Unexpected Ties

by Gina Dartt

  Nikki frowned. “I don’t know where I’ll come up with the money. I mean, give me a few months and I could save it up, but I can’t expect Kim to wait that long.”

  Again Kate swallowed the words that jumped unbidden to her tongue. Money was a touchy subject with them, and three thousand dollars was enough to cause trouble if not handled correctly. “Have you considered taking out a loan at the bank?”

  “I could try. I probably won’t get it.”

  “Why not? You have a well-paying job.”

  “Yes, but I’ve only had it since the beginning of March.” Nikki stared off at the room, her eyes dark. “After high school, when I was first working at the diner, I got a few credit cards. It was like having free money, and I got into a lot of trouble with them very quickly. I cut them up and managed to pay them all off, but I really can’t be trusted with one. That’s certain to be on my credit record.”

  “If it’s any consolation, you’re not the only young person who’s gotten into trouble with them,” Kate said. “Personally, I don’t believe anyone should be issued a credit card unless they have a five-year work history and some awareness of how to handle things financially. Instead, they give them to kids in college.”

  “Plus I’m still paying on my student loan,” Nikki sighed. “I doubt my bank would want to increase the debt load.”

  Kate pursed her lips, thinking about how she would present her idea. “You should try anyway. If they won’t give you the money, I will.” She held up her hand to forestall the protest she knew was coming. “I’m talking about a loan, Nikki, not a gift. I’ll have my lawyer draw up a contract and even charge interest if you want.” She gazed at her lover. “Please let me do this, darling. You should have a car if you want it. I know you’ll pay the loan back.”

  Nikki’s expression was a mix of hope and wariness, torn between pride and the need to accept help. Kate forced herself to be patient, remaining silent as she worked it out.

  “Only if the bank won’t give it to me,” Nikki said finally.

  “Of course.” Kate felt a flicker of triumph curl one corner of her mouth up in a smile, and she shifted so that she could slip her arm around Nikki’s waist in the hollow between her body and the back of the sofa. Wrapping the other across Nikki’s stomach, she rested her head on Nikki’s chest, feeling the throb of her heartbeat beneath her cheek. “Let me know when you need it, if you need it.”

  After a pause, Nikki kissed the top of Kate’s head, hugging her. “Thank you. This means a lot to me.”

  “You’re welcome.” Kate spent a few moments delighting in the sensation of her lover’s body, basking in her fragrance and warmth. “Anything else going on that I should know about?”

  Another pause, significant in its weight, and Kate lifted her head to look into Nikki’s eyes, suddenly tense. “Darling?”

  Nikki appeared definitely sheepish. “I saw Martin and Tiffany Elliot at the tennis club again.”

  “Oh?” Kate prompted, suspecting there was more to it than that.

  “I followed them.”

  “You what?” Kate was amazed at how even her voice sounded.

  “Actually, Kim and I followed them. They went to the Tideview Motel in Lower Truro.”

  “I see.”

  “But get this, it wasn’t what I thought.” Excitement colored Nikki’s tone. “Ten minutes after they went into the motel room, some other guy shows up and joins them. He doesn’t knock, he just walks right in and there’s no big blowup, so obviously they were expecting him.”

  “Who was it?” Kate was drawn into the story despite her best intentions.

  “I don’t know. It wasn’t one of the Elliots, at least not one I’ve seen before. He was there for something, and it probably wasn’t on the up-and-up. Otherwise why would they be meeting at a dive like the Tideview?”

  “How do you know it’s a dive?” Certain thoughts and ideas involving Nikki and a motel room suddenly spun through Kate’s mind. She didn’t much like the images they inspired.

  “Kim told me.” Nikki’s unconcern immediately shut down Kate’s sudden detour into the realm of a jealous suitor. “We wrote down the guy’s car license number, and I’m going to have someone run it for me the next time I go in to work.”

  “Can you do that?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe Rick might run the plates for me. Depending on what he finds, I may or may not have to tell him why I’m asking.”

  Kate took a deep breath. “Nikki, I can’t believe Rick would do such a thing and I don’t like you getting involved in this.”

  “Yes, you mentioned that.” Nikki’s tone suddenly became very even, her face expressionless.

  Kate started to speak, checked herself, and thought about what she wanted to say and how she wanted to say it. “I don’t want to tell you what to do,” she said finally. “That’s not it at all, but this sort of thing can be dangerous. I’m afraid for you.”

  Nikki’s eyes, which had started out a brilliant blue behind her glasses, hard and unyielding, abruptly softened, and she gathered Kate to her, brushing her lips over her temple. “I’m not going to do anything stupid, Kate. I promise. I also promise to tell you everything I’m doing. That’s why I told you about following Martin and Tiffany. I don’t want to hide anything or keep you out of my life.” She held Kate’s stare. “But it is my life.”

  Kate sighed. She always had to be careful when she objected to Nikki’s behavior. Their age difference made it easy for her to come across as a parent or older sibling, and she didn’t want to be perceived as either. Plus, she had to fight against her own propensity to treat her young lover like she treated her part-time employees, as an inexperienced and naïve person who always needed her guidance. She could offer her opinion and advice on occasion, yes, but she could never make Nikki think she believed her incapable of making her own decisions, not if she wanted this relationship to succeed.

  “What if they had noticed you and Kim following them?”

  “Then they probably would have tried to lose us.”

  “And then?”

  “They would have.” Nikki laughed. “Kim was driving. She managed to lose the group on the way to the South Shore for one of our outings, and that was when the person she was following was deliberately trying to lead her.”

  Kate frowned, not amused, and skewered Nikki with a stare. “Is this the real reason you want a car? So you can ‘tail’ people?”

  Nikki looked thoughtful. “You know, I hadn’t considered it, but what a great idea. I was really lucky that Kim was giving me a lift to the tennis club. If I had been walking, I wouldn’t have been able to follow them, and I wouldn’t have found out what I did.” Kate closed her eyes and groaned, dropping her head to Nikki’s chest. “What?”

  “I give up,” Kate said wearily. “You’re going to meddle in this whether I like it or not. All I can do is be there to pick up the pieces when it’s all over.”

  Nikki rested her cheek against Kate temple. They sat together for a while before Nikki nudged her gently. “You know I love you, Kate. I really don’t want to worry you.”

  Kate didn’t say what was on the tip of her tongue. It wouldn’t accomplish anything, nor did she think Nikki would hear it. Instead, she contented herself with hugging Nikki tightly.

  After another pause, Nikki kissed her hair, and murmured, “So, have you thought about trying out the toys we picked up at Venus Envy?”

  Kate felt the same sudden spurt of illicit pleasure that she had experienced in the store, a delightful sense of the forbidden, of unexplored territory just waiting to be discovered. It was suddenly hard to breathe, and her heart began to pound in her chest, throbbing with the same beat that pulsed in her loins. If Nikki had been deliberately trying to take her mind off her detective work, she couldn’t have chosen a better method.

  “Seriously?”

  “Well, it seems a shame to spend all that money and not try them out.”

  Kate debated the issue for all of two
seconds. “Um, all right.”

  Whatever the night might hold, it would certainly keep her from worrying about Nikki and what she planned to be up to in the future.

  Chapter Fourteen

  “I’m glad you find this funny,” Kate said as she opened the wooden box she’d stored in her nightstand.

  Nikki laughed at the sight of her lover gazing pink-faced at the contents. “I hate to break this to you, but no matter how sexy all this is, it’s also a bit silly. I mean, no woman looks particularly gorgeous with a plastic pecker hanging off her.”

  “You’re not making this easy.”

  “Sorry.” Nikki slipped her arms around Kate’s waist and sought out her lips, kissing her with lazy pleasure until she relaxed. “This is going to be fun, I promise.”

  “I know. It’s just…I’ve never done anything like this before.”

  “It’s just play, sweetie. We won’t do anything you don’t like. Just say the word and we’ll toss everything back in the box. Then I’ll make love to you all night long without any help.”

  “You say the sweetest things.”

  “It wasn’t sweet. I just have the most beautiful woman in the world in my arms. Who needs toys?”

  They kissed again, and then once more, tongues touching in a sweet duel of rising desire. Kate made a soft sound of happiness as Nikki started to loosen her clothes, peeling off her blouse before unfastening her trousers. Undergarments were tossed carelessly aside and then, between the kisses and brief caresses, Nikki quickly divested herself of her own clothes. She groaned as she felt Kate’s compact body against hers, delighting in the silky smooth skin and the soft curves that pressed against her more angular form.

  “So how should we do this?” Kate whispered as she stroked Nikki’s sides and back lightly.

  “Well, I know what you were imagining when you picked it out,” Nikki teased her gently. “So you put it on first and we’ll see how it goes.”

  Kate swallowed convulsively, the muscles moving visibly in her elegant neck. She released Nikki and turned back to the bed to open the box, revealing a black gel-filled dildo, a pink butt plug, a vibrator shaped like a penis, and a bottle of lubricant, all resting on a tangle of straps and buckles. She picked up the harness, eyeing it with a bemused smile.

  “Uh, I don’t suppose you know how this works.”

  “We’ll figure it out.”

  After a few minutes of discussion and two abortive attempts to put it on, Kate finally managed to secure the contraption to her body. Nikki looked at the leather band covering her lover’s auburn triangle, the strap disappearing between her legs, and felt her nipples harden in desire.

  She quickly picked up the dildo and handed it to Kate. “This fits through the opening in the middle.”

  Kate slipped the artificial penis through the hole in the center of the leather triangle, adjusting it a few times until she was satisfied. “You’re right,” she said with a blush and a smirk. “It does look absurd.”

  Nikki leered at her. “Funny, I was thinking that you look pretty hot.”

  Kate blushed prettily again. “Have you…” she began, and then stopped as if unsure how to say it. “You told me once that you’d never been with a man.”

  “I haven’t.” Nikki studied Kate’s expression, then realized what she might be curious about. “Um, well, I’ve been with other women who’ve wanted me to use toys on them, but I’ve never had one used on me. So I’m technically a virgin. It’s up to you to pop my cherry, Kate.” She knew she’d said the wrong thing as soon as the words left her lips, but she couldn’t snatch them back.

  “God, Nikki.” Kate was suddenly very solemn, and Nikki wished she hadn’t been so glib.

  “Hey.” She pulled Kate into her arms, ignoring the cool hardness of the dildo between their bodies. “It’s okay. I’m only kidding about being a virgin. C’mon, we’ve made love before, and you’ve been inside me plenty of times.”

  Kate drew back, frowning slightly. “This is different, Nikki. This could hurt you.”

  “Kate, we’ve got plenty of lubrication, all the time in the world, and, seriously, you’re not attached to the thing. You’re not suddenly going to be swept up in the whole situation and forget what you’re doing. Besides, it’s not all that big, is it?”

  Kate took a breath, glancing down at it again before meeting Nikki’s eyes. “No, it’s not particularly large, but darling—”

  “Kate, I trust you completely,” Nikki interrupted her before she could really start on the objections. “I’ve imagined what it might be like, but until you, I’ve never wanted anyone to do this to me. I want you to make love to me this way.” She took Kate’s hand and drew it down so that it was between her thighs. “Do you believe me now?”

  Kate caught her breath, and Nikki knew she was assessing the wealth of moisture pooling at the juncture of her legs. Lowering her head as Kate fondled her slowly, Nikki drew her closer, sliding her hands down to her lover’s buttocks, squeezing them lightly. “Are you saying you don’t want me?”

  “I’d never say that,” Kate murmured, pressing against her. “But darling, I just…I need you to be sure.”

  “I am, Kate. I want you to be my first, my last, and my only one.” She moistened her lips with her tongue as she felt Kate’s fingers move over her gently. “I know you’ll do absolutely right by me.”

  “We’ll take things very slowly,” Kate promised, her voice rather unsteady.

  “Oh, I want you to be slow.” Nikki swallowed against a mouth that seemed suddenly dry. “Until I want you to go fast.”

  Kate shivered. “Darling, if you only knew how much this means to me, your wanting me to do this…”

  Nikki regretted that she had allowed this to become so serious, but if it meant that much to Kate, this perception of taking Nikki’s supposed virginity, then she certainly wasn’t going to argue about it. Besides, she couldn’t ask for a better, more considerate lover for her first time, knowing with absolute certainty that Kate would focus completely on providing the most pleasure possible.

  “I love you,” Nikki told her quietly. “I want you in every way imaginable.”

  “I love you too, my darling.” Kate continued to toy with Nikki, swirling gentle fingertips over her as Nikki spread her legs wider, offering more of herself to Kate. “Let’s get on the bed.”

  Setting aside the wooden box, Nikki crawled onto the mattress, settling back onto the blue and ivory comforter. She carefully swallowed back her smile when she watched Kate crawl onto the bed with her, the dildo dangling from her groin. Reaching out, she pulled Kate down on top of her, seeking out her mouth in a searing kiss. Kate returned it hungrily, lips and tongue moving over Nikki’s face and neck as if she couldn’t get enough of her.

  “Just lie back and relax,” Kate told her in a throaty voice. “Let me do all the work.”

  Nikki smiled over the remark. The age difference between them showed up at some odd times, and this was one of them. It was obvious Kate considered herself the authority in this aspect of lovemaking and wanted to be completely in charge. Nikki had no problem with that.

  Kate’s body was a soft weight on top of her, pressing down with comforting familiarity. Her hands moved lightly over Nikki’s skin, her mouth gentle where it kissed and licked her breasts. Nikki wasn’t particularly well endowed; where Kate’s breasts were fuller and more shapely, Nikki’s were pert and sensitive, even more so when Kate made a special effort to accord them the proper attention.

  Closing her eyes, Nikki let her head fall back onto the pillow, feeling the waves of pleasure steadily build as Kate caressed her. She almost cried out in disappointment when the tender touch stopped, and she half sat up, reaching out for her lover. “Where’re you going?”

  “Just getting ready,” Kate retrieved the tall bottle of lube from her nightstand and squirted a blob of the clear, gelatinous fluid onto her palm.” This feels like…well, a lot like you.”

  For some reason, that made Nikk
i feel oddly self-conscious, and she held her breath as she watched Kate slather the lubricant all over the dildo with sensual deliberation, making it gleam blackly in the low wattage of the bedroom lamp. Suddenly this whole scene was a lot less amusing, and very erotic, making the lower muscles in her abdomen clench in anticipation.

  “Ready?” Kate leaned over her, bending down to kiss her with a deep, reverent tenderness.

  “Sure.” Nikki let out a slow, shuddering breath.

  “You stop me if it becomes the slightest bit uncomfortable.”

  “I promise.”

  Reaching down and placing her hand gently on the inside of Nikki’s thigh, Kate carefully spread her lover’s legs apart, settling between them as she prepared to enter her for the first time.

  *

  Kate felt somewhat nervous as she knelt over Nikki, but when she looked into the brilliant blue eyes, she saw only love and utter trust. Slowly, she rubbed the toy’s rounded head against Nikki, dipping it briefly in the pool of wetness before swirling it lightly over the tiny ridge of her clit.

  “Like that?”

  “It feels good.” Nikki had her knees bent to either side of Kate’s hips, opening herself completely.

  Kate stared down, stunned by the sight of the dildo rubbing against the delicate pink of Nikki’s tender folds. “I want to be inside you. I’ll go slow, so you can adjust.”

  “Okay.” Nikki’s smile was one of pure sensuality.

  Kate couldn’t imagine anything more arousing than the sight of her dildo slowly sinking into her lover’s opening. Hindered somewhat by the tightness she encountered, Kate didn’t try to force past it. Instead, she carefully eased the mushroom head deeper. The toy was both larger and thicker than Kate’s fingers, and it had to be more intrusive than anything Nikki had ever experienced before.

  Kate stopped when Nikki made a small sound, but her lover immediately urged, “Keep going. I want you all the way inside me.”