Bell, Book and Dyke - New Exploits of Magical Lesbians

by Barbara Johnson, Karin Kallmaker, Therese Szymanski

  "No problem," Tia said, feeling idiotic because her self-consciousness had showed.

  "Poor Tia. I don't guess you're used to seeing your clients in the altogether." Chameleon laughed. "I'll go put my dress back on so you don't have to spend so much time deciding where you should look when I'm talking to you."

  Chameleon laughed and took off across the field like a doe. Even though Tia was fully clothed, she felt like she was the one who had been exposed.

  The food at the potluck could have been worse. There were roasted ears of corn and a nice pasta salad and a box of cheap red wine which Tia helped herself to in an effort to overcome the awkwardness of dining with strangers whom she had just seen naked.

  After two paper cups of wine, she found it much easier to be sociable. Anansi, it turned out, was from Nashville, too, and so they spent a pleasant half hour talking about places and people they knew in common. Graymalkin was a gracious hostess, circulating and making sure everybody was comfortable and offering around egg-free, gluten-free, dairy-free cupcakes (Tia declined). And all the women wanted to know about the lawsuit—what she thought their chances of success were (pretty good, but would be better outside the Bible Belt) and how long the legal process would take (longer than anybody would want it to).

  Overall, Tia had to admit that she found the coven to be made up of kind, sincere women who were surprisingly intelligent given their propensity for dancing around stark naked. And they all seemed so comfortable together... well, all of them except Chameleon and Iris. There was definitely something going on there. Except for during the ritual, the two women had largely avoided each other, and when contact was unavoidable, their interchanges had been awkward. Tia remembered Chameleon alluding to a bad breakup and wondered if Iris could be the source of it.

  When Tia looked at her watch, she was surprised to see how late it was. She leaned over to Chameleon. "I don't want to spoil the party, but I have to get up pretty early for work in the morning."

  "Oh, of course," Chameleon said, smiling. "I tend to forget that everyone isn't as nocturnal as we are. Just let me do my good night hugs and then we'll get you home."

  Tia noticed that Chameleon's hug with Iris was less close and lingering than her hugs with the other coven members. Once they were in the car, Tia said, "So that breakup you were telling me about... it was with Iris, right?"

  Chameleon laughed. "Wow, you lawyer types really are observant, aren't you?"

  "Yep. It must be hard, her still being in the coven."

  "And still being my working partner. But I figured it would be awfully petty for me to kick her out just because she dumped me. I figure the more time that passes, the easier it will get."

  "You're a nicer person than I am," Tia said. "I would've kicked her butt out."

  "Well, I might have, too, if deep down I hadn't felt like we needed to break up. Iris and I had problems. She always liked the high priestess version of me better than the everyday me."

  "Kind of like having a crush on a movie star and thinking the real person will be just like that big image on the screen."

  "Exactly." They were getting near town now, and Tia felt comforted by the sight of the city lights. "So," Chameleon said, "what did you think of the Sabbath?"

  Tia searched for words. "I thought it was... without a doubt... the most beautiful religious service I've ever attended."

  They were at a stop light, and Chameleon turned toward her, grinning. "Would that be because you happened to be surrounded by naked women?"

  "Well, that helped, yeah." Tia laughed.

  "But I'm curious... what is your impression of our religion?"

  Tia didn't want to be put on the spot after midnight after a long day, but here she was. "Well... that you're kind, nurturing people who care about each other and the earth."

  "That didn't answer my question. You just said what you thought of us, not what you think of Wicca."

  Tia grinned. "Hell, maybe you should be the lawyer. Okay, here's what I think: there's nothing offensive about your religion at all. In fact, it's very nice. But maybe it's a little too nice for the world we live in."

  "What do you mean?"

  "I mean that in a world this fucked up, where people are oppressed or killed or penniless while corporate giants are growing fatter and fatter... how can you say some benevolent goddess is in charge of this world? Surely if a goddess was in charge, the world would be a kinder place."

  Chameleon parked the car in front of Tia's house. "But you see, the world is in such a sorry state because people have turned away from what the goddess represents... from peace and nurturing and living in harmony with nature. If people would embrace these principles, the world would start to heal." Chameleon's eyes were wide and very blue, even in the darkness.

  "I told you you're a better person than I am," Tia said.

  "Why?"

  "Because you believe that kind of change is possible."

  Chameleon reached out and placed her hand on Tia's. "But you believe in change, too. If you didn't, you'd be making money hand over fist working for some evil corporation instead of being overworked and underpaid at a little firm that helps the downtrodden." She smiled. "Like me."

  "Okay, so we're both nice people." Chameleon hadn't taken her hand away from Tia's, and her soft touch radiated a strange energy Tia couldn't explain. Tia heard herself saying, "You know, I finished reading The Witches' Bible. If you want to come in for a minute, I'll give it back to you."

  "Okay." Chameleon smiled. "Wow, you finished it, huh? You're a fast reader."

  "That's what got me through law school."

  Inside the house, the cat rubbed against Chameleon's ankles while Tia retrieved the book.

  "So what did you think of it?" Chameleon asked when Tia handed the book back to her.

  "It was interesting ... I was kind of surprised, though, how much of witchcraft is based on heterosexuality... the female energy versus the male energy and all that. It all seemed surprisingly... straight."

  "Well, as I always tell my youngest coven member, who's forevermore complaining about the heterosexism of 'old school'

  Wicca, the energy from ritual is all about polarity, and male-female polarity is just one kind of many. People can be of the same sex and still be polar opposites in terms of their personalities. And that polarity can generate tremendous energy... and tremendous attraction."

  Tia could usually explain all of her actions. She didn't normally do anything without thinking it through first and weighing the pros and cons. But now she just acted. She did something that had she been in control of her reason, she never would have done. It was almost as if she had been bewitched.

  Tia took a step toward Chameleon, placed her hands on Chameleon's shoulders, leaned forward, and kissed her on the mouth. Tia felt Chameleon's soft lips part in response, then heard The Witches' Bible fall to the floor with a thud and felt Chameleon's arms snaking around her waist.

  They kissed without stopping to breathe. Chameleon's back was pressed to the door as Tia leaned into her, finally moving from Chameleon's lips to kiss down her long white neck to her collarbone, her hands sliding down Chameleon's silky dress, down the swell of her breasts and the curves of her hips.

  The weight of their passion dragged them to the floor, and somehow Tia was on her back with Chameleon straddling her. Tia watched as Chameleon pulled her dress over her head. She wasn't wearing any underclothes, and Tia gasped to see the beauty she had admired from a distance now so close. Chameleon lay down over the length of Tia's body and leaned in for a long, slow kiss. Tia flipped her over, and soon she was kissing Chameleon's throat and down to her lovely breasts. No wonder she plays the role of a goddess, Tia thought. She certainly has the body for it. But then Tia's head was empty of all thoughts as she moved her hands and mouth over Chameleon's skin, touching and tasting, her senses blissfully alive.

  When she parted Chameleon's thighs, she felt for a moment that she could
understand the pagan fertility cults and the worship of such a dark and magical place, the source of both life and pleasure. When she slipped one finger, then another, into that place, the holiest of holies, it felt like warm, wet silk. Soon there was nothing but their rhythm, the rocking back and forth and Chameleon's cries and panting combining into a song of pleasure. When Tia felt Chameleon tremble beneath her and felt Chameleon's muscles tighten around her hand, she knew their song of pleasure had reached its crescendo.

  After Tia caught her breath, she laughed to see the havoc they had wreaked on her living room floor. They had rolled on the Oriental rug until it was a crumpled mess. They had knocked over the cat's scratching post (the cat was in the corner, staring at them judgmentally), and Chameleon had somehow ended up with her head under the glass-topped coffee table. "Are you okay under there?" Tia asked.

  "Sure. Just enjoying the view." Chameleon scooted out from under the table. "You wouldn't happen to have one of those things called a bed, would you?"

  Tia grinned. "As a matter of fact, I do. I just kind of forgot about it in the heat of the moment. However, my experience has been that lying on my bed is somewhat more comfortable than lying under my coffee table."

  Chameleon laughed. "Maybe we should try it, then."

  Tia helped Chameleon up and led her down the hall to the bedroom. When she had bought the house, she had fixed up the bedroom to be deliberately sexy, with pen-and-ink nudes hanging on the wall and an inviting queen-sized bed. Until tonight, though, the only creature that had taken Tia and her bed up on its invitation had been Zora the cat.

  "So tell me," Chameleon said, stopping her at the edge of the bed. "Why is it that you still have all your clothes on, and I've been naked for an hour?"

  "It must be your pagan tendencies."

  "Maybe so." Chameleon ran a finger across Tia's lips. "But from what you just did to me, I think you might have some pagan tendencies yourself." She undid the top button of Tia's shirt.

  "After all, nobody's a rationalist in the bedroom... not if they want to have a good time anyway. Are you having a good time, Tia?"

  "Um... yes." Tia was suddenly shy, yet at the same time she didn't want Chameleon to stop undressing her.

  Chameleon was unbuttoning Tia's shirt with maddening slowness, undoing a button, then kissing the bare skin down to the next button. When she reached Tia's cleavage, she purred, "ooh... look... a bra!" as if Tia were wearing some kind of exotic fetish garment. Once Tia's shirt was off, Chameleon went to work unbuttoning her jeans. She yanked them down and sighed, "And white panties!"

  "Are you making fun of my undies?"

  "No... not at all. It's just that it's been so long since I've been with a woman who wore them. But I love the challenge." She put her arms around Tia's back, unhooked her bra, and pushed her back on the bed.

  "Better get rid of those panties, too," Chameleon said, sliding them down Tia's hips.

  Tia lay on her back with Chameleon leaning over her, Chameleon's hands flat-palmed against Tia's skin, tracing circles over Tia's shoulders, breasts, and belly. A pleasurable heat radiated from Chameleon's touch—heat which seemed like more than could be generated by human hands. How does she do that? Tia wondered, but then her mind stopped, and all she did was feel the warmth and the strokes that relaxed and aroused her at the same time. Soon Chameleon's hands were replaced by her mouth, and Tia gasped to feel the wet warmth of Chameleon's lips and tongue on her breasts, belly, and—her gasp was almost a scream—her inner thighs. When Chameleon's tongue touched down on that most sensitive spot, Tia dug her nails into the sheets. It was good good good good good, and it had been so long since anyone had found that spot, and this was the best she could ever remember it being, now, this moment when her thoughts were silent and there was nothing but pure pleasure washing over her.

  "Damn," Tia said, when Chameleon cuddled up next to her. "Damn, you're good at that."

  "Well, you know, I chose the name Chameleon because the chameleon symbolizes change and adaptation to change." Chameleon paused to kiss Tia's shoulder. "But the Chameleon is also known for having a very agile tongue."

  "Mmm," Tia purred. "You know, I feel like I could sleep for three days. Which, I guess, means I'd better set the damn alarm clock."

  Chameleon snuggled up against Tia's back. "Is it okay if I stay here tonight?"

  Tia rolled over and took Chameleon in her arms. She knew that if she listened to her thoughts, she would start backing away. But it had been so, so long since she had held a woman like this. "Please," she whispered. "Stay."

  Part 3

  Fire

  Chapter 1

  Chameleon wondered if she should be worried. When Tia had woken up early that morning to go to the office, Chameleon had invited her to the cafe for lunch, and Tia had said she'd come. But now lunch hours were over. Sally had put up the closed sign, emptied the cash register, and headed for the bank. Chameleon had packed up the day's unsold food to deliver to the nearby homeless shelter. It was ten minutes past the time she usually locked up, but she kept finding little excuses not to leave—a knife that needed to be cleaned better, some torn she could put in to marinate overnight. She felt ridiculous for waiting around—after all, Tia had probably just gotten hung up at the office like the workaholic she was—but she couldn't help herself. Last night... she still felt aftershocks of pleasure when she thought about it.

  As she was cubing the torn, there was a soft knock at the door, and she rushed out of the kitchen to see Tia, holding an umbrella that wasn't doing much to protect her from the torrential rain. Chameleon smiled to see her, but felt a surge of panic when her smile was not returned. She took a deep breath and opened the door. "Hey. Come in. I saved some of today's special for you if you want some."

  "No, thanks," Tia said. "I just came to talk. Do you have a minute?"

  "Sure. Why don't you sit down at least?"

  They sat at a table for two. Chameleon noticed that Tia wasn't making any eye contact with her at all, which could only mean bad news. As if Tia's announcement that she came "to talk" wasn't a bad omen anyway.

  "Listen, Chameleon," Tia said, looking down at her hands— hands that Chameleon remembered quite fondly from the night before. "Last night was... was..."

  "Great?" Chameleon offered.

  Tia produced a weak smile. "Yeah, it was. But I've been thinking it was probably the kind of thing that only needs to happen once."

  I will not cry, Chameleon told herself. I will not cry. "Why's that?"

  "Well," Tia said, "there are lots of reasons, the first being that I'm your lawyer. For me to have an intimate relationship with you while you're my client... well, it's highly unprofessional. I could be disbarred for it."

  "Well, I can understand that," Chameleon said. "I certainly wouldn't want to put your career in danger. And after all, I won't be your client forever."

  "No," Tia said, still not looking at her, "but you'll be my client for quite a while. This case could go on for a year or longer. It wouldn't be fair for me to ask you to wait just in case we have... something."

  "I'm a very patient girl," Chameleon said, making a futile attempt at humor.

  "It's more than just that," Tia said, studying the tabletop. "You and I are such completely different people. With me, life is all about reason and evidence and facts. And you... you're out there naked in the moonlight talking about magic and goddesses and things... things you can't prove."

  "So you deal with the rational aspects of the universe, and I deal with the irrational ones. Between the two of us, we've got the whole universe covered."

  Tia shook her head, looking exasperated. "But shouldn't everything be rational? Chameleon, like I'd said, I'd fight to the death to defend your right to practice your religion, but to be lovers with somebody who spends so much time on ethereal things? I'd end up trying to convert you to my way of thinking. And I'd hate myself for trying to change you ... like I was some kind of missionary f
or agnosticism."

  "Well..." Chameleon said, her voice cracking despite her attempt not to cry. "I'm sorry you regret what happened last night."

  "Oh, I don't regret it," Tia said, looking at Chameleon for the first time. "It was beautiful... a beautiful memory." She reached out and touched the tear that was slipping down Chameleon's cheek. "I need to go. I'll be in touch about the case."

  Like an automaton, Chameleon walked back to the kitchen to finish cubing the tofu. Precisely and efficiency, she cubed three full packages of the stuff. It was only as she was dropping the cubes into the marinade that she realized she was crying. She wondered if tears in the tofu compromised its essential vegetarianism.

  Chameleon returned to her apartment, planning to strip off her work clothes, burrow under the covers in her loft bed, and stay there indefinitely. Passing by her answering machine, she noticed it was flashing that she had four messages. Maybe, she thought, one of them's from Tia. Maybe she was just scared. Maybe she realizes now that you can't dump a woman before you've even officially gotten together with her. She took a deep breath and pushed "play."

  "This message is for Camille Masters," a perky female voice which was definitely not Tia's chirped. "This is Tracy London from Channel Eight News. Your attorney told me I could reach you at this number. I'd like to get together and talk with you about the case you and your... group have filed in federal court..."

  Chameleon pushed the "next" button: "Camille Masters, Brad Turner from WJAX-TV. I was hoping you could answer a few questions about this whole witches adopting a highway business— that is, if you're not going to turn me into a toad or anything, har, har, har..."

  Chameleon winced and hit the "next" button again. "This is Shelley Sheldon, Channel Six News..." Next. "Camille Masters, this is Stuart Williams from the Herald..."

  Chameleon pressed "stop." Well, her personal life was a wreck, but at least she was a media darling. She washed her face, made a cup of chamomile tea to calm her nerves, and decided to call everyone back except that Brad guy. He obviously didn't need her to turn him into a toad; he already was one.