Course of Action

by Gun Brooke

  Annelie walked over and put her arm around her lover’s shoulders. “I agree. It’s quite a view. Look. There are the Friendship boats that’ll take us to the different parks.”

  Annelie pulled her closer. “I enjoyed the drive up here. You seemed to connect with Jem and Charlotta.”

  Carolyn grinned. “I hope so. They seem to like me.”

  “Don’t sound so surprised. Of course they like you. You’re wonderful.” She brushed her lips against Carolyn’s.

  “I don’t take it for granted. I know I’m respected in the business. Actually, I think I frighten a lot of people. It comes with the territory, and I can be abrasive and a little too candid at times.”

  “Well, you have a kindred spirit in Jem. She calls a spade a shovel, if you understand what I mean. You don’t have to pretend with her, and I don’t think you did. You all seemed to have a good time chatting.”

  “We did.” Carolyn nodded, hugging Annelie. “Now, come here and kiss me properly.”

  Annelie readily dipped her head, capturing Carolyn’s lips in a kiss initially more loving than erotic. When it deepened, Carolyn felt her knees buckle as she slid her hands up underneath Annelie’s T-shirt and moved them over the smooth skin. Instinctively she pushed the thin fabric up to reveal the white lace bra.

  “Oh, Carolyn…please…” The husky whisper from Annelie made her hands tremble.

  “I know, I know, we have to get out of here and go play.” Carolyn nibbled at Annelie’s full lower lip. “You’re just too tempting, my love. You’re so…” Her voice broke off when Annelie pulled back, her eyes wide. “What? What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing.” Annelie swallowed. “You…you called me my love.”

  Realizing how effortlessly the words had passed her lips, Carolyn blushed. “I did. I know I have a habit of using terms of endearment pretty freely, but I never call anyone love.”

  Annelie’s eyes sparkled. “I liked it.”

  “Me too.”

  Hearing a knock at the door, Annelie gave Carolyn another quick kiss before she answered it. The sight of the other women, both dressed in shorts and T-shirts, Charlotta boasting a bright yellow baseball cap, made Carolyn smile.

  “You ready?” Jem asked, sounding impatient. “I’m starving. Kitty and Sam are checking in later this afternoon and meeting us tonight for dinner.”

  “Sounds great. We’re ready.” Annelie and Carolyn grabbed their daypacks. “Let’s go play.”

  Jem looked closely at Annelie as she made sure the door was closed and locked. “You look a bit flushed. You okay?”

  “Of course,” Annelie assured her. “I’ve never felt better.”

  *

  Kimonos, the Japanese restaurant at the Swan Hotel, had subdued lighting and a cozy atmosphere. Annelie sat close to Carolyn on the couch, resting her arm behind her shoulders. Across the table, Kitty and Sam had joined them and were now focusing on Jem, who sat at the short end of the table busily filling out the form that replaced a regular menu. She had commandeered the form and endured a lot of outrageous comments as she scribbled on it.

  When the waitress arrived with their drinks, Jem handed her the form with an apologetic smile. “Sorry about this. I hope you can read all the changes we made. These people can’t make up their minds.”

  The other women raised their voices in protest, claiming it was Jem who had made a mess of the menu. Smiling indulgently, the waitress assured them everything was fine.

  When Charlotta started lancing innocent California rolls with fervor rather than using her chopsticks correctly, Carolyn said, “Charlotta, they’re already dead. Hold the chopsticks like this, and move them like so.”

  “I’ve tried,” Charlotta muttered. “They work better this way.” She stabbed another roll. “See?”

  Laughter erupted around the table at her violent efforts.

  “Excuse me, aren’t you Carolyn Black?” a female voice interrupted.

  Annelie glanced up at two women standing next to her, their eyes fastened on Carolyn.

  “Yes, I am.” Her voice was low and noncommittal.

  “We just love you, Ms. Black. Please may we have your autograph?”

  Carolyn squared her shoulders, her eyes a dull gray as she lowered her chopsticks. “Normally, I’d love to, but I don’t sign autographs while dining out with friends and family. Please respect my rule. Catch me later in the foyer and I’ll be glad to.”

  “We don’t mean to interrupt,” the other woman persisted, to Annelie’s dismay. “But now that we already have, couldn’t you make an exception? Just sign To Dolly here, on my receipt.” She pushed a small piece of paper forward, holding out a pen.

  Carolyn’s voice was polite, but cold enough to make Annelie shiver. “Please, not now. Thank you.”

  The two women hesitated for a moment, but relented and left with sullen looks on their faces. Muttering between them, they stomped toward the door. Carolyn took a deep breath and then smiled toward Charlotta. “Now, where were we? Here, let me help you.”

  In awe, the others watched as Carolyn gently placed Charlotta’s fingers in the correct position around the chopsticks, and the smile on the redhead’s face broadened when she managed to grip a piece of salmon on her plate and bring it over to the soy sauce, dip it, and then pop it into her mouth. “I did it!”

  Jem leaned closer to Annelie, lowering her voice. “Damn, did you see that? She just blows me away.”

  Annelie had yet to recover from Carolyn’s reaction to the rude fans. Glancing around the table, she saw Kitty and Sam look at Carolyn with a new respect.

  “Do you get that a lot?” Sam asked.

  Carolyn shrugged. “Yes, unfortunately. It’s a definite downside to fame. I try to always remember the fans and sign autographs whenever asked to. But I do have a rule. I want to eat in peace. Later, I’ll sign any paper or photo they bring, but not now.”

  “I thought you handled it very well. You were more restrained than I could ever be,” Jem said. “I’m impressed with how you slipped into the Carolyn-Black-the-diva role. You slipped out of it even faster.”

  Carolyn rolled her eyes. “The diva, huh? I guess it’s second nature to me by now.”

  “I’ve never quite realized how fame can be,” Charlotta remarked. “To be a household name and never enjoy complete anonymity like the rest of us.”

  Annelie felt a hand touch hers. Looking down, she interlaced her fingers with Carolyn’s. Her first instinct when the two women approached her lover had been to protect her, but she had quickly realized Carolyn was much better equipped, and used to handling such situations. Squeezing the hand in hers, Annelie wanted to convey her empathy. The thumb rubbing the back of her hand suggested Carolyn understood.

  *

  “Let me undress you.”

  Annelie’s eyes widened at the soft growl behind Carolyn’s words. Her arms remained at her side as her lover began to unbutton her white cotton shirt. Slowly, but without hesitation, Carolyn unveiled bare skin covered only with a bra.

  “You’re exquisite.” Carolyn looked at the trail of wine red lipstick marks she’d left on Annelie’s pale collarbones. “Beautiful.”

  She nudged the shirt off Annelie’s passive arms and watched it fall to the floor. Kneeling to pick it up, she changed her mind and unbuttoned the beige chinos instead. As she slid them down over voluptuous hips, she tugged at the panties underneath and removed them as well. Utterly exposed, Annelie closed her eyes, visibly trembling as she moved her feet and stepped out of her clothes.

  Carolyn rose with the clothes in her hands, folding them with teasing slowness and placing them on the chair by the desk. She turned her attention back to Annelie, reached around her for the clasp, and removed her bra. Tossing it on the chair, she slowly rubbed Annelie’s back, down over her bottom.

  “Oh, so good…” she murmured. “And so mine…”

  “Yes.” Annelie’s voice sounded weak.

  “Come here, love.” Carolyn guided her toward th
e bed. “Lie down and relax. I’ll be back in a second.”

  Annelie obeyed, glad to be off her feet since her knees felt weak. She watched her lover walk into the bathroom, only to return a few minutes later, just as naked, carrying something in her hand.

  “I have something for you,” Carolyn murmured. “I think you’re going to like it. You’re so sensitive, so responsive. Yes. I definitely think you’re going to like this, Annie.”

  Annelie looked at the item in Carolyn’s hand—a white bottle of unknown origin. “What’s that?”

  “I used to burn badly in the sun, and this saved me. It still keeps my shoulders from burning to a crisp. Being out all afternoon in that tank top…you’ve burned your shoulders a bit.”

  “What’s in it?”

  “Herbs. Aloe vera mostly, but also another herb, very invigorating and…stimulating, you could say. It stings for a minute, but then it feels great. Trust me.”

  Carolyn opened the bottle and squeezed some of its contents into the palm of one hand, then rubbed it against the other. Moving onto the bed on her knees, she cupped Annelie’s red shoulders and began to massage the cream into them.

  At first it did sting, painfully so. Annelie was about to object when the pain turned into a tingling, soothing sensation. She moaned in pleasure as Carolyn spread the cream down her arms.

  “There, I told you. Doesn’t that feel good?”

  Annelie could only nod. It felt better than good.

  Carolyn took more cream into her hands, now massaging down Annelie’s front, between her breasts toward her stomach.

  “I’m not burned there,” Annelie murmured, not really objecting.

  “I know, but this’ll feel good anyway.”

  She felt limp as Carolyn’s soft hands rubbed the tingling cream into her stomach, down her hips, and along her legs. Unable to resist, she parted her legs to help Carolyn reach around them.

  “Roll over. Let me do your back.”

  Annelie complied, moaning aloud when Carolyn’s strong hands massaged more cream on her back. The sensation was everywhere, tingling, sparkling against her skin, enhancing the touch of the loving caresses.

  “Roll over again.” Carolyn’s voice was throatier than usual, vibrating with desire.

  Annelie turned onto her back, watching in anticipation how Carolyn took more cream and lowered her hands. She arched her back, striving to prolong the touch as Carolyn’s hands cupped her breasts. The cream heated and chilled her nipples at the same time, making them impossibly hard. Loud whimpers broke from her throat as the intensity of the pleasure rose.

  “Now, like this…” Carolyn put the bottle aside and moved on top of Annelie, placing kisses over her forehead and cheeks before hovering over her lips. “You drive me crazy, you know. Absolutely insane…” Finally a kiss, the one Annelie had been waiting for, hot and intense. She parted her legs, allowing Carolyn to settle between them. “You…only you…”

  Annelie couldn’t take it anymore. Needing release more than she ever had, she rolled them over on the king-size bed, lowering her head to Carolyn’s breasts. She captured a nipple between her teeth, tugging at it only to soothe it with her tongue a moment later. Reaching down, she found the damp folds between Carolyn’s legs and unceremoniously entered her when she felt the copious moisture there.

  “Ah!” Carolyn clung to her, apparently quite willing to have them switch roles. “Yes…oh, yes…”

  Rubbing her own swollen sex against Carolyn’s thigh, Annelie pressed her fingers deeper, a thumb on the aching clitoris above, while lavishing open-mouth kisses from one breast to another.

  “Oh, Carolyn…I need you so much…I love you.” Her voice broke. “You make me want you so much.”

  “I’m yours. Yours to have. Yours to do anything you want to. Yours.” Carolyn arched, wrapping one of her legs around Annelie. “Take me…”

  The last words sent Annelie over the edge. Pressing herself hard against her lover, she flicked her thumb over Carolyn’s drenched ridge of nerves. She was desperate for Carolyn to follow her into the depths of endless pleasure. Convulsing from her orgasm, she kept caressing the woman in her arms, determined to give her what she herself was feeling.

  “That’s it…” Carolyn murmured. “Yes, yes…”

  Just as Annelie’s tremors began to slow, Carolyn went rigid beneath her, caught in her own landslide, calling out Annelie’s name. Carolyn’s strong muscles clenched Annelie’s fingers, fluttering for precious moments until Carolyn began to settle down.

  Annelie tried to catch her breath as she raised her head to look down at Carolyn. Flushed and tousled, she had never looked more beautiful. Slowly, Annelie removed her fingers, cupping Carolyn’s overindulged sex. Then she lay down beside her lover.

  “Carolyn…” Annelie pushed errant strands of hair out of her lover’s eyes. “Wow.”

  Those unforgettable eyes looked dimly up at her, and a slow, bright smile spread across Carolyn’s lips. “Wow, indeed. Very good choice of words.”

  Pulling at the covers, they created a nest in the middle of the bed since the air-conditioning would soon chill them. Turning her back against Annelie, Carolyn snuggled close, as was her habit.

  “I love you, Annie.” Her voice was a soft whisper.

  Annelie, not yet accustomed to Carolyn’s open-hearted declarations, felt her heart beat erratically. “I love you too. So much.” Hearing her own voice about to break, she blushed and hid her face in Carolyn’s hair.

  “I know. I feel it.” The husky voice held a multitude of emotions. “Sleep tight.”

  Annelie placed her hand on Carolyn’s hip and closed her eyes. Tired beyond words, she enjoyed the soft throbbing inside her body, knowing sleep was only minutes away.

  *

  Carolyn and Annelie had pulled up six chairs around one of the small, round tables in the breakfast area and sat waiting for Charlotta and Jem to join them. Sipping her coffee, Carolyn thought about the preceding night. To her own surprise, she had woken Annelie twice during the night, initiating more of the irresistible lovemaking. She ought to feel just a little embarrassed about not being able to resist her, she thought, but she couldn’t. Annelie was so responsive and the sexual energy between them incredibly overpowering; it enthralled them both. Carolyn stretched her right leg discreetly, feeling an unfamiliar, but pleasant, soreness in her muscles.

  Charlotta looked rested and ready to face the day when she approached the table, a café latte in her hand. Jem, however, looked bleary-eyed.

  “You all right, Jem?” Annelie asked as the two women sat down.

  “I’m fine,” Jem muttered. “I just didn’t get much sleep last night.”

  “Sorry to hear that.”

  “Our neighbors were so noisy. I couldn’t tell if the sound came from below or above.”

  “I slept like a baby,” Charlotta said. “Didn’t hear a thing.”

  “You must be deaf,” Jem huffed. “Somebody was going at it like there’s no tomorrow. Honestly, this is a family resort, for heaven’s sake!”

  Carolyn had to bite her lip not to laugh aloud. Glancing at Annelie, she watched her blush a deep crimson.

  “Annelie, I told you you were too vocal,” she whispered, leaning closer.

  “What?” Charlotta exclaimed, sitting on the other side of Annelie. “Come to think of it, I heard some commotion too. That was you?”

  “You’re a dead woman, Carolyn,” Annelie muttered between clenched teeth.

  Carolyn looked at Jem and Charlotta, who suddenly dove to the floor, apparently retying already neat shoestrings while their shoulders shook unmistakably. When she sat back up, Charlotta covered her mouth with one hand, her eyes twinkling.

  “Oh, God,” Annelie sighed, shaking her head as she joined in the laughter. She nailed Carolyn with her eyes. “I’m going to get you for this,” she vowed, unable to erase a broad grin from her face. “Sooner or later.”

  “Promises, promises,” Carolyn replied with a carefree wav
e of her hand.

  Annelie grinned. “You’re damn right.”

  *

  “Oh, we have to go on this ride,” Jem enthused. “It’s brand-new! Everybody’s talking about it.”

  After a full day of fun in the warm weather, the six women had enjoyed most of the Epcot rides and now approached the newest attraction.

  Annelie looked at the brochure in her hands. “Mission: Space. It sounds fun. You go in four at a time, take on roles as navigator, pilot, commander, and engineer, and land a space shuttle on Mars. It’s quite a wild ride.”

  “I’m not sure…” Charlotta looked hesitant, as did Sam. “Wild?”

  “Don’t worry. You’re on the ground, in a seat, spinning in a centrifugal chamber, creating g-forces. Says here you should avoid it if you’re prone to motion sickness, though.”

  “I’m usually not so bold, but I want to try it,” Carolyn said and rose. “Who else?”

  Eventually they all decided to go. After waiting in line and watching an instructional video with actor Gary Sinise, they were ushered into rows of four, which meant Sam and Charlotta had to wait.

  Entering their pod, Kitty climbed in first, followed by Carolyn, Jem, and Annelie.

  “Oh, cool,” Kitty said. “I’m the engineer. That’s a first.”

  “I’m the commander.” Carolyn grinned.

  Jem was happy to be in the pilot’s seat, and Annelie rolled her eyes at being the navigator. A bar locked them safely into their seats, and the wall opposite them suddenly moved closer to provide each of them buttons and a joystick.

  After Gary Sinise instructed them how to operate the controls, they awaited takeoff. Annelie kept her eyes on the small screen that showed the view from the space shuttle’s window. The engines ignited with a thundering vibration, and a surprisingly strong g-force pressed her into her seat.

  “Whooohooo!” Jem yelled next to her. “You feel that?”

  “Focus on the mission and steer this thing,” Carolyn replied. “You have maneuvers coming up, pilot!”