"Will you look at that one?" Michael pointed out a large black tipped shark. "Remind me never to go surfing around here."
"You can’t. The surf isn’t large enough. The only thing you could do is to use a body board." Stan told him. "And even then you have to go out to the Gulf or to Florida."
"That sucks. Guess when I transfer out here I’ll be spending weekends in Florida."
"Are y’all ready?" Laurel sounded impatient. Nicole wondered how much she pain she just inflicted on the bassist. It did not make her feel any better.
"Yeah." She agreed to move on.
The bassist kept her distance throughout the rest of the Aquarium. The only time Nicole saw her smile was when they encountered the sea horses. She remembered then that Laurel’s mom loved sea horses. She guessed it was one nice memory the bassist had of her mother. She knew it was also something the two had in common. Laurel’s one contribution to the décor in Hattiesburg was a print of a sea horse. It hung over the loveseat in the living room. Nicole almost hoped the bassist would leave it when she left. It would be a great way to remember their time together since the bassist purchased it at an art festival the two once explored together several months ago.
"I’m getting kinda hungry. Wanna go get something to eat?" Stan interrupted her thoughts.
"Yeah. I think we’ve seen everything."
"Good. I’ll go get the others." He pointed at the other two. Michael and Laurel were exploring the gift shop.
Nicole waited near the doors as her cousin went to collect her lover and brother. Each one returned with a bag from the gift shop. Laurel had a mischievous look about her. The photographer wondered what Michael said to her. She shrugged it off, knowing that she would find out sooner or later.
"Let’s eat." The surfer called out.
Chapter Five
Lunch had been a quiet affair. Laurel was content to let Stan and Michael carry the conversation over their food. Fortunately both were excellent conversationalists. Stan regaled the table with impressions of some of his more eccentric customers. His stories were more humorous than Michael’s since the surfer did not deal with the regular public. Michael did have several stories to entertain them with, mostly about college life in California. The bassist could tell that while he loved growing up out West, he could not wait to move back near his father’s family.
They separated after the meal was over. Stan took Michael to the store to show him around and finish up some last minute inventory. Laurel escorted Nicole back to the Warehouse and upstairs. She was currently sitting in the courtyard watching the clouds.
"What the fuck has happened?" She asked herself. Suddenly her life had changed again. This time, she knew it would be for the worse. She could feel an emotional storm approaching.
Laurel had never been the type to sit and think. She needed to move. She tossed her cigarette into the bucket they used as an ashtray and ventured back inside to find something to do. Luckily, the game room provided plenty of activities. Instead of the basketball game, the bassist chose a recent addition to the room. It was a full-sized pinball machine based on one of her favorite comedic movies, The Addams Family.
Someone had rigged the machine to keep a full cache of credits. Laurel pressed the start button and watched as the small steel ball was released. She pulled the spring back and traced the ball’s track with her eyes. It pinged back and forth through the tumblers before rolling down to the paddles. She hit the buttons a little harder than intended and sent the ball shooting back up to one of the special bonus targets. A loud mechanical voice commended her as the video screen announced a bonus round.
She used the exertion to clear her head. She almost proposed at the shark tank. She had been so close to asking Nicole to be hers forever. Somehow the photographer knew that and asked for a delay. Laurel wondered why. She knew now that something in their relationship changed when she graduated college. At first, she thought it was just an adjustment period. All couples had those. The honeymoon stage was over and it was time to finalize the commitments. Laurel was ready for that. She knew she wanted to spend the rest of her life waking up to Nicole’s blue eyes. The question she was pondering now was did the photographer want the same thing. A week ago she would have said yes. Now she was not sure.
"Damn." She cursed. The game had progressed to a multi-ball bonus round. Four little steel balls were roaming all over the table. She was having a hard time watching all four of them. Finally, she cheated, letting three sink into the void, which ended the round. Unfortunately, the fourth one followed. That ended the game.
"I told you that you were competitive." Nicole’s voice came from behind her. She turned to see her lover standing in the doorway. The photographer’s hair was slightly damp.
"What gave you that idea?" Laurel decided to pretend that nothing was wrong. If the photographer could do so, then for the moment so could she.
"You just kicked the pinball machine."
"Ah, yeah that. Um, I was just stretching my leg and it got in the way?"
"Good one. Wanna tell me another?"
"I lost all four instead of just the three I was hoping to lose." Laurel did not want to tell her the truth. She had kicked the machine to jar her mind from her thoughts.
"Ok, I have no idea what you just said." The photographer grinned.
"I can show you. Have you ever played pinball?" Though she decided to play along, Laurel was not going to make this easy. She recognized the crossroads they were at, and refused to let her lover make an easy turn.
"A few times. I’ve been told I suck."
"Well, allow me to show you then." The bassist waved her lover over to the machine. "Come on."
"Alright, if you insist." Nicole took a stance in front of the machine. Laurel stood off to the side and watched.
The photographer was constantly a split second behind the ball. Laurel watched for a full game before taking a stance behind her lover and placing her hand’s over Nicole’s. The photographer hit the start button and they played a full game that way. The bassist whispered pointers and encouragements in her lover’s ear throughout the game. She revealed in the sent of the shampoo Nicole used. It was a light, almost floral scent.
"I bet I can do it this time." Nicole told her. "Matter of fact, I’ll bet that I can beat your high score."
"What are the terms of the bet?" Laurel asked. She could not tell if she was about to get snookered or if she were about to win a bet.
"Winner takes all?" The photographer grinned. "Either way you’ll win."
"True." She pretended to think it over. "Alright, I accept." She returned to her previous position beside the machine so she could watch easier.
Five minutes later, Nicole was still on the first ball. Laurel knew for a fact she had been suckered. The photographer was a wizard at pinball. Before her lover lost the second ball, Laurel watched her high score become history. A new record was set before the final ball disappeared into the void. Nicole turned and faced her lover with a look of triumph on her face.
"Pay up loser." Nicole demanded.
"I protest on the grounds that I’ve been had." Laurel was still staring in awe at the scoreboard.
"Did you really expect me to bad at everything?"
"No. I don’t think you’re bad at anything except drinking. I just took you at your word."
"Well, I thought it was time to pay you back for throwing that baseball game the other night." The photographer laughed.
"Touché." Laurel mock bowed. "I am at your service, madam. What do you wish your lowly and humble servant to do for you?"
"Like you’re ever humble."
"I can be on occasion. Now, what would you like?" She grinned. She had a feeling things were about to get very interesting.
"Well, I can think of several things." Nicole leaned back against the machine and pulled Laurel closer.
"Isn’t there a movie like this?"
"Like what?"
"Two people having sex on a pinball
machine." Laurel leaned in and nibbled a very delectable looking ear.
"There’s a difference." Nicole gasped as the bassist hit a sensitive spot. "I’m consenting."
"Good. Is this what you wanted?" Laurel let her hands roam as she searched the room for a clear spot. She really did not have a desire to make love against a pinball table. She was actually contemplating utilizing the Ping-Pong table. At least it was flat.
"Oh yeah. Nice and primal." Nicole’s voice dropped an octave.
"I can do that." Laurel answered. She pushed her lover away from the pinball machine and against the brick wall.
In almost two years, Laurel had never made primal love to Nicole. She preferred to take it nice and slow. The closest they got to rough sex was when Laurel took charge, letting a little of her past history show through. Those instances were rare. However, the bassist was well versed in primal movements. Most of her previous relationships had been one night stands and the majority of them had been rough encounters. She never would have guessed that Nicole would want that side of herself to show.
Though she was scared of terrifying her lover, Laurel let herself go for the first time in their relationship. She roughly pulled her lover’s shirt from her waistband. Using pure muscle, she ripped the buttons off, causing the shirt to fall open. Nicole gasped as the bassist began sucking the long neck beneath her lips. Her calloused fingers pushed the photographer’s bra out of the way, attacking an already erect nipple.
Nicole straddled the thigh Laurel pushed between her legs as the bassist trailed hot kisses down her chest. The bassist found herself blocked by the brassier until she reached around and unhooked it. As soon as she had slack in the material, Laurel pushed it out of the way. She kissed her way down, taking a dark, erect nipple in her mouth. She bit it lightly, covering her teeth with her lips. Her lover’s moans were of passion. She kept one ear tuned to those. She wanted to be ready to stop at the slightest indication of pain or discomfort.
"Oh, god." Nicole threw her head back against the wall. "C’mere." She pulled Laurel away from her breast. The bassist looked into her lover’s eyes for a long moment before claiming her lips in a fierce kiss. It left them both breathless.
"What do you want?" Laurel could tell her voice was harsh. Pushing the words through her panting was almost painful.
"You. To. Take. Me. Now." Nicole seemed to have the same problem.
Instead of answering, Laurel dropped to her knees. She unbuckled her lover’s belt before she pulled the khaki shorts down. They pooled around the photographer’s ankles. The bassist raised an eyebrow at the lack of underwear but did not question her good fortune. The sight of a freshly shaved section instead of the familiar dark curls almost caused her to swallow her tongue. Thankfully she managed to catch her breath and recover herself. She did not even have to spread her lover’s legs. Nicole took the hint and threw a long leg over the bassist’s shoulder. They both believed they were in heaven.
Laurel hesitated for a brief instant. She wondered at the change in her lover, but pushed that thought aside. She was glad Nicole was finally overcoming her shyness. With that thought in mind, she leaned in for a taste of her lover. Despite the recent changes in the photographer’s character, that taste was uniquely Nicole. It was the essence of the photographer and reflected her personality, light and smoky with the tiniest bit of salt for flavor.
Nicole’s hand snaked around and kept the bassist’s head in place. Laurel ignored her shaking knee. Somehow she ended up supporting the photographer’s weight as well as her own. Her knee was protesting. She pushed the pain away and concentrated on blowing her lover’s mind. She succeeded better than she could have imagined.
"Holy shit." Nicole bucked against her lover. Laurel had to strain to keep them both upright. She placed her left hand against the photographer’s ribs in an effort to keep her pinned to the wall. She thought it worked until she felt herself falling backwards.
"Ouch." Laurel tried to sit up but she was pinned to the floor. Nicole landed on top of her. All she could do was stretch her legs out, giving relief to her abused knee. "Are you alright?" She thought her lover was crying. She rolled them both over and slid up to check.
"Jesus that was hilarious." Nicole was crying, but it was through laughter. "Are you ok?"
"Yeah." Laurel was able to laugh as soon as she realized they were both fine. "That was one for the books."
"In more ways than one." Nicole leaned over and kissed her. "Thank you, sweetheart. That was defiantly one I’ll never forget."
"Maybe next time we won’t fall over. I think we’ll have to practice that." The bassist put an arm under her head, content for the moment to lie there. She soon found that Nicole had other ideas.
"Yes, well, methinks I owe you something for that." The photographer quickly sat up and pulled her shorts back on before laying back and undressing her lover.
"What are you doing?"
"Paying you back." The photographer pushed Laurel’s t-shirt up above her breasts. "I’m sure you don’t mind."
"Not in the least. Can I at least help?" She asked when her lover placed her hands above her head.
"Nope. I know you too well. If you don’t keep your hands behind your head, then I’ll stop. Knowing you, you’ll try to take over." Nicole watched as Laurel pillowed her head on her arms.
"Well, they do say it is better to give than receive." She pointed out.
"True. This time you’ll receive and you’ll like it, Lakky."
"Yes ma’am." She was too intrigued to argue.
As it was, it was a struggle. Laurel had to force herself to keep her hands behind her head as Nicole teased, tortured and ravished her breasts. The bassist was still so keyed up from making love to the photographer that she was more than ready to explode. If Nicole were aware of that, she did not seem to care. She took her time, making the bassist squirm before finally releasing her. Laurel felt as if her soul were set free for a single instant before it came crashing back down to her.
"Definitely one for the books." She managed to pant the words out.
"I’ll say." Nicole rested her head on the bassist’s shoulder.
"We might should get out of here." Laurel heard the door from the garage open.
"Yeah. I think we should." The photographer agreed. She sat up and attempted to hold her shirt together. "And you called me a wild animal woman."
"You’re the one who asked for primal." Laurel grinned as she pulled her clothes back around her.
"That I did. I don’t think I’ll forget that even with Alzheimer’s." Nicole was only able to fasten three buttons on her shirt. The rest were scattered around the pinball machine.
"Don’t worry. I’ll be around to remind you." Laurel pulled up her jeans. She rarely wore shorts.
"So what do you two have planned for…. oh my god." Stan stopped in the doorway. He took one look at his cousin and her lover in various states of sated disarray and covered his eyes.
"Hey, what’s going? I didn’t see a thing." Michael quickly covered his eyes as well. Laurel could not take it anymore and started laughing.
"You know, this really would be funny if I weren’t about to die of embarrassment." Nicole crossed her arms over her chest in a futile effort to keep her shirt closed.
"Since I have no shame, I’m finding it quite humorous." Laurel was still laughing as she finished buttoning her jeans. She straightened her bra, finding it a bit difficult to do so with the end of her shirt tucked into it. "Alright, we’re almost presentable."
"Seriously?" Stan peeked around from behind his hand. Seeing them more presentable relaxed him somewhat. "It’s alright Michael. You can look now."
"I was going to suggest we go out clubbing or something, but it looks as if you two may have other plans." Michael took his hand away from his face but refused to look at either woman.
"Are you going to be ok?" Laurel asked him. The tall surfer still looked uncomfortable.
"It is not everyday that you walk in
on something like that. It was not a nice thing to do to your poor brother, Nicky."
"Or your poor, involuntarily celibate cousin."
"We didn’t exactly plan on this or you two getting back so soon." Laurel defended their actions. Rather she defended her own as she could not speak for the photographer.
"You were supposed to be gone for the rest of the afternoon." Nicole told them. She apparently was not enjoying the humor of the situation.
"We were gone for the rest of the afternoon. In case you’re wondering, it’s dinner time." Stan pointed at the clock over the bar. It was indeed early evening.
"So are you guys up for dinner and a few clubs?" Michael returned to the question he had previously asked.
"Well, I just ate, but clubbing sounds good." Laurel could not resist the comment. At least Stan laughed. The two Heberts turned various shades of red.
"I could do with some Bourbon Street entertainment." Nicole agreed. She was refusing to look at anything but her own feet.
"We need to um, get cleaned up and stuff. So we’ll meet you on the courtyard." Laurel placed her hand on her lover’s back, gently guiding Nicole to the stairs. "We’ll be down in a few."
"We’ll wait." Michael promised.
They made it to the stairs before the sounds of laughter reached their ears. It added speed to their steps as they raced to Nicole’s apartment. Upon reflection, it was a rather embarrassing situation.
***
Nicole was effectively pinned to the bed. Laurel was spooned up behind her with one arm draped over her waist. Mozart seemed comfortable using her calf as a pillow. She felt trapped. Gently she eased the bassist’s arm from around her. Laurel let out a sigh and rolled over, allowing Nicole to move on to the other breathing bind that tied her to the bed. Mozart moved with great reluctance as she slowly stretched her legs.
Finally free of physical encumbrances, the photographer was able to roll out of bed. She searched through the darkened room for her lover’s jeans. Finding those, she felt around until she encountered the hard pack of cigarettes. She knew her lover’s habit was to tuck the lighter into the pack when room became available, so she did not waste time searching for it. Based on prior experience, she knew that she only had a limited amount of time. Somehow, Laurel always knew when she was left alone in bed.
All That Jazz Page 6
