by Sam Skyborne
“I,” she said slowly, “am really sorry.”
There was a long pause.
Clearly Lizbeth expected her to say more.
“What? That’s it?” Lizbeth asked.
Toni nodded. “Yes, I am really sorry. I have been an arse. I’m sorry.”
“Good.”
Toni could see Lizbeth think this through.
“Because if you ultimately have a problem with me being gay then this is where this ends. I am not going to compromise my life any longer just to keep you comfortable and happy.”
Toni shook her head. “I really do not have a problem. Not really. It was a bit of a shock seeing you and Maxine Bennett, of all people.” Toni thought back to the window scene. For a moment she thought she had said too much but realised Lizbeth would assume Toni meant the morning in the kitchen. “But your personal life is your personal life and that is a part of you, like anyone else. I reacted so badly I just did not see it coming. I am sorry.”
Toni could see Lizbeth was assessing her sincerity.
After a long pause, Lizbeth nodded slightly.
“Prove it.”
Toni was thrown. “What?”
“I said, prove it,” Lizbeth said calmly.
“Lizbeth this is not something one can prove—”
“Yes, it is.”
“How?”
Again Lizbeth hesitated.
Toni was about to point out that even Lizbeth could not think of a way to prove such a thing.
“Join me for dinner tonight.”
Toni did not understand the significance. She assumed she would be staying at Lizbeth’s that night and that in all likelihood would include dinner.
“Join me and Maxine for dinner at mine tonight.”
Ah fuck!
“I have asked Maxine over for dinner.” Lizbeth said. “She will be cooking. Please come and join us. We need to make this good. If you have dinner with us, it will go some way to prove to me you really mean what you say.”
Toni started to shake her head. She had a feeling she had been masterfully played by her friend. She walked right into that one brilliantly.
She looked her friend up and down. She could see Lizbeth really wanted this to be okay. Wanted them to be okay. There was never really any doubt in Toni’s mind that they would not be okay. She just needed time to get her head around it all—her best friend being gay, her not knowing all that time during their friendship and now coping with Maxine, of all people, being her new lover…
Then she realised how her behaviour must have seemed to Lizbeth. She suddenly felt very guilty for what she had put Lizbeth through.
“Okay,” Toni said softly.
“Pardon,” Lizbeth said.
“Okay,” Toni repeated a little louder.
Lizbeth nodded. “Okay.”
“What can I bring?” Toni asked.
“Just be sure to bring yourself to mine by 7pm.”
Toni nodded. “Okay.”
Lizbeth raised an eyebrow.
“I will, I promise. 7pm. I’ll be there.” Toni reassured her.
Toni woke up at 6.45pm from a rap at her door. She looked up to find Lawrence standing there in a halo of light from the outside corridor.
She had been doing some research on her laptop and had fallen asleep on her desk.
“Hi,” Lawrence said. “I thought you would have left by now. Weren’t you supposed to be at Lizbeth’s by 7pm?”
“Oh crap!” Toni said, checking her mobile phone for the time. She rubbed her face.
“Trust her to send you to check up on me.”
Lawrence shrugged. “She just mentioned that I should send you home by 7pm.”
Toni stuck out her tongue at him.
“Besides, I was passing this way because I wanted to drop off my findings from the background checks that I ran on Dwight and Kevin.”
Toni’s interest was instantly peaked.
“Turns out Dwight is as predictable as imagined. He is nothing more than a brass knuckled red-neck really and not surprisingly an affiliate of the CUL.”
“That figures.”
“But, something I think you might find interesting popped up regarding Kevin…”
Toni hated when Lawrence drew out the juicy bits.
“Get on with it! Or I will have to blame you for my being late for Lizbeth.”
“Ah! Cheap shot!” Lawrence said. “Turns out our little Kevin is a wolf in sheep’s clothing.”
“How so?”
“It is not so much about him as his daddy.” Lawrence made sure Toni was hanging on every word he said. “His daddy is none other than the Preacher himself.”
“What? Do you mean the Preacher from the CUL?”
Lawrence nodded.
Toni struggled to imagine the quiet little runt of a police officer who always seemed to cower behind his partner, as the son of the charismatic, arrogant and outspoken leader of the CUL.
This case had just exploded into a myriad of possibilities.
“Could the Preacher and the CUL really be behind some of this?” Toni thought aloud. “Could this all be related the CUL’s agenda to close down The Vox?”
“Now you know the Preacher is also no big fan of Lucille Ransom-Evans.”
Toni nodded. “Maybe this does have something of a political motivation. Do you think this could be a personal vendetta? The Preacher having it in for Lucille?”
“Or just generally the Preacher having it in for all gays and minority groups?”
“That might explain why I thought I saw Kevin McCarthy at The Vox last night.”
“What? Did you tell that to the cops?”
“No. Don’t be daft! I’m hardly going to suggest the idea of corrupt cops without having proof. Not after last time.”
Lawrence nodded, relieved.
“We need to find out what those two have been up to when they are on duty and who was behind the raid on The Vox. How did the police come to raid The Vox on the same night I just happened to be there and so was Kevin?”
“I won’t have access to their service records or an inside track into the police, as you know.”
Toni nodded. “Leave that with me. But now you need to run me over to Lizbeth’s flat at warp speed!”
Toni arrived at Lizbeth’s door. She felt like a stranger and even wondered whether she should ring the front doorbell. Dismissing that thought as ludicrous she let herself in. After all this was her home for the next few days, at least. She would never have thought twice about it before.
As she walked in she found Maxine looking very at home in the kitchen, uncorking a bottle of red wine.
“Hi. Where's Lizbeth?” Toni asked.
“Relax,” Maxine said taking a large wineglass out of the cupboard. “She's just taking a shower. She'll be out in a minute.” She poured a bit into the glass and lifted it to admire it against the light and finally took a decent sip. Toni watched as her lips curled while swirling the wine in her mouth.
“Fancy a drink?” Maxine asked once she had finished her tasting.
“Yeah,” Toni said grateful for the conversation change. “You got beer?”
“No,” Maxine said, heading over to the cupboard and retrieving a fresh wineglass. She poured another glass and held it out to Toni. “But try this, and tell me what you think.”
“I’m more of a beer person.” Toni was already irritated and the evening had not even started.
“I know,” Maxine said still holding the glass out towards Toni.
Toni took the glass and was about to take a quick swig, but Maxine stopped her shaking her head.
“What?” Toni asked. “I thought you wanted me to try it?”
“You've got to do it right, if you really want to know whether you like it or not.” Maxine moved up behind Toni and placed her hand over Toni’s, curling her fingers around the stem of the glass.
“First you swirl, admire the legs, the features, so you know what to expect.” Maxine swirled the glass a
nd pointed out the rivulets of alcohol that clung to the side of the glass. “That means it's full bodied.”
“Smell the subtle aroma.” Maxine nudged the glass closer to Toni's face. “Never rush.” Maxine let Toni sniff.
“Now, take a sip, but do not swallow.” Maxine watched Toni followed her instruction. “Breath over the wine. Explore all the tastes as they change over time... even after you've swallowed.”
Toni swallowed.
Maxine picked up her glass and demonstrated.
Toni found herself mesmerised by an errant drop of wine that clung to Maxine's lip. She unconsciously licked her own lips.
Just then Lizbeth entered, wearing a silk dressing gown as a dress. “Hey Toni, you're here!”
Toni felt herself blush.
Maxine poured Lizbeth a glass and then held it ransom for a kiss. Lizbeth giggled and shyly complied, quickly glancing at Toni after she did so.
Then Toni noticed Lizbeth take rather a large sip of wine.
Toni was relieved that dinner went quite well, all things considered. Maxine, who presented as the archetypal bachelor, was a surprisingly good cook. Lizbeth seemed a bit nervous and talked a little more than usual. Even Toni and Maxine appeared to be getting along okay.
She found herself acutely aware of how Lizbeth and Maxine interacted. Watching them together made her feel somewhat uncomfortable, which was not so much because of how they were behaving—neither of them were being overly demonstrative beyond the odd subtle touch or smile—but rather, the implication. She struggled to think of them as being together.
She was also very conscious that Lizbeth would be scrutinising her every move, so she took care to present as if she was having a good time.
After the main course Maxine helped Lizbeth clear the table.
Toni could not help feeling like she was having dinner with a married couple.
As Maxine returned to the table, she came up behind Lizbeth who was collecting the condiments, and leaned into her kissing Lizbeth's shoulder. Instantly images of Maxine doing the same thing, during that first night in front of the window, flashed across Toni’s mind.
Lizbeth’s naked body, illuminated by the streetlight. Maxine’s hands roaming over her soft pale flesh. Lizbeth shuddering against the window as she came—
“Toni?” Lizbeth’s voice pierced her reverie. “You okay?”
They were now both looking at her with concern. Toni felt flustered and suddenly became aware of her own erratic breathing. She flushed.
She cleared her throat. “Yeah, fine. Thanks.”
“I asked if you fancy a sweet or cheese for pudding?”
“Pudding?” Toni tried to focus. “Ah. I'm good actually. That was a delicious meal. It was more than enough for me, thanks.” Toni patted her belly to show how full it was.
“Well, let’s retire to somewhere more comfortable. Shall we?”
Toni contemplated making her escape, but realised that if she left now it would ruin the efforts of the whole evening.
Toni sat in the chair to the side giving Lizbeth and Maxine the space on the couch. She was amazed by how comfortable they were with each other. It was true she had never seen Lizbeth with anyone special before. It felt very strange to see her with someone who knew her in a way that Toni did not. She took a swig of her wine to wash down the pang of jealousy that clenched her throat.
Sitting there, relaxed in her silk gown, Lizbeth looked particularly beautiful.
Toni noticed Maxine run her middle finger gently in small circles along Lisbeth’s knee.
Lizbeth lay on the couch. Her silk gown was open revealing her breasts. Maxine bent down over her and kissed her nipple. She sucked it deep into her mouth causing Lizbeth to arch, pushing into Maxine as she threw her head back.
“Oh crap!” Toni uttered.
The sound of her own voice yanked Toni back into the room. Lizbeth and Maxine were both looking at her.
“I mean crap, look at the time,” she tried to cover up. “I have an early morning tomorrow—an unofficial meeting with a contact.” She knew Maxine would know if she lied about the case so she had to keep it general.
Toni got up, taking her wine glass with her to the kitchen.
“Toni is right,” Lizbeth said. “It is getting late.”
Toni could see the concern in Lizbeth’s expression. She knew Lizbeth would be worried that she had not had a good time.
Toni saw Maxine stroke Lizbeth’s arm to calm her down.
Toni knew she had to do better. “I just want to say, Maxine, that was an amazing dinner, thank you,” She said and she actually meant it. “I’m sorry I can't stay up longer, after my escapades last night. On the bright side, that leaves you two more of that lovely wine.”
Instantly Toni noticed the understanding and relief in Lizbeth’s face.
Now satisfied that she had done right by her friend, she headed to the spare bedroom.
Toni lay in the dark. She heard the music and lights being turned off, followed by hushed giggles as Maxine and Lizbeth retired to bed.
Once the flat was quiet, Toni closed her eyes.
She was just about to drop off when moaning noises echoed through the wall. At first Toni could not identify what it was. Then she recognised Lizbeth’s voice. “Oh yes! Yes! Please! Just there! Harder! Deeper!”
What? Seriously!
Toni turned, pulled the pillow over her head and tried desperately to cut out the noises and go to sleep.
Lizbeth lay on her bed. Maxine was on top of her, kissing her neck, her shoulder, her chest, moving down her body.
Lizbeth's face was an expression of complete rapture as the wonderful sensations flooded her mind and body until it built and built and she bit her lip as she finally came.
“Oh, Toni!” The whisper escaped her lips.
Toni's eyes flew open. Oh my God! Her heart was pounding, her breath ragged. What was that?
After a moment she looked down and saw her hand inside her pyjama-bottoms, touching herself. She had just come in her sleep!
She yanked her hand out quickly and sat up. She rubbed her eyes, wanting to erase the images that still lingered in her mind. How could she have dreamt that?
She looked at the clock. It was 2.13am.
She listened to the night. The house was silent. She flopped back down on her pillow and stared up at the ceiling.
Where to even start with that? Did she just dream about making love to her best friend? I’m not gay! Then why this? It must be all the shenanigans with Maxine that has fucked up her brain.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Sunday
Toni entered her flat carrying her overnight bag. She surveyed the scene. It still was as it had been before—chaos! What do people gain from doing this? she thought. She was unsure where to start with the daunting process of cleaning it up. She sighed, threw her bag down, took off her jacket, rolled up her sleeves and started picking things up off the floor.
In front of the "DYKE" sign on the wall she stopped. The extreme irony of the situation hit her smack in the chest.
Refusing to overthink the situation she threw herself into the task at hand. A couple of hours later most of the chaos on the floor had been cleared up and with a bucket of white paint and roller in hand she once again studied the wall.
Looking on the bright side, she was relieved that whoever did this did not have a chance to get inside Lizbeth’s flat. She could not imagine how devastated Lizbeth would have been had her space been violated in such an intimate manner.
She started to paint over the red letters. It was going to take more than a single coat to conceal this, she thought as she stood back and inspected the now pink but still very visible letters on the wall.
Later that evening Toni sat on her bed. She had been trying to read but struggled to focus. She found her thoughts and eyes kept wandering to the pink writing on the wall.
What if they were right? What if she was like that? She certainly was able to admire women. She co
uld even sometimes see what guys see in attractive women. But, did that mean she was a dyke?
No!
She thought back to the dreams and reveries she had had about Lizbeth. What did that mean?
She shook her head. She did not fancy women. Her libido was probably just playing havoc with her. It had been a while since she had had sex and, with all that sexual tension in the air around Lizbeth and Maxine, she was bound to be affected.
Come to think of it. She probably needed to get laid.
She picked up her phone and dialled.
“Hi, Aiden…”
Toni lay back. She was trying really hard but for some reason her head was just not in it.
She could feel Aiden, her long-term friend, original work partner and, subsequent to her leaving the Force, occasional fuck-buddy, thrusting inside her. Taking her. And what would usually have been an awesome turn-on was just not working today. She needed to come very badly.
She shut her eyes and racked her brain for an image or a fantasy that would get her off.
Her mind kept wandering to images of Lizbeth that night in the window with Maxine, or memories of the sounds of Lizbeth and Maxine making love on the other side of the thin wall of Lizbeth’s spare room.
Every time she forced open her eyes and stopped the images. It was so wrong! She could not allow herself to get off on images of her friend like that.
The harder she tried to shut down the errant images the more they seemed to flood her senses—the more sexually frustrated she became.
She could remember everything about that night in the window so clearly, the way Lizbeth’s body moved, her laboured breathing, her moans, the way her lips parted and her head dipped back and then how her body tensed the moment she came.
Toni moaned out loud. “Oh Liz…” she whimpered as she finally succumbed and plummeted into an explosive orgasm.
