by Audrey Storm
As she was thinking about this, she cleared the table where the lovers had been sitting. They had left the café, Helen assumed to go and make love with abandon, losing themselves in the blissful heat of each other’s bodies. She carried the tray across the room, lost in thought, when suddenly the door opened and she clattered into someone. The tray went flying. The mugs crashed and cracked on the floor, while Helen was sent spiralling to the ground. She landed with a thud and as she fell she saw the tangerine walls and the high ceiling and then... a rainbow?
Chapter 3
“Are you okay?” the soft voice was like a melody through Helen's head. She blinked. Water filled her eyes. She felt a hand against her arm, and then turned to see a young woman by her side. She had long multi-colored hair and a pretty, heart-shaped face. Her eyes were wide and a dark brown, while her skin was a white as a snowflake. Her nose was pierced with a stud, and showed that her innocent look was perhaps misleading. She had a bundle of shopping bags slung over her shoulder, and as she leaned forward, Helen was given a look down her top. She saw the plunging cleavage and averted her eyes, embarrassed.
“I'm so sorry! I'm such a klutz,” the girl said. She smiled with full, red lips. Dimples appeared on her cheeks. Helen put her hands on the floor to push herself up but instantly shrieked with pain as a shard of glass cut into her palm. Dark blood bloomed out. The girl, shocked, helped Helen up.
“Do you have a first aid kit?” she asked. Helen nodded, feeling light-headed and disoriented. Now that she was standing she saw that the girl had a slender frame, but curves in all the right places. She must have only been about twenty-one, and she smelled like summer.
They walked through to the back room and Helen rested against the counter. The girl rooted through some cupboards until she found the first aid kit. She also poured a glass of water and handed it to Helen. The girl placed a comforting hand on Helen's shoulder.
“Let's get this sorted out,” she said, and took Helen's hand. She swabbed the cut and mopped up the blood, then tied a bandage around it.
“That's nasty. It's lucky that it wasn't a little lower though. I'm really sorry again.”
“It's okay,” Helen said, her head still swimming with the swiftness of events.
“I'm Dani,” she said, and flashed Helen a smile. Helen returned the gesture and gave her name. “I always meant to come into this place and I saw it today and I thought 'you know what, today I'm actually going to do it,' but I didn't mean to do that. I should really look where I'm going. Are you the owner?”
Helen nodded. Something about this girl made her feel uneasy, as though anything could happen.
“That's so cool. My dad owns a business too, well, a few actually... but none like this. I like it. It's so... personal and unique. It's like stepping into another world.”
“That was the idea,” Helen mumbled, clearing her throat. Dani checked her hand and patted it.
“Not so bad, even if I say so myself. I think we caught it in time, you'll just have to keep it covered for a little while. Can I buy you a coffee or something to make up for it?”
“That's really not necessary.”
“No, please, I insist, you must be due a break?” Helen looked at Dani and felt something pulling at her, and she found herself agreeing. The two of them walked back out. Susie had returned now, and looked puzzled as she saw Helen emerge from the back of the café with a strange girl. Helen went to sit at a table while Dani ordered the drinks. Helen avoided looking at Susie.
“So how long have you been running this place then?” Dani said, sitting opposite. She brushed a strand of red hair away from her face and placed her elbow on the table. The strand of hair instantly fell back again, but it gave her an alluring look.
“A couple of years now. It's been tough though and I've had to make a lot of sacrifices.”
“Like?”
“My marriage,” she said bluntly.
“Oh.”
“Yeah. He got upset that I was spending so much time at work and he got bored and ended up finding someone else.”
“Well that's just sucky. That's men for you, I guess. My dad was like that with my mom, and then with the woman he married after my mom. Tries to make it up to me by buying me pretty things, which does work most of the time.”
“Yeah, well, I've had enough of men for the time being. They can buy me all the pretty things they like but I'm not going to give them the time of day.”
“That's good news for me,” Dani said, a wicked smile flashing across her face as she sipped her coffee. “I've already got enough competition for beautiful women.” Helen squirmed in her chair. This was wrong. She looked around and saw Susie's disapproving look. She leaned forward and Dani responded by mirroring her movements.
“I don't know what you're thinking, but I'm not into... you know... I'm not a lesbian,” she said those words in a harsh whisper. Her voice trembled as she lied. Feelings that had laid dormant for so long were fizzing through her mind, memories that had lurked in the recesses of her mind were coming to the fore once again. Dani smiled, and lowered her voice into a breathy whisper. Her hand slid across the table, and when her fingers came over Helen's, the older woman didn't pull hers away.
“You just haven't met the right girl,” Dani said, her wide eyes shining with temptation. Helen's throat tightened and all of a sudden she felt hot. Dani's skin was soft, and Helen found her eyes drifting lower, first to Dani's sensual lips, and then to her pert, full breasts that were being held by the white cotton of her top. Dani giggled and leaned back in her seat. Helen didn't know what to do or say. Despite her youth, Dani had power over her.
“I want to make it up to you. Come shopping with me tomorrow,” Dani said.
“Oh, really, I'd love to but I can't. I have to look after the café.”
“You have other people to work here, yes? That girl looks like she can take care of things. It'll all be on my daddy's credit card, but it looks to me like you haven't been pampered for a long time. Let me remind you how fun life can be.” She held out her phone, waiting for Helen to put her number in. Helen stared at Dani. She could feel her skin prickle and her heart thudded inside her chest. Before she could stop herself, she took the phone and punched in her number. Something about it seemed wrong and yet she felt more alive in that instant than she had done over the past year.
“That's great. I'll give you a call tomorrow,” Dani said, and rose from the table. She walked behind Helen, dragging her hand across Helen's shoulders. The older woman shivered and closed her eyes. The scent of summer went with Dani, and Helen found her eyes lingering on the doorway long after Dani had left.
“Who was that?” Susie asked in a curious tone.
“I'm not sure, we just... bumped into each other,” Helen said.
“She seemed to like you.”
“I think she was just friendly...” Helen said, but for the rest of the day her mind kept wandering to the mysterious girl who had come into her life. Susie kept commenting on how distracted Helen seemed, and it was with relief that Helen locked up and returned home. While she was in bed her mind lingered on Dani. Her eyes closed and she thought of the way the young girl's hair fell forward, how her soft skin had felt, and how her eyes had played with a wicked delight.
Laying in bed, Helen's mind traveled back through the years to when she was a teenager staying at a summer camp. There had been an older girl, a bit of a rebel who had pale skin and hair as black as the night. From the first moment that Helen had laid eyes on her, she had been enraptured. There was something so commanding and intoxicating about her presence, as though she knew a secret about the world of which everyone else was unaware. She called herself Raven, although that wasn't her real name. Helen never did find out her real name. But she did find out a lot about herself. On one hazy night, the two of them had sneaked away and were sitting in the forest among the trees. The moon hung high in the sky, bathing the surroundings in a silver light. Helen had been so nervous, but being
with Raven calmed her. The older girl looked at her and pulled her close to her body. Helen knew what was coming but she had trouble believing it, for it seemed so unreal. The moment when their lips met had such a dreamlike quality that it was a product of the night. The kiss started off gently, and then a warm feeling exploded through Helen's soul, tearing her innocence to shreds. Something had awakened inside her, clawed its way up from the depths of her soul, and seized her.
In the middle of the night, the two of them made love.
The day after that, Raven was picked up from camp and Helen had never seen her again. For weeks afterwards, she had been distraught and her parents didn't understand why because she had told no one, but she had never forgotten. All through her marriage Raven had been there in the back of her mind. But, until Dani, Helen had never found herself attracted to another woman. Now she felt scared, but exhilarated as well. For the first time in a long time, her body was tingling and alive again, and as she lay in bed, her thoughts drifted between the familiar memory of Raven and the new, exciting world that Dani could show her. It was so wrong—she was so much younger than Helen, but she couldn't turn away. It was as though she was drawn to an incandescent flame that burned a bright white, and although she knew it could be dangerous, there was something irresistible about it.
Chapter 4
While Helen waited for Dani, her nerves increased. There was something so illicit about the whole thing and she felt like everyone was going to lay judgment down upon her. She glanced at her phone; Dani was running late and Helen was tempted to up and leave, but something made her stay. It wasn't long before Dani rushed through the crowd, standing out not just because of her hair, but because of her whole essence, and when she saw her, Helen was glad she had stayed.
Dani greeted her with a warm embrace and a soft kiss on the cheek. As they hugged, Dani's hand slipped down and rested against Helen's curves. It felt nice, but Helen was self-conscious and she pulled herself away.
“Are you ready for a day of fun?!” Dani exclaimed excitedly.
“I guess...” Helen said.
“Wow, it really must be a long time since you've had any excitement in your life. Come on, let's put a smile on your face” she said, and grabbed Helen's hand, dragging her through the mall. They went through a number of shops.
“You can have anything you want, courtesy of my father,” Dani reminded Helen. At first, Helen didn't like the sound of that, for she had always prided herself on making her own way in the world, but after much reassurance from Dani, Helen felt more comfortable with it.
“I suppose that was one of the reasons why our marriage ended. I think Michael would have been happy if I stayed at home while he went to work, but that life was never for me. I like doing things. I like feeling that I'm contributing something to the world,” Helen yelled through the fitting room curtain. She was trying on a dress that Dani had picked out, but the label seemed to lie because it was tight. Sweat prickled on her skin as she felt embarrassed and she hated to call Dani into the room but she had no other choice. The young girl slipped in between the curtain and the two of them were in close quarters, so close that they couldn't help but touch each other. Dani's perfume filled the area and Helen was intoxicated by it.
“It's just a bit tight,” Helen said.
“It's okay, I've got it,” Dani replied, and stood behind Helen. As Dani fiddled with the clasp Helen could feel her breath against her skin and it was intense. Dani unclasped the dress and Helen felt a swell of insecurity as she felt her skin becoming exposed.
“Could you look away?” she said softly. Dani pulled Helen's hair away from her neck and ran her hands down Helen's side. Despite herself, Helen groaned in satisfaction.
“Why do you want me to do that?” Dani asked in a low voice.
“Because I don't like my body.”
Dani chuckled to herself. She ran her hands across Helen's stomach and let the dress fall away.
“I love your curves,” she said, and squeezed Helen's hips, murmuring as she did so. Helen was in heaven. When they emerged from the dressing room Helen had to compose herself and took some deep breaths, but Dani seemed to enjoy torturing her, and loved the effect she had on the older woman. The two of them went through the mall and entered a salon where they had a full makeover. After it was over, Helen barely recognized herself.
“I feel about ten years younger,” she remarked as she looked at her reflection in the mirror.
“They do say you're only as young as the woman you feel,” Dani said with a cheeky smile. Helen was mortified that she would say such a thing in front of the stylist, but she only offered a thin smile.
“How can you be so upfront about it?” Helen whispered as they walked out of the salon.
“Because it's who I am. Why should I give a fuck about what anyone else things? If they have a problem with it, they can go screw themselves. I'm not going to waste my time pretending to be somebody I'm not. Went through enough of that at school. Daddy always told me to try and behave, but they never wanted to hear my side of the story, just wanted to call me a freak because they didn't understand it,” she spat out.
“I'm sorry,” Helen said.
“It's okay. It just brought up some bad memories. Let's go for a drink?” Dani suggested. Helen nodded and they were soon giggling loudly in the corner of the bar after a few cocktails. Helen had told her about Raven, and now it was Dani's turn to tell Helen.
“It was at school,” she began. “And I had a huge crush on this teacher. She was blonde, leggy, with a gorgeous figure and I just knew that I wanted her. I mean, I knew that I was supposed to like boys and there was no shortage of ones that wanted to date me, but I didn't think of any of them in the same way as I thought of her. Then I started getting bullied because a rumor was going around that I was a lesbian, not that anybody knew for sure. It was hard, and she was the only one that I could turn to. I told her everything. She was like the parent figure that I had never had. My mom was useless and my dad is always too busy to care about me. I guess that's why I've always been attracted to older women. She invited me to her place because she had struggled with the same things. We talked and shared this really deep connection. I knew that if I told anyone, they'd all say they she took advantage of me, but it wasn't like that at all. When we were together, our ages didn't even matter. It was just me and her and the love we shared and it was amazing.”
As Dani talked about her affair with her teacher Helen felt a tinge of jealousy, which she knew was irrational but she couldn't help it.
“But I like the fact that you've only been with one woman. I'd love to teach you and show you my world,” Dani said, and suddenly everything was alright. Helen felt herself sparking inside and when Dani slid her hand over the table, Helen caught it in her own. They touched each other and looked into each other’s eyes, searching their souls for the things that had been missing.
“Tell me about your life. Where you've been and where you're going,” Helen said.
“You sure you can handle it?” Dani asked.
“Try me,” Helen said. Whether it was the alcohol or the verbal sparring in which they had indulged, Helen was feeling more confident like she had done in her youth. She was sitting with a gleam in her eye, and happy to twirl her fingers in with Dani's, all thoughts of self-consciousness erased from her. Dani proceeded to launch into the story of her life, telling her about how she had been sent away to boarding school, and how she had been transferred when it hadn't worked out, how her mother had been useless and her father had been absent. Growing up without parents caused her to grow up by herself, giving her a strong sense of self-worth and maturity.
Although she was many years younger, Helen got the sense that Dani had lived more of a life in her years than Helen had in almost twice that much. She gazed in awe at Dani as the young girl spoke with passion about her travels. “Having a billionaire as a father has had its perks, I suppose. I mean, I guess I wish he was around more, but I got an open
bank account to do whatever I want. I used to go away for vacations in Europe, I saw a lot of the world at a young age and got to meet so many new people. And it just made me realize that the world is so big and there are so many different people that when I came back to America, it all seemed so petty. All the other countries had so many evolved sensibilities when it came to sexuality. I felt so much freer when I was abroad...”
She continued talking, but Helen was enraptured. Attraction brimmed between them. Time seemed to stand still and the clock was rolled backwards to where she was a young inexperienced girl, standing under the sycamore trees, drowning in the sweetest kiss she had ever known.
Chapter 5
The door was flung open. Helen was pressed back against the wall. Her arms were pinned to either side and the breath was drawn from her lungs in rapid bursts. Her heart was thundering as she felt Dani's lips press against hers. She tasted of strawberries. Dani's rainbow hair fell all around Helen's face and she was lost in a world of blazing Technicolor. Their soft bodies pressed against each other, their breasts melting into each other, their crotches burning and their skin exploding with desire. Helen struggled against Dani's grip, trying to free her wrists but Dani was surprisingly strong. She wasn't going to let Helen go until she was ready, and when she did she coyly walked backwards towards the direction of the bedroom, beckoning Helen with a curling finger.
