"Are you sure that you can put up with me while I get comfortable with this, Mia? I know this must seem like kindergarten to you."
"Hey, don't put yourself down like that," Mia chided. "Yes, we're going slower than I'm used to, but that's not a bad thing. Having to wait for something you want is sometimes very rewarding." Brushing her fingers along Jordan's cheek she said, "I think it's going to be worth the wait. You had me throbbing soooooo hard last night. You are quite the little kisser, you know," she said, placing several soft ones on Jordan's lips, just to remind her of her talents. "And your breasts are really a turn-on for me. Every time we're together, I just want to get my hands on them and give them a good squeeze."
Jordan batted her big blue eyes at Mia and whispered, "Wanna squeeze 'em now? If I faint, I'm already lying down."
Mia considered the offer, letting her gaze slowly wander down the long body. When her eyes lifted, Jordan was staring at her intently, giving her a hopeful, desire-filled look. She knew it wasn't wise to start playing with each other too intimately since Jordan was stressed enough with just her in the room, never mind Jamie and Ryan. But she didn't want to dissuade her attempts at intimacy, so she decided to play a bit, keeping it low-key. "I don't want our roomies to hear us," she whispered, "but that's not the kind of offer I'm willing to pass up." She smiled broadly at the blonde, noticing Jordan's body start to grow tense as she waited for the touch.
"Have you dreamed about me touching you this way?" she asked softly as her hand reached out to cup the weight of Jordan's full breast.
"Uh-huh." Jordan's voice was strained with tension, but her breathing was normal and her heart wasn't beating wildly like it had been the night before. "Even before you touched them. I just knew how your hands would feel," she murmured, with her eyes closed to allow her body to feel the touch without visual interference. "I was right."
Mia wasn't trying to excite the other woman so much as get her used to the sensation. She kept her touch light and delicate, just holding the flesh in her hand and hefting it a little to give her some gentle stimulation. Biting back a smile she remembered the first boy who had ever touched her breasts-feeling at the time like he was trying to knead some suppleness into a stiff piece of clay. She was determined that Jordan would never feel like a collection of body parts when she touched her, and she gentled her touch even more, just running the tips of her fingers across the flesh through the T-shirt.
The experiment was proving to be a success, with Jordan actually relaxing into her caress. She rolled onto her back and sighed as Mia's hand moved from one firm breast to the other, maintaining her relaxed pace and tender touch.
"Good God, this feels nice," Jordan moaned as Mia's blunt nails scraped across a puckered nipple. She reached up and pressed the small hand flat against her, increasing the pressure substantially as her breath caught in her throat. Mia could feel the blonde's heart begin to beat wildly, and she regretfully pulled her hand away from Jordan's firm grasp.
"We'd better stop, Jordan," she whispered, finding that her own voice was a little breathy. "I don't want to lose control tonight."
"It just sounded like a good idea at the time," the larger woman giggled. She was blushing gently, and Mia patted her cheek and returned her smile.
Her smile slowly faded as Mia looked longingly at the swells of flesh. "Can I have a rain check? They really look scrumptious, and there's all sorts of things I'd like to do to them."
"Sure," she agreed. Even though she knew she wasn't ready, she wanted Mia to know one of her secret desires, so she screwed up her courage and said, "I'd really like to touch yours one of these days, too." She paused a beat and added shyly, "I've dreamt about them, too."
Mia clasped her hands behind Jordan's neck and snuggled close, letting their breasts rub against each other through the soft, thin fabric of their Tshirts. "Anytime your little heart desires, Jordan. They're looking forward to it."
Jordan gave her such an adorably shy smile that Mia had to stop herself from pinching her cheeks, realizing that might actually offend the taller woman. Their faces were just inches apart, and as much as Mia was enjoying the view, she could see the fatigue on her friend's face. "You really look beat," she said. "Wanna break tradition and actually go to sleep?"
"Yeah," Jordan smiled, fighting a yawn. "Travel wears me out. I really should get some rest." She lifted her hand and delicately traced Mia's features, as if trying to memorize them. "I don't know if I can sleep with you so close to me," she whispered. "I've never slept with anyone before."
"No one?" Mia asked softly, rubbing her back.
"Just Ryan," the blonde chuckled to Mia's wide-eyed look. "I had a horrible nightmare when we were at volleyball camp, and she held me to put me to sleep. It didn't feel like this, though." Jordan nuzzled her face into Mia's neck and said, "I've never slept with anyone that I wanted to…have sex with. I never trusted anyone enough." Her head lifted as her clear blue eyes locked on Mia's. "I trust you."
"I'm glad," Mia sighed. "I promise that I'll never try to push you too far, Jordan. I'll be gentle with you." She brought her hand to Jordan's face and stroked it tenderly. "You're very precious, you know."
The blonde head shook slightly in wonder as she said, "I've never felt precious before. The people I've been close to have made me feel like they wanted me for my body or for their own pleasure. It didn't feel like I mattered-you know?"
"You do matter," Mia whispered. "Very much."
"I dated a guy last year that I almost slept with," Jordan revealed. "I liked him, and he seemed to like me." She chuckled a little as she recalled, "He was taller than I am, and blonde. He used to say that we had to procreate to keep tall, blue-eyed blondes on the planet."
Mia laughed as well and commented, "There aren't a lot of your species around. He might have been on to something."
"There's plenty of blondes in Sweden," she scoffed. "California sun isn't hospitable to my coloring. Besides, that didn't seem like the best reason in the world to be in a relationship with someone."
"So, what happened between you two? Why'd you break up?"
"It was a fight we had over sleeping together," she revealed. "Not having sex-sleeping together." She sighed and said, "Three separate times I told him he could stay over, and each time I got up and slept on the couch. I just couldn't relax when he was in my bed." Shaking her head, she rolled her eyes and said, "I think he was a little insulted. He'd get up in the morning and find my legs hanging over the end of the couch, my head jammed against the wooden arm. Telling him that I was more comfortable in that ridiculous position really pissed him off."
"Ouch," Mia grimaced. "That would sting."
"Yeah. I don't blame him at all. I just couldn't do it."
"Well, I hope you can relax tonight, but if not, please wake me up and tell me so. I'll really be upset if I find you on the floor in the morning."
"Deal," the blonde agreed. "We can flip a coin for the bed if I can't sleep."
"No need. I'll fit in the bathtub just fine," Mia smiled. "One advantage of being short." She tightened her hold on the long body and placed a few soft, tender kisses on Jordan's lips. "Ready for sleep now?"
"Um…yeah. How should we do this?"
"Well, how do you normally sleep? Back, side, stomach?"
The taller woman thought for a moment. "I usually start off on my right side. All bets are off after that, though. I thrash around a lot-fair warning."
"I sleep on my side, too, and I don't thrash around. This should work fine. Turn around now, and lay like you usually do."
Jordan started to do so, but turned back and gave Mia a few very gentle but emotion-filled kisses. "You've been great, Mia. I really appreciate how patient you've been with me."
Smiling softly, Jordan turned over and tried to get comfortable, digging her shoulder into the overly-firm mattress. Mia waited until she was settled, then snuggled up close behind her, placing her hand lightly upon Jordan's waist. "How's that?" she asked.
"I love to sleep together," Mia said. "Aside from sex, being in bed with someone is a wonderful sensation."
"If it's someone you really like," Jordan corrected her.
"Yeah," Mia said fondly, pushing the hair from Jordan's neck and giving her a kiss there. "It's much nicer with someone you really like."
She slipped her arm around the trim waist, snuggling tighter against Jordan's body. In a matter of seconds the tension began to leave the tall woman's muscles, and a moment later she collapsed against Mia, sound asleep. "Sleep tight, Sweetheart," Mia whispered, knowing that her words would not be heard.
Part Six
For some reason, Jamie woke early and found that she could not get back to sleep. She was tired of lying in bed, so despite Ryan's incoherent protest, she got up and tugged on her sweats.
A soft voice whispered, "You getting up?"
Jamie snuck over to the other bed and leaned close to Jordan. "Yeah. I can't sleep this morning." Mia was tucked up close to the taller woman's back, and Jordan gently disentangled herself from the warm embrace and stood, stretching a little.
"Wanna go scrounge up some breakfast?"
"Good idea. I'm absolutely famished!"
Jordan smiled and said, "Maybe that's why you can't sleep. Whoever was responsible for that pizza should be arrested."
Jamie shuddered as she recalled the dreadful concoction. "You're probably right," she mused. "My stomach's been rumbling for hours."
"Hey, maybe that's what woke me up!"
"Watch it, Jordan," Jamie whispered. "I'm used to dealing with big girls. I know your weaknesses."
"Point taken," she smiled, zipping up her warm-ups. "Let's go, before I pass out from hunger."
Once in the hall they surveyed their options. There was the hotel dining room, but the menu didn't look appealing to either of them. Striding outside, they looked up and down the busy street but saw nothing in the immediate vicinity. "We came from that direction last night," Jamie said, pointing north. "We passed a lot of fast food. Maybe there's a grocery store."
"Grocery store?" Jordan queried.
"Yeah. I know it's bugging Ryan to pay room-service prices for cereal."
Jordan agreed and they started off on the walk. "I think I know why I can't sleep," Jordan said quietly.
"Why's that?" Jamie asked. Needing to be close to her, she slipped her hand around Jordan's arm and shared a smile with the taller woman, who reached over to clasp the hand against her arm..
"I'm pretty freaked out with what's happening between Mia and me," she admitted. She shot a sidelong glance at Jamie. "Is it okay to talk about this?"
"Of course, Jordan. I've been dealing with the same thing this past year. I have a lot of empathy for what you're going through."
"What do you know about my story?" the tall blonde asked.
"Mmm…not a lot. Ryan tells nothing," she laughed wryly. "Mia's actually been pretty close-mouthed too. I know that she likes you, and that you're having some trouble adjusting to this. I take it that you haven't been with women before?"
"No…well, not anything more than kissing," she corrected. "Surprised?"
"Yeah, a little." Jamie admitted. "I got big-time lesbian vibes from you when I first met you."
The tall woman shrugged. "One of my personas. I have more than I'd like," she said softly.
"We all have different personas, Jordan. Don't be so hard on yourself."
"I'm just being honest, Jamie," she insisted. "I'd like to know who I am, so I don't have to act like the person I think people to want me to be."
"Been there, done that," Jamie agreed. "It's a hard thing to change, but it's sure worth it."
"Are you happy?" Jordan's question was very simple on its face, but Jamie knew that she meant it on a variety of levels.
"Yes. I'm happy that I went through the painful process. I'm happy that I stopped trying to be who I wasn't. I'm happy to get to know myself for the first time. And most of all, I'm happy that I got Ryan in the bargain. She's the grand prize."
Jordan nodded, giving Jamie's hand a squeeze. "I had a feeling that you felt like that." They walked a little farther and she said, "It's a little different for me, Jamie. This comes up at a bad time for me, what with invitations going out for the Olympic team in another two months. This is not a good time for me to be exploring my sexuality."
Jamie shrugged and gave Jordan an encouraging smile. "Maybe your sexuality has a mind of its own. God knows that mine wouldn't listen to me!"
After a long morning spent watching cartoons while they ate an entire box of Frosted Flakes and sliced bananas, the athletes took off for practice while Jamie got on the phone and tried to find a rental car. Most of the large companies had a policy against renting to people under 25, but she finally found one that was more lenient. It was a long cab ride to Santa Monica, but she finally procured a sexy, dull gray 1996 Ford Escort with 135,000 miles on the sporadically functioning odometer.
Determined to get a decent meal, the roommates settled upon Ocean, one of the better spots along the water, just a few buildings down from Mia's summer rental.
After a delightful dinner of fresh oysters, salmon carpaccio, and seared ahi, they hopped back in the car and returned to the hotel to check out and then dash over to USC. Luckily they were there forty-five minutes early, for to their surprise, they found that North Gym seated only a couple of hundred people. It was an old facility right in the heart of the campus that had formerly been the gymnasium for the whole school. Now the basketball programs used the Sports Arena, a large, privately owned 11,000-seat facility, but volleyball was still relegated to the far-too-small campus gym.
Jamie caught Ryan's eye and the tall woman loped over to her, informing her, "I left Bryant's name at the door, and the guard assured me he'd let him in if they're sold out. Tiny place, huh?"
"My high school gym was twice this large," Jamie scoffed.
"Welcome to NCAA Division One college athletics," Ryan grinned, running back to warm up.
The pair managed to secure seats at the end of one of the sections so that Bryant wouldn't have to climb over too many people to join them. The place was packed, made even more so by a sizeable percentage of the USC band that was wedged into a tiny spot, the musicians so close together that they had a hard time turning their sheet music.
From their vantage point about halfway up in the stands, Mia was intently watching the cheerleaders warm up before they took the floor. Jamie finally elbowed her and said, "Hey, someone you want to sleep with is on the court, too. Stop drooling over the cheerleaders."
Mia shook her head briskly and informed her, "First of all-they're not cheerleaders. Well, the men are, but the women are song leaders."
Jamie peek over and observed the gorgeous, well-built blonde women, clad in short, tight white turtleneck sweaters with microscopic white pleated skirts. "Oh yeah, they look like their purpose is to lead songs. They all have very nice…lungs," she observed popping her eyebrows a few times.
The women took the court just as the players went back into the locker room. Jamie and Mia watched them carefully, but not a song was sung. Instead, the women danced to a choreographed number designed to show off their beautiful bodies to good effect, and they did not disappoint. "Well, they sure can sing," Jamie decided. "Where do they get these girls, anyway? Central casting? They look like Hollywood's vision of the perfect woman!"
"Are you gonna argue?" Mia chuckled. "They look pretty perfect to me."
The song leaders ran back to take their places along the front of the stands, ready to lead a song at a moment's notice. They were replaced by a group of women in sparkly black spandex tops and tights, and as they struck a pose and waited for the music to start Jamie leaned over and asked, "What's this group called?"
"I don't know," Mia mused. The music began and after ju
st a few bars of the piece Mia turned to Jamie with wide eyes and said, "The women didn't dance this provocatively at that strip club you guys took me to on my birthday!"
Jamie just nodded, amazed that a college needed two sets of dancers in the first place, but even more so that one set was clearly meant to inflame the loins of the young men and an interested minority of the young women in attendance. "I can't get over this," the blonde mused. "The dancers at Cal look like escapees from a convent compared to these women!"
"I came down for the USC/UCLA basketball game last year when I was dating Jason," Mia recalled. "The game was at UCLA, and the whole band was there and they were really rowdy. While these poor girls were dancing the band kept doing this cheer asking how much for a lap dance. I felt sorry for them."
"Ewww!" Jamie pulled a face and said, "That's just gross."
"Melissa Johnston really wanted to come to 'SC and be a song leader," Mia said wistfully.
"Your Melissa?" Jamie asked, surprised at the revelation.
"Yeah. Remember Ryan said she was a cheerleader at USF? Well, that was her second choice-by far. She really wanted to come here, but she didn't make the cut. They asked her to try out for this group, but she says it's viewed by the students as the song leader rejects. She just wasn't up for it."
"Wow! That would've been cool to know one of the cheerleaders!"
"Oh yeah," Mia grimaced. "Just what I need right now is to see Melissa again. Jordan's got me screwed up enough without asking for trouble."
Just before the game was scheduled to begin, six muscular young men ran onto the court to whip the crowd into a frenzy. They were clad in white oxford cloth button-down shirts, white v-necked sweaters with a large "SC" on the front, pleated white shorts, white crew socks, and white deck shoes. Jamie raised an eyebrow at the military-style haircuts the pristine men wore and just shrugged her shoulders. The cheerleaders at Cal were a motley crew of two or three people in blue and gold rugby shirts who ran around during time-outs trying to drum up support to actually lead a cheer. Now having seen the regimented end of the spectrum, she decided she was much more comfortable with Cal's laid-back, informal style, although she wouldn't mind having a few of those song leaders to leer at during game breaks.
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