," she said. "And yes, she's a force of nature."
"Yeah," Rose agreed, "but still, what the fuck was that?"
"Uh, well..." Michelle took a long sip of her beer. "Sydney is convinced I've been off my game since I, umm, since my divorce. Because I haven't been taking fangirls home. She must think you sitting here means I'm cured?"
"Hmm." Rose looked thoughtful. "Is this why you hadn't decided to call?"
"Yeah," she admitted, with a shrug. "If I wait another month or two, maybe I'll escape the doldrums."
"How long have you been divorced?" Rose asked.
"A little over two weeks," Michelle said. "That's what we were celebrating at the restaurant."
"So, Sydney thinks you've been off your game for two weeks, and it's the end of the world?" Rose asked, frowning.
"Oh, no," Michelle said. "We've only played one other gig in the past two weeks. Since I filed for divorce, I mean. Before that, really. Over a year."
"Don't think it's slipped my notice that you just admitted that this is the second gig you haven't texted me about." Rose's tone was acerbic. "I see why your friend decided to step in. Are we at the 'it's complicated' segment?"
"I guess so." Michelle sighed. "I haven't really had much of a sex life since Kayla."
Her companion's green eyes widened. "Wait, wait. Wait. You and Kayla were married, and you were out celebrating your divorce with her and her girlfriend?"
Startled, Michelle shook her head. "Oh God, no! Kayla isn't my ex. She wasn't even a groupie. But we spent the night together, then she found out I was married and blew her stack. It opened my eyes, I guess. I'd known the marriage had been over for a while; I just hadn't had the guts to end it." She snorted a laugh. "I was almost eighteen when I started dating Kim. Kayla would probably have still been in middle school."
"I'm starting to see the complicated part," Rose stated.
"Yeah," Michelle agreed. "Well, after that night, I avoided hook-ups even before filing, because I didn't want to muddy the waters. I was pretty sure Kim was cheating too, but I didn't want to risk being wrong and giving her a handle on me. She got vindictive and tried to hide assets, so I had to use an investigator. Turns out not only did he find where she'd stashed her resources, but that she'd had several affairs out of town, including a boyfriend, for God's sake, for almost a year. A boyfriend who thought she was planning to wind up her job and move in with him."
The black mood that Michelle had mostly avoided since getting the final paperwork seemed to be hovering close to her. She shook her head and downed a third of her drink. "For the ten years I'd known her, she'd insisted she was a lesbian, and she'd never had any interest in men. Then painted a false future to get into this guy's bed, and lied to keep me in hers, and no doubt she had other stories for her other affair partners. I didn't exactly lie to mine, but Kayla made me see that not telling the truth wasn't much better."
"You have a problem with your wife being bi?" Rose asked.
Shaking her head, Michelle said, "No, but it shows how far apart we'd become that I couldn't tell, and she didn't share." She took a small drink of her beer. "From the tone of your question I'm guessing you're bi?" Her only answer was a lifting of the girl's eyebrows. Michelle shrugged. "I'm not, but I'm not biphobic. I'd just like to know something so significant about someone I'm supposed to be in a committed relationship with, you know? Did she lie to me from the beginning? Or did she discover that about herself in her mid-thirties?"
The scent of winter flowers had been drifting around Michelle for a while. She hadn't noticed the perfume when Rose had been pressed to her in the crowd earlier, in the odors and the bustle surrounding the bar, but now it was faint but distinct. The scent was oddly comforting. It held the darkness at bay, and reminded her of the tingling sensation she'd felt when Rose had flirted with her at the restaurant. In spite of the topic, Michelle realized that the feeling was growing within her again.
"Anyway," she continued, "when I learned more about Kim's machinations, I guess I started to overthink my casual hook-ups. Was I leading a girl on? Was I taking advantage of her infatuation with music? Was she drunk or high from the show, and would she hate herself in the morning? I mean, who's sober at the end of a gig? Present company excepted."
Rose grinned. She picked up her drink and waved it in a circle. "This is tonic. I'm a good girl."
Michelle couldn't help it. She grinned. "I doubt that," she said. "I mean, I don't doubt it's tonic. But I'm not seeing you wearing angel wings."
Rose gave her a mock pout, then smirked, her golden eyebrows high.
"So, burnout, dejection, doubt, whatever," she continued, "no desire for a relationship, and self-sabotaging encounters, it all made for a dry year-plus. And although I know I'll get over all of these issues, it won't be overnight, you know?'
"So what do you plan to do?" Rose asked, her green eyes holding Michell's gaze. The tingling intensified, making the air feel heavy as she inhaled.
She shrugged. "Any recommendations?"
Rose's eyes dipped to the artwork on Michelle's arm. Lifting her hand, she traced a nail over the tousled cami-clad goth girl, an ankh suspended between her breasts. Michelle felt goosebumps rise. Then she leaned closer, and though she spoke quietly, her words had the clarity of one of Sydney's guitar solos.
"I'm taking you home now, right?" she asked, but didn't wait for a reply. "I think you invite me in and let me fuck those... doldrums out of you."
"I think.." Michelle's throat closed up, and she had to try again. Oh, God. This could be a huge mistake. "I think I should invite you in," she agreed. "When you take me home. Now."
Michelle missed her house, her comfortable bedroom, her private bathroom with the double vanity - so much better for bringing a girl home than her small apartment. But at least she still had a queen-sized bed, even if it was a tight fit in the apartment's solitary bedroom, and even if she'd only used it for sleeping for the past year.
That was about to change. She hadn't felt so excited to have a girl in a long time, and she hadn't felt as nervous about the outcome in a decade more than that. Not since before she and Kim were married. If she couldn't satisfy this incredibly hot woman, who so clearly wanted her, it might be months or more before she'd have the will to try again.
"Would you like..."
Rose hushed her with a finger on Michelle's lips. Then she squeezed both of her shoulders, turning her to face Rose.
"I'm guessing," Rose said, "that you always take charge, that your dates come here to worship..."
"I don't think they..."
Rose's finger touched Michelle's lips again, silencing her. "You're not the boss, tonight," she said. She glanced around the room. "Though you'll need to show me the bedroom."
Michelle felt an odd relief as the responsibility for their encounter was being taken from her. She motioned toward a door, then found Rose's soft touch propelling her through it.
Beside the bed, Rose turned Michelle to face her. Her green eyes were mischievous, and maybe a little hungry. It seemed a long while since Michelle had seen desire in another woman's eyes. Or at least, a long while since she'd recognized it. And when Rose pressed her lips to hers, she marveled at how strongly her own desire flared.
The kiss wasn't tentative. Neither of them needed to gauge the other's response. Still, their shared passion had room to grow, and grow it did, as Rose's tongue met hers, dancing with it. When she broke the kiss and suckled Michelle's lower lip, the sensation was both soothing and arousing. Michelle consciously slowed her breathing.
"Take off your skirt," Rose breathed, releasing her lip. Michelle didn't hesitate to comply, unfastening and stepping out of her black leather skirt. The girl's eyebrows rose as she took in the sight of Michelle in black sheer stockings with thigh garters.
"You like my work outfit?" Michelle asked, amused, if still anxious.
"Oh, yes, I do," Rose breathed, unfastening her jeans as Michelle struck a pose. She kicked off her sandals and began to peel off her jeans as Michelle stepped out of her Doc Martens. Then she pointed to the bed. Michelle folded her glasses as she lay down, dropping them on her nightstand.
Rose followed, threading her legs between Michelle's as she lay on her, taking her arms and moving them upward as her lips found Michelle's. She still wore the keyhole shirt, the view even more enthralling between kisses, her breasts swelling to fill the slot in the shirt, the gap between them shrinking to a line as they pressed down. Until Rose's mouth met hers, her face blocking the view.
Arousal kindled in her sex as Rose slid her body against hers, her breasts compressing Michelle's as they moved together. Michelle couldn't suppress a moan into the kiss as her excitement took shape. Her hips rolled, lifting slightly from the bed as Rose's thigh slid between hers. Rose still held Michelle's arms over her head, frustrating her desire to touch her. She could feel Rose's arousal in her breathing, but the girl wasn't letting her excitement get the upper hand.
They rolled around on the bed, Rose's bare thigh sliding between Michelle's stockinged legs, her hands holding her wrists high. After several minutes, she crossed Michelle's arms so that she could pin both wrists in her right hand, freeing the left to move between them to begin unfastening Michelle's shirt. Her eyes held Michelle's as she opened the rest of her buttons one-handed. Then she sank back down onto her, fixing her lips to Michelle's as she finally released her wrists and used both hands to tug her shirt open, against the pressure of her chest squashed against Michelle's.
With her hands now free, Michelle gripped Rose's waist, lifting her shirt just far enough to touch bare skin. Rose broke the kiss, moving her lips to Michelle's neck as she rocked against her. Michelle used her hold on her Rose's waist to strengthen the motion, sliding their bodies against each other as the golden-haired girl drew her lips and tongue over the base of Michelle's neck.
When Michelle began to moan, Rose drew back. Rising onto her elbows, her chest above Michelle's, she gave her a mischievous look, not moving. Michelle was panting softly. Rose was more in control of herself, though her face was slightly flushed.
Glancing down, Rose studied Michelle's breasts. her gaze taking in the bra she usually wore for gigs. Most often, the vocalist ended the night with her shirt unbuttoned or removed completely. Her sports bra was supportive and comfortable but had a deep, crowd-pleasing V neck. For major events she used a red cage bra, but tonight was the black sports bra.
Supporting herself on her right elbow, Rose trailed her left forefinger down from Michelle's shoulder to the gap between her breasts, tracing the flower tattooed there. "You already have my name inked on your heart," she said, smirking.
"What?" Michelle asked, glancing down, as if she didn't know exactly what art she had where. The dark shadows within the keyhole gap of Rose's top distracted her before she turned her eyes to the other woman's finger on her breastbone. "Oh, a rose." She laughed. "I guess I do."
Rose slid her hand back out to grip Michelle's upper arm. A moment later, she did the same with her right arm, then lowered her face and extended her tongue. Michelle met it with her own, and their tongues did battle for a few moments, before Rose pressed her mouth to Michelle's, imprisoning the warring factions. Then she thrust her hips against Michelle's, her bare thigh pressed against her panties, until Michelle's moans into their shared kiss were constant.
Michelle wanted more. She needed more, and slid her hands up inside her partner's shirt, but the girl pushed them back down, then lifted herself upright, to sit straddling Michelle's belly, her ass resting against Michelle's pussy. Giving her a cheeky grin, Rose held Michelle's hands pinned to her waist as she began moving her hips, rolling them forward and back. Her upper body remained almost stationary, like an expert belly dancer's, as her ass slid to and fro along Michelle's sex. Michelle's clit swelled and tingled with the shifting pressure.
Abruptly, Rose released Michelle's hands, then grasped the hem of her shirt and pulled it over her head. She struggled a little with the long sleeves, but didn't change her motion. Her face was lightly flushed when she lowered her hands, her fingers trailing over Michelle's belly. The creamy breasts encased in her white balconette bra barely quivered as her movements made Michelle's belly glow and her heart race.
Even as Michelle was thinking how incredibly good it felt to have Rose inflame her feelings like this, Rose reached behind with her right hand and squeezed her pussy. Her thumb, wedged under her body, slid over Michelle's sex to press down over her clit, and her fingers spread out over her panties, pushing the damp fabric slightly inside, between her lips. Michelle's breath caught, then she groaned aloud. The woman atop her pressed her ass down against Michelle's sex, and Michelle began to pant rapidly, feeling as though she was about to explode.
Michelle groaned in frustration as Rose backed away, sitting on her thighs. She tugged Michelle's arms to sit her up, then kissed her hard as her hands drifted around to Michelle's. She felt her fumbling at her bra strap, seeking a catch.
"There isn't one," she growled, breaking the kiss."Over the head."
Rose nodded, then grabbed the base of the bra and hoisted it up. Michelle lifted her arms, allowing its removal. With barely a glance at what she'd revealed, Rose pushed her back down and fell on her, lips focused on the junction of her neck and shoulder as she began to buck against Michelle, her thigh against Michelle's groin.
"Oh, Christ," breathed Michelle, her heart rate spiking. The lace of Rose's bra pressed into her breasts, and she felt her nipples harden at the touch. God, the woman excited her. Something about her was poking into the dormant spaces within Michelle, those that once would come alive with desire, and reawakening them.
Was it simply because it was so long since she'd been with a woman, or was Rose just... that good? Her teeth on Michelle's neck made her chest prickle and her breath rasp.
But again, as Michelle felt her arousal building to a peak, Rose gripped her upper arms and lifted herself above her. Michelle needed to come. Michelle needed to make Rose come. But the way the girl had taken charge denied Michelle the second, and she seemed determined to prevent the first.
Moving aside, Rose tugged at the waistband of Michelle's panties. Michelle willingly bent her legs as she slid them down, working them over Michelle's garters and stockings, leaving her naked, while Rose, still in her very attractive bra and gray boyshorts, smirked at her as her eyes traveled over Michelle's body.
The girl extended a finger to trace the thorns which ran from Michelle's rose tattoo, along the underside of both breasts. Michelle was so turned on that she found herself moaning softly at the touch.
"That must have hurt," Rose said, looking at the art.
It wasn't the first time she'd heard the comment, and it was the truth. "That one, too," she breathed, nodding as her eyes indicated the red and blue butterfly, the ink fully on her left breast.
Rose grinned. "I'm sure," she said, then leaned down and caressed the butterfly tattoo with her tongue.
Michelle made a soft, involuntary sound as her partner's lips and tongue explored the upper surface of her left breast. Drifting down, they trapped her nipple. Desire sparked through Michelle's body, charging her sensitized clit. Rose's short, hard fingernails circled her navel. Her touch felt intimate in a way that went beyond sex. As if she'd broken through into a layer of feeling that surpassed pleasure. Michelle had felt this kind of sensation only once or twice in scores of one-night stands.
"Rose..." she groaned.
The girl looked up and smiled at her, then returned to suckling as Michelle squirmed beneath her. Her fingers drifted further down, caressing slickly damp skin as they found Michelle's pussy, pushing lightly between her labia. Then they wandered higher, the touch dwindling to nothing until Michelle felt a pair of rapid flicks against her clit.
"Oh, Jesus," she yelped as her hips twisted involuntarily, making her back arch. "Rose..." she pleaded again. This time her partner didn't stop suckling, her head moving with her lips and tongue. But her eyebrow rose questioningly. "I want you inside me," groaned Michelle.
The girl said nothing, but her hand moved. Then she plunged her fingers into Michelle and began to thrust, hard and fast. Her palm squeezed against Michelle's clit as she sucked hard on her breast.
"A-a-a-" Michelle gasped as her back arched. She felt her sex contract, like the band of a catapult, before flinging her free. "Nngh!" Her breath caught completely, then, "Ahhh... ahhh... ahhh..."
Her back fell to the bed, sighs of pleasure escaping her throat. She could feel the smile form on her face as the glow of her climax suffused her entire body in a way that not even the best vibrator experience could approach. Rose's fingers stilled within her, but her belly continued to spasm with aftershocks.
After a minute, Rose released her and sat up.
"Fuck me..." Michelle breathed, worshipfully.
"Again?" Rose asked, her tone playful.
She laughed weakly. "Sure," she said. "Just give me a week to recover."
"Mmm, I don't think so," said Rose, reaching behind herself. A moment later, she was sliding narrow white straps down her arm.
Her nipples were a dark pink, with areolae just a shade paler, swollen enough to make her full breasts seem pointed. Even in her enervated state, Michelle ached to touch them. Rose didn't stop her when she reached out, lightly flicking her nipple with her thumb. Then she trailed her hand down the girl's curves and ran her fingers over the front of her boyshorts. They were damp, and slid easily against her skin.
Leaving her hand against Rose's pussy, Michelle rolled onto her side so that her lips were close to the blonde's. Their tongues met before their lips did, and in spite of feeling spent, Michelle's arousal began to climb. She didn't want to break the freeing spell that Rose's taking charge had woven, but she really, really wanted to give back some of the joy she was feeling.
Breaking the kiss, she whispered, "May I taste you?"
Rose frowned for a moment, then grinned and said, "Okay," in a musical, girlish lilt, tossing herself back onto the bed. The sound caused Michelle to laugh. Rose's light-heartedness somehow didn't clash with her intensity. She was a fun-seeker in the most positive sense.
Glancing around, Michelle saw Rose's bra dangling from the chair, so after divesting her of her underwear, she tossed the boyshorts onto the seat, then positioned herself between her legs, her face between Rose's delicious breasts. Choosing the right at random, she began to suckle, dropping her hands to Rose's thighs. Lifting them, she pressed her belly against Rose's damp sex, rocking against her as she kissed and suckled each nipple.
Rose's breathing had become heavy when Michelle looked up at her. She'd wedged a pillow under her head, and was watching intently, her lips parted. Michelle slid down her body, ran her tongue over the girl's navel and trailed her teeth over her belly, making her shiver.
Then she moved down further. For now ignoring her smoothly shaven sex, she lifted Rose's right leg, draping it over her shoulder as she kissed her inner thigh, from the back of her knee almost to her pussy. Then she did the same with her left leg, trailing her tongue and teeth up and down, always sensing Rose's rising excitement.
Eventually her lips reached Rose's labia. Rose's hips were rocking gently as Michelle pressed her face against her, penetrating the girl's lips with her tongue. Rose's musky taste drove her onward, and she licked with powerful strokes as Rose's breasts rose with each deep breath.
Rose made a soft sound as Michelle's tongue touched her clit. A quiver ran through Rose's body. Michelle licked her slowly, though not gently, her tongue pressing hard to the swollen nub. Rose's hips moved more strongly and she panted.
Bringing her right hand to Rose's sex, Michelle worked two fingers into her. The girl gasped as Michelle curled her fingers inside her and began to slide them in and out. For a time Michelle simply held her tongue against her, feeling her excitement grow, her breathing becoming labored as her hips rocked harder against Michelle's wrist. Those lovely pointed breasts rose further from the bed with each strained breath.
Michelle could have drawn out her pleasure even longer, the way Rose had done hers, but her enthusiasm at getting Michelle off must have been deeply arousing, and she was clearly beyond ready. So Michelle sucked her clit between her lips as she pistoned her fingers rapidly into her, then nodded her head, her lips and tongue rubbing against the swollen, sensitive clit.
Michelle saw Rose grip the sheets as she yelped. "Oh, fuck!" And a moment later, "Oh, fuck!" again. Her hips rose from the bed as Michelle continued to suckle, her face pressed firmly to her pussy.
Then, "Oh! Yes!" Rose cried, and "Yes, yes, yes," before she went silent, tugging on the sheet she held, not breathing for several seconds, before collapsing to the bed, panting.
Michelle slowed her movements, but continued to lap at the girl's twitching clit. Only when Rose reached down for her did Michelle drag herself up her body to join her mouth to Rose's.
Given that both women must have felt as drained as each other, their kiss was surprisingly intense, and the feel of Rose's body against Michelle's, breasts connected and legs intertwined, was profoundly erotic. Michelle didn't break the kiss for several minutes, and then only to kiss her neck and earlobe. Their bodies were rocking against each other, seemingly without any intervention on their part. At least on Michelle's part. It just felt right.
"God, Rose," she whispered, "you feel so good."
Her golden-haired lover chuckled. "I do."
They kissed again, and something seemed to shift. One moment they were enjoying the afterglow, the next their rocking was getting stronger. Rose was the first to moan, but soon they were both panting, either with their mouths disconnected as they gasped for breath, or kissing frantically. Michelle moved her hands to the other woman's ribs, then slid them over the sides of her breasts, squeezing as they moved.
When Rose gripped her ass, Michelle slid her hands all the way between them, covering Rose's breasts and squeezing hard, her nipples trapped between Michelle's thumbs and knuckles. She pinched them as she thrust their pussies together, needing release.
Rose broke first. She grunted and lifted herself against Michelle, who felt her body quiver beneath hers.
Then Rose's passion triggered Michelle's, and she came hard. Their mouths joined, and they both groaned at their shared pleasure.
Eventually, Michelle felt Rose relax beneath her. She slumped down and rolled partly off her. "Jesus," she breathed.
"Yeah," Rose agreed.
"Roll over," Michelle instructed, a few minutes later. She'd drifted into a warm afterglow as her heart had slowed almost to normal
Rose scowled. "You're not the boss of me," she said, but she rolled away onto her left side.
Michelle snuggled up against her back. "Big spoon."
"The fuck?" Rose complained, though she sounded amused. "Spooning?"
"Until we're recovered," Michelle said, then kissed her neck. "You have a problem with that?"
"I should be big spoon," she griped, but offered no resistance as Michelle threaded her leg between her thighs.
"You're a committed top, are you?" Michelle asked, running her fingers down her side to her hips. When she brought them back up, she let them roam over the edge of a pliant breast.
"Not completely," Rose said. "Usually. Depends who I'm with."
Michlle found the girl's openness about sex with others to be refreshing. Casual partners so often seemed to need to minimize their experiences, even when they were clearly only interested in one night's passion. Rose seemed to have no such inhibitions.
"Same for me, I guess," Michelle said. "I don't like to be directed unless I trust her to know what she's doing."
"You were okay with me taking over," Rose said.
"My last couple of encounters haven't gone well," Michelle admitted, trailing her fingers over the side of her partner's breast. "And that's all on me. Besides," she added, caressing a nipple, "you didn't give me much choice."
Rose chuckled. "You survived," she said.
"God, I did," Michelle agreed. "I wasn't sure if I was going to for a time. Are you always so mean?"
She laughed again. "You liked it, and you know it."
"That may be true," Michelle stated, "but I don't have to like liking it."
Running her fingers down from Rose's breast, Michelle explored her belly, caressing as far as she could without her hand becoming trapped between Rose's body and the bed. She was enjoying feeling so close to another girl. She opened her hand and pressed it against Rose, using her hold to squeeze herself against her lover's back. She kissed her neck again.
"Hey," Michelle said. "How do you feel about using a toy? It's fully sanitized, and I haven't touched it in... well, in far too long."
"I guess," Rose responded. "What do you have in mind?"
"You'll see," said Michelle. "Just stay right where you are. And you'll have to trust me to take charge for a time."
"Hmm," Rose said. "Guess it's your show, then. This time."
Michelle hopped off the bed and headed to the bathroom, returning with her wearable vibe and a bottle of lube. When she returned, Rose was on her back, watching her.
"I said stay where you are," she objected, unhooking her stockings and rolling them off.
Rose frowned, clearly disappointed at the change in view. "Yeah, yeah," she said. "I'll be little spoon again when you're ready."
"This is probably easier with you on your back anyway," Michelle said, sitting on the bed. She lubed up the toy well, then moved it to her partner's sex, looking up to her for permission. When she nodded, Michelle carefully worked the vibrator into her, then sat back while Rose adjusted the fit over her clit.
When she was done, Rose rolled back onto her side, as promised, and Michelle took her place behind her. Moving Rose's leg aside, Michelle pushed her further over, so that she was mostly on her stomach, Michelle on top of her, her knee threaded between Rose's thighs. She took the controller in her left hand. Lying against Rose's back, her right hand was free to explore.
"This is the low effort version of fun, is it?" Rose snarked.
"Got that right," Michelle said. She squeezed a little extra lube onto her fingers one-handed, then kissed the girl's neck as she wrapped her arm around her, finding Rose's right nipple with her lubed fingers and playing with it. The controller responded to pressure, so she squeezed it lightly, hearing the vibrator rumble softly from within. She whispered into Rose's ear, "Do you have a problem with it?"
Her breath against Rose's ear made the woman shiver, Michelle's breasts quivering against her back. "We'll see," she said.
Rose's objections were clearly teasing, not negative. Michelle backed off the pressure on the vibrator until it was doing little more than ticking, and they lay together for several minutes, Rose sandwiched between Michelle and the bed.
The girl was quiet beneath her, almost as though asleep, but occasional muscle twitches showed Michelle she was not only awake, but slowly becoming more turned on. A sensual connection built between the two. Though the ticking buzz of the vibe was within Rose, Michelle seemed to feel a matching thrill in her own sex and in her breasts where they pressed tightly to Rose's body.
Michelle nosed the girl's sunny hair away from her neck, then pressed her lips to the exposed skin. Rose's breathing was slowly growing heavier. Her cool perfume filled Michelle's senses, enhanced now with the scent of Rose's creamy skin, and the pervasive musk of her arousal. She lightly suckled her skin, tasting her. She could see Rose's cheek, which seemed to be glowing with the faintest sheen of perspiration, and the girl's back rose against Michelle's breasts as her lungs took in more air. Michelle tightened her grip on the control, then pinched and twisted the other girl's nipple, her hand filled with her supple breast. The nipple was firm to her fingers, and pinching it caused Rose's thighs to tense around her leg.
Michelle adjusted her grip on the control to keep Rose's arousal building steadily, but as slowly as she dared, gauging her progress by the random quivers of the body beneath her, and the depth of the girl's breathing. Her teeth against Rose's neck and earlobe helped build the erotic tension, and she was careful to avoid letting her own enthusiasm push Rose too far or too fast. As she nibbled Rose's ear her palm cupped the full breast that pressed down on it.
The girl's breathing was becoming ragged, and Michelle changed her approach for a moment, squeezing the control more firmly until Rose began to moan. Her thighs shifted against the bed as her arousal grew, and her hand, which had lain unmoving beside her, rose to caress Michelle's hip. The feeling of connectedness with her partner grew within Michelle.
Moving her knee a little higher, Michelle parted Rose's legs further with her thigh. She squirmed, her ass moving against Michelle's pussy. Then Michelle felt the girl's toes stroke her lower leg. Her hand on Michelle's hip tightened momentarily, then moved away to rest on the bed beside her.
Michelle slid her hand out from under Rose's breast, then awkwardly transferred the remote control from her left hand to her right. She squirted out a little more lube, coating the control, then eased it under the girl's breast, wrapping a finger around her nipple. As she breathed, the pressure of her breast against the lower part of the control increased, intensifying the vibrations. With her lips against Rose's ear, she whispered, "This is the low effort option."
Rose's arousal had built to the point that Michelle's breath on her ear made her wriggle beneath her. "I see," she croaked. "You're just going to ... lie there, and let me do... all the work?"
"Mm-hmm," Michelle agreed.
It was harder than it should have been, doing almost nothing. Michelle's lust had grown, and she wanted to drive Rose's need higher with fingers and tongue. She wanted to slide her sex against Rose's tight ass. Passively letting the toy do all the work - save for a finger pressed against her nipple - felt frustratingly wrong to Michelle. But the sounds and small body movements proved that it was working.
She couldn't entirely resist licking her neck occasionally, and when she did, her partner shuddered. She'd started to rock her hips, pushing her sex down into the bed, then her ass up into Michelle.
When Michelle withdrew her leg from between her thighs, Rose groaned. Michelle moved the freed leg over her partner's, then pressed her pussy to Rose's firm butt cheeks. Now she was leeching arousal even more directly from the girl's hip movements, and she trembled at the touch.
"You really are doing all the work now," Michelle murmured into her ear, inducing another quiver. "I guess I could do this," she added, then pressed the control firmly against Rose's breast. Rose groaned as the vibrations strengthened, but as she did, Michelle squeezed the top of the vibe, letting its slick lubrication slip through her fingers, the control falling to the bed. "Oops. I dropped it. Now what will we do?"
Rose chuckled hoarsely. "Is this my punishment for topping?" she managed to say. "Or are you just a bitch?"
"Why can't it be both?" Michelle asked, then nibbled her earlobe. As she groaned, Michelle moved her fingers from her breast. Picking up the control, she lowered her hand to Rose's, then pressed the control into it.The vibrator reacted to Rose's grip and she began to moan.
Now that Rose had control, Michelle didn't hold back.She kissed the girl's neck and shoulder, dragging her teeth over her skin. Her hips moved with Rose's, sliding her pussy against her partner's butt, her clit aching for contact.
Rose's moans grew in strength. She turned her face to find Michelle's. Michelle didn't hesitate to meet her in a passionate kiss, the movement of their lips and tongues slow but intense. The vibrations faded as she groaned into Michelle's mouth. She must be so close to release, and was savoring the feeling, easing off the control as it built.
Closing her hand over Rose's, Michelle gripped the girl's hand firmly. The vibrator hit its peak. At the same time, she sucked her partner's tongue. Rose gasped into the kiss, her eyes going wide. Her hips rocked, bouncing her body against the bed, and her butt into Michelle's sex.
The girl's whole body shook as she came beneath Michelle. She broke the kiss to breathe, then sought her mouth again, her renewed kiss desperate. The hold Michelle had on her fingers kept the vibrations high, and as she continued to quiver in orgasm Michelle shook herself against her, succeeding in taking herself over the edge.
As her body spasmed in climax, Michelle released Rose's hand, hearing the vibrations dwindle as the girl let the control slip to the bed. She made a contented sound, the deep hum resonating in Michelle's breasts.
Rose didn't object when Michelle worked the bed sheets down, then pulled them back up to cover them both. "Now I really need a break," Michelle said.
Her guest rolled over and pressed her body to Michelle's, threading her legs between Michelle's and wrapping an arm around her. "Why?" she asked. "You didn't even do anything."
Chuckling, Michelle kissed her one last time. "Riiight," she said, before the world faded out.
When Michelle was next conscious, it was just turning light outside. She was not surprised to find herself alone in the bed. She was surprised to find herself missing Rose's company. It had been a good night, and no way in hell could any solo play have come close to that. Maybe this was the start of recovering the wanton nature she'd mourned for so long
Stretching, she slipped out of bed and headed to the small bathroom. When she turned on the light, she saw the vibrator, rinsed, on the washbasin, with the controller beside it. On the mirror, in crimson lipstick, was written, "Call me!" with a smudge that might have been a rose, and another that might have been a heart.
This time, she just might do that.