by Lydia Rose
CHAPTER ELEVEN
“We thought we’d go for a burger and then meet the girls at the club,” Carol said as they drove down the road.
“It’s so good to see you,” Jessica said looking back at Sam.
“It’s good to see you both. It’s been too long,” Sam commented.
“Yes, it has.”
They ate dinner and then went onto the club. As they walked inside, a group of women waved them over. Sam greeted the women, ordered a drink and tried to forget Catherine. She danced with several women and felt overheated.
“I’m going to get some air,” Sam said standing.
“I’ll go with you.” Jessica stood and followed Sam outside.
Sam stood against the building and stared into space.
“What’s the matter, Sam? Are you still thinking about Robin?”
“I’ll always think about Robin, but that’s not it,” she said softly.
“What is it then?” Jessica touched her arm to get Sam to continue.
“My next door neighbor’s best friend moved back home and we became friends.”
“What kind of friends?”
“Good friends, but she’s...” Sam couldn’t finish.
“But she’s straight. Right?”
Sam nodded.
“Have you slept with her?” Jessica asked trying not to sound critical.
“Yes.”
“Did she run?”
“No. I ran. Amy, my neighbor said Cate will end up hurting me. That Cate will never stay with me.”
“Did Cate tell you that?” Jessica asked trying to make sense of what Sam was telling her.
“No. She feels something for me. I could tell when we made love.”
“So you don’t think it’s just the sex?”
“I don’t know, Jess. I’m so confused. When I’m with Cate, I believe she’d never hurt me. Then I listen to what Amy’s says and I get scared.”
“Does this Amy have a vested interest in keeping you two apart?”
“No. I don’t know, Jess,” Sam admitted.
“What does Cate say about this?” Jessica asked moving closer to Sam.
“I haven’t discussed this with her.” Sam let out a breath. “I haven’t seen her since we made love.”
“I think you should be talking to her. Let her tell you what’s she’s feeling and not what this Amy is telling you.” Jessica kissed Sam’s cheek. “Bring her to the club tomorrow. Let your friends check her out,” she said with a smile. “We’ll know if she’s for real.”
Sam turned to look at Jessica. “Thanks for listening, Jess. I’ll call her tomorrow.”
“Good. Now let’s go back inside and have some fun.”
Sam smiled and followed Jessica.
****
Sam called Catherine the next morning, but the call went to voicemail. “I guess you’re not interested in speaking with me. I don’t blame you, Cate. I acted like a fool.” Sam disconnected the line.
Sam’s phone rang ten minutes later. “Hello.”
“I was outside speaking with a neighbor and that’s why I didn’t pick up your call. I know you’re scared, Sam. You don’t think I’m scared too? Why won’t you talk to me about what you’re feeling?”
“Because when I’m in the same room as you,” Sam took a breath, “all I want to do is kiss and touch you.”
Catherine chuckled. “Well, that’s a good place to start.”
“Can I come over?” Sam asked cautiously.
“I’ll be waiting,” Catherine said holding back her tears.
Sam knocked on the door ten minutes later.
“Hi, come in.” Catherine stepped out of the way.
Sam walked in and put her hands in her pocket to keep from touching Catherine.
“Can I get you something to eat or drink?” Catherine asked looking at Sam. She wanted to reach out to her, but she knew it had to be when Sam was ready.
“No thanks,” Sam said softly.
Catherine sat down. “Sam, sit please. Don’t worry, I won’t sit near you,” she said with a giggle.
Sam looked at her and sat down on a chair. She stared at Catherine. “I’m sorry for ignoring you this past week.”
“I understand, Sam. You needed time to think.” Catherine waited, but Sam continued to look at the floor without speaking. “Did you have a good time last night?”
Sam’s eyes shot up and looked at her.
“I saw you with those two women,” Catherine said quietly.
Sam finally found the courage to speak. “They’re good friends of mine, but no I didn’t really enjoy myself. We went to dinner and then a club.”
“Did you dance with other women?” Catherine asked calmly.
Sam couldn’t meet her gaze and nodded instead.
Catherine remained calm. “I’m glad you spent time with your friends. Have you been ignoring them too?” she asked with a chuckle.
Sam nodded again.
“Did they think you were nuts for getting involved with a perceived straight woman?” Catherine asked with a grin.
Sam met her gaze this time. “I only told Jessica about you. She wants me to bring you to the club tonight to meet her and Carol. Carol is Jessica’s wife.”
Catherine thought, Yeah, they want to run me through the ringer. They want to tell me to stay away from their friend. “Do you want me to go?”
Sam nodded. “If you want to.”
Catherine smiled. “I won’t say yes until you give me a proper greeting. You’ve been here for ten minutes and you haven’t kissed me yet.” Her grin was wide.
Sam finally smiled and went to sit next to Catherine. Sam kissed Catherine’s mouth softly and she squeezed Sam to her.
“I’ve missed you doing that,” Catherine admitted.
Sam took Catherine’s hand and held it. Her finger rubbed the top of Catherine’s hand. “I missed you too and your kisses.”
“Come on.” Catherine stood and pulled Sam up from the couch. “Let’s go for a walk. If we stay here, I won’t be able to keep my hands off you.”
Sam smiled and they walked toward the beach.
As they walked down the boardwalk, Sam asked, “Am I the first woman you’ve ever been with?”
Catherine stopped walking and looked at Sam. “Yes.”
“You’ve never had a crush on another girl before?”
Catherine reached for Sam’s hand and pulled her over to an empty bench. “Sam, just because I’ve never been with another woman or had girl crushes doesn’t mean anything.”
“Are your friends telling you that I’ll go back to the straight world after we’ve had our fun?”
Sam shrugged, but didn’t respond.
“Sam, I can’t tell you that I’ll never leave you. No one can guarantee a relationship is going to work out without even trying. How are we going to know unless we give us a shot?” Catherine asked firmly.
“So I’m your first?” Sam asked again. Now she wondered if Amy had lied all along.
“Who told you I wasn’t?” Catherine looked at a silent Sam and then it hit her. “It was Amy, wasn’t it?”
“Yes,” Sam said barely audibly.
“Why would she say such a thing?”
“She said there was this girl in high school that liked you. Amy said there were rumors about the two of you.”
“She told you about Ally?” Catherine asked.
“If that was her name, yes.”
“Ally was gay. I was the only one who would speak with her. Everyone else treated her like she had the plague.” Catherine turned Sam’s head. “We were friends and nothing happened between us.”
Sam thought at least Amy didn’t make up a story about Catherine. “I guess Amy thought there was something between you two.”
“I was dating a boy named Ryan at the time. Amy knew that.” Catherine’s hand went to her head. “I guess she thought I was seeing both of them.” Catherine wanted so much to hold Sam. She ran her hand along Sam’s leg. “Was I t
hat much of an expert in bed that you believed I had experience?”
“What you did to me was unbelievable,” Sam said wiping her brow.
“That was because I wanted to please you. Everything I did came so natural to me. I couldn’t believe it myself.” Catherine poked Sam’s leg. “You brought that out in me. You. Not another woman, but you.”
They both sat back on the bench and didn’t say anything. The sexual tension between them was evident.
Catherine turned to look at Sam. The hazel eyes met her gaze.
“You’re going to make me say it, aren’t you?” Catherine asked with a smirk.
Sam nodded as she stared at the blue eyes in front of her.
“Come back to the house. I want you now,” Catherine said softly.
Sam stood. “I’ll race you.”
Catherine reached the door before Sam even entered her block. She opened the door, tore her clothes off and jumped in the shower. Sam came in a few minutes later out of breath.
“That’s no fair. You run regularly.” Sam walked toward the bathroom and stripped her clothes off. “I hope you saved me some hot water.” She opened the shower door and walked into Catherine’s arms.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Catherine was lying across Sam’s body. Her fingers absently traced circles across Sam’s chest. “So do you still want to go to the club tonight?”
“I think I’d rather keep doing what we’ve been doing,” Sam said pulling her close.
“You’re friends are going to think I don’t want to meet them.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Sam said running her hand down Catherine’s back.
“I’d rather get the grilling over with as soon as possible,” Catherine chuckled.
“I’ll get new friends,” Sam said pulling Catherine onto her.
“It’s early, we’ve got plenty of time before I face the firing squad.”
Sam spread her legs wide. “You’re something else, Cate. Do you know that?”
“I’m scared shitless, but I know it’s important to you and to your friends.”
Sam rolled Catherine off her and got out of bed.
“Where are you going?” Catherine asked frowning.
“To send Jess a text and go to the bathroom and get us some water.” Her hand was on her hip as she looked down at Catherine. “Don’t go anywhere.”
“Don’t take too long,” Catherine laughed as she left the room.
“I’ve created an insatiable woman,” Sam called over her shoulder.
“And don’t you forget it,” Catherine said laughing at Sam.
****
Sam and Catherine held hands as they walked into the club. Sam saw her friends and walked over to the table. “Hey, guys,” Sam said gripping Catherine’s hand. “Cate, this is Carol, Jessica, Lee, Anne and Sally. Everyone, this is Cate.”
The women smiled, but they eyed Catherine suspiciously. They looked at the silk blouse and cotton pants she had on. Everyone else was in jeans and they thought, this one is high maintenance. “It’s nice to meet you,” Jess said first. “We’re all happy to meet you.”
The rest of the women nodded and said hello.
Sam pulled out a chair for Catherine. “What would you like to drink?”
“A glass of wine, please.”
Lee chuckled and Anne poked her in the stomach.
“I’ll be right back,” Sam said. “Don’t scare her away,” she pointed with her finger.
Catherine grinned. “Okay. Give it your best shot.”
The group laughed and Carol said, “Oh, I like her.”
“So we hear you were straight before Sam?” Sally asked.
“Most people are straight until they fall for someone of their own sex.”
“I like that,” Ann said.
“Sam went through a lot after Robin died. We didn’t think she’d ever be able to function again,” Carol said.
“Is there a question in there?” Catherine asked.
“It’s been years since I’ve seen her smile, a genuine smile. You did that, Cate. Thank you,” Carol touched Catherine’s hand.
Sam came back to the table and saw the tears in Catherine’s eyes. “What did you do to her?” Sam asked angrily.
Catherine grabbed her hand and pulled her down. “They didn’t do anything.”
“Then why are you crying?” Sam said first looking at Catherine and then to the group.
“Carol said something very nice to me and I got emotional. I wasn’t expecting anyone to say anything nice,” Catherine said wiping her eyes.
“I still thinks she looks like high maintenance,” Anne said as the rest of the women laughed.
Catherine took Sam’s hand. “Dance with me.”
“Robin wasn’t much for dancing,” Sam said into her ear.
Catherine stopped. “Does that mean you don’t like to dance?”
“No, I like to dance.”
“Good because I love to dance and it will give your friends some time to talk about us. They’ll have to get it out of their system.”
“So what do you think?” Carol asked Jessica.
“I like her, but I’m still worried.”
“Suppose she breaks her heart?” Anne asked.
“Then we do what we did the last time. We pick her back up,” Carol said chuckling. “I have a good feeling about her.”
“I hope you’re right,” Sally said finally speaking up.
Catherine and Sam danced as well together as their lovemaking had been. They fit together and anticipated the other one’s moves. As the music changed to a slow song, Sam pulled Catherine to her.
“Easy there, tiger,” Catherine said with a laugh. “We don’t want to see you get all hot and bothered just yet.”
Sam laughed in her ear. “I’ve been hot and bothered since I met you.”
“Oh, so that hand in my crotch was intentional?”
“No. That was a very happy accident,” Sam said in a growl. “I couldn’t have chosen a better way to spend a Sunday morning with you up until Sunday night happened.” Sam kissed her gently. “You’ve turned my whole world upside down.”
“I hope for the better,” Catherine whispered seductively.
“I’ve been walking around just going through the motions. Then you came into my life and I started living again. Even if we only remained friends, you still changed my life.”
Catherine kissed Sam deeply. “You’ve changed my world too, honey. Let’s go back and sit with your friends for a while. I’d like to take you home to bed soon.”
“We can leave right now,” Sam said laughing. “We don’t even have to say goodbye.”
“Don’t be rude.”
Sam and Catherine left the bar at eleven o’clock.
“See, we should have just left. Those women sure can talk,” Sam said opening Catherine’s door. Sam climbed into the truck, still ranting. “I can’t believe Sally asked you to dance.” She glanced at Catherine. “And you said yes.”
“Honey, calm down. It was one dance. Do you want me to drive? I can’t tell if you’re drunk or not.”
Sam took a deep breath. “I’m sorry.”
Catherine reached for Sam’s hand. “I’m not interested in anyone else. Do you understand?”
Sam nodded.
“Can we go home now?” Catherine asked with a chuckle.
Sam drove off, but as they were sitting at a traffic light, the golden arches made her stomach growl. “Are you hungry? I’m hungry. All I had today was the left over Chinese food we had.” She pulled into McDonald’s and ordered a Big Mac, a small fry and a vanilla shake. “Do you want anything?”
“No thank you.”
Once the food was in the truck, Sam pulled up and put the fries between her legs. Partially unwrapped the burger and put the milk shake in the cup holder.
“Aren’t you afraid of getting sick tonight?”
Sam took a big bite of the burger. “No, I’m hungry.”
By the time they got to
the house, Sam had finished the whole meal. “That was good.” She packed up the trash and put it in the bag. Sam dropped the bag into the trash before she walked into the house.
Catherine went into the bedroom and removed her clothes. She came out wearing her robe. “I’m going to jump in the shower.” She looked at Sam. “Do you want to join me?”
Sam’s clothes came off in a flash and before the water had warmed up, she was at Catherine’s side. She nibbled on the back of her neck and took the robe off Catherine’s body.
In the middle of the night, Catherine awoke to hear the toilet flush. She waited a minute and when Sam didn’t return to the bedroom, she got up. “Are you okay?” she asked seeing Sam’s face.
“No. Do you have any Alka Seltzer?”
Catherine tried not to laugh. She reached into a cabinet and took out a packet. Sam was standing there in her opened shirt still looking green. Catherine poured a glass of water and dropped the tablets into the glass.
“Go ahead. You can say it,” Sam said sheepishly.
“I don’t have to. You already know. Here, drink it all.”
Sam cringed as she drank the entire glass and burped. “Excuse me,” she said holding her stomach.
“Are you going to be sick again?” Catherine asked watching her face.
“I don’t think so. I threw up everything that I ate. It tasted a lot better going down than it did coming up.”
Catherine finally laughed. “Come on and lie down. Let the Alka Seltzer do its work.”
They got into bed and laid next to each other. “What are you going to do about Amy?” Sam asked quietly.
“Do you want to sell your house and move in here?” Catherine asked with a laugh.
“Oh, no. Your spare bedroom looks like a clothing store already. There isn’t enough room for you in this house, let alone me.”
“Are you feeling better?” Catherine asked making sure she didn’t put her arm on Sam’s stomach.
“A little and thanks for not giving me a hard time about being right.”
“I think you being sick was enough punishment.” Catherine lifted up and kissed Sam. “Good night.”
“Good night, Cate.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
