The Woman at the Edge of Town

by Georgette Kaplan

  With an ugh, Sarah dropped herself back down to the bench. She covered her eyes with her hand. “I can’t plan for this, okay? I’m not a planner. I just need to know if it’d be worth it. Was it worth it for you, with Mom? I don’t know, maybe if you’d never met her, you wouldn’t be…”

  She took her hand away from her face, listening as a gust of wind blew through the trees. It sounded so peaceful, all those leaves rustling around, but they had to know that sooner or later, the wind would rip them away from where they were and send them down to wither and decay on the ground.

  “But then, maybe you were always going to end up like this. Maybe I could go into a coma, drop dead of a brain aneurysm, get hit by a meteor. The only certain thing about death is that you always do it alone.”

  Sarah put a hand on the statue’s knee. As she did, she saw the plaque. It said the statue had been donated to the city by N.R. She let out a soft chuckle and shook her head.

  “Okay. I’ll go see her in the morning. It’ll be worth it just to look at her.”

  >~~~<

  Sarah tied off the boat to Nina’s pier. She was dressed in jeans, a denim jacket, and her church blouse, her bra and panties plain Hanes but clean as could be. Not exactly a picture of seduction, but Bathory got cold this time of year, especially this early in the morning, and she wanted to survive the ride over.

  She paced on the lawn a moment, trying to think of what to say, then just took the key Nina had given her and unlocked the door. No more waiting. The words would come. They would.

  The house was quiet. Barnaby was sleeping near the foot of the stairs, only opening one lazy eye to view her passage and make sure she didn’t have any food on her.

  She crept through the empty manor, sneaking one moment and almost stampeding the next until she came to Nina’s bedroom. She stopped. Raised her hand to knock, then brought it back down. Lower and lower, until she touched the doorknob. It turned.

  Inside, the curtains were open, letting in a trickle of light from the sunrise. It ran like wildfire over everything, and Sarah caught just a glimpse of a coiled figure in the king-sized bed before a cloud passed over the sun. The only light now came from behind Sarah, peeking dully over her shoulder from the hallway outside. Afraid it would wake Nina, Sarah slipped inside and shut the door behind her.

  The clouds shifted again, and light spread slowly, touching the bed, then the satin sheets, then a pair of arms crossed together, fingers interlocked as if in prayer. The nails were painted as red as fresh apples; the color stood out to Sarah against the white bedsheets and golden light. Nina.

  She stepped closer. The curtains rustled as the heater kicked on, making the light shift. She could now see Nina’s hair spilling over her pillow, her eyes moving under shut lids. Her lips, pale but still with the washed-out remnants of her lipstick, like dried blood on a vampire’s mouth. They moved with each breath, making it seem as if Nina were whispering something. Sarah didn’t stop herself. She drew closer and closer, eager to hear.

  It was funny how innocent Nina looked as she slept, considering how her sexuality had fixed itself in Sarah’s mind. Her face had relaxed somehow; there was something about her that didn’t ache. She seemed very young and a little vulnerable lying there.

  Sarah bent over her, not quite sure what she was doing even as she did it. Nina’s hot breath caressed her cheek as their faces drew closer. And Sarah realized: I’m going to kiss her.

  Their lips met like—Nina would laugh if she heard Sarah say this—magnets. Like there’d been something keeping them apart and now it’d been removed. Nature was taking its course, and they were kissing. Then Nina awoke and showed Sarah that they hadn’t been kissing at all.

  She responded enthusiastically, taking it to a whole other level. Sarah felt a tongue in her mouth, stimulating places she didn’t know she had, and a hand on the back of her neck, the nails digging into her skin. It tingled; her lips tingled. Her whole damn body tingled.

  Sarah only opened her eyes when Nina drew back. Nina stared back at her, Sleeping Beauty awoken by Princess Charming. Her hazel eyes were a deep, rich brown in this light—expensive chocolate, polished leather. The eyes of a Disney character. Sarah giggled a little, pulling back some, working it down to a smile as she bit her lip. She imagined she could still taste Nina, but if she could, Nina tasted vaguely of her own raspberry lip gloss.

  “Am I dreaming?” Nina asked her.

  “No. I, uh…” Sarah didn’t know what to do with her hands. She caught one making for Nina’s bare arm, trying to stroke it. “Had to see you.”

  “See me?” Those big eyes slanted a little. “I don’t think those were your eyes I felt on my lips.”

  “Sorry—not, like, that sorry.” Sarah giggled again. What the hell was wrong with her? Why was she giggling? “I can’t stop thinking about you. And I don’t want to. Stop. I just want to do more than think.”

  Oh God. Oh, God. Could that sound lamer? Sarah stood up—her butt had parked itself on Nina’s mattress—and almost ran out the door. What was she saying? This sounded ridiculous, all of it, everything was just—

  Nina reached out and took her hand. Immediately, Sarah felt a kind of warmth. Not in her hand. In her breast.

  “I feel the same way.” Nina’s long, bare legs flashed out from under the covers and settled on the floor as she sat up. Sarah could’ve gasped; they had a golden glow, runner’s muscles, and a perfect tan. Her mind blitzed her with images of running her tongue over every languid curve of them.

  And Nina felt the same way. Wait, as what? As her?

  “As me?” Sarah asked, strangling another giggle.

  Nina smiled—Sarah had to think it—lovingly.

  “Yes, Sarah. As you. You’re so beautiful,” she said as if sensing Sarah’s swirling fears. She stood, seeming to tower over Sarah. A comforting shelter. “And so young, in the best possible way. Full of hope and love. You have so much love to give, don’t you, Sarah? And so few are worthy of all that you have to offer.”

  She was wearing a kimono, covering her from shoulder to floor. Even her feet were covered. It drove Sarah wild, imagining her under that. Was her skin as sweaty as Sarah’s? Did she have as many goose pimples? Were her breasts rising and falling with the same panting breaths?

  “I’d really like to kiss you again,” Sarah blurted out. “Or, uh—” She touched the tips of her pointer fingers together.

  “I don’t think you’re quite ready for that. Maybe we could…watch a movie.”

  Sarah surged up, meeting her lips to Nina’s like a battering ram hitting a gate. She heard Nina actually squeak and finally, finally, felt those hands settle around her body. Just on her hips and the small of her back, but it felt like a leg she’d been favoring had finally stopped hurting.

  “I need you,” Sarah said, shucking off her jacket. Nina watched, her eyes gratifyingly wide, as Sarah stripped off her good blouse. “I’ve been thinking about this…forever! I need it, okay? I just…” She opened her belt and peeled her jeans down, kicking them off before she let herself think anymore.

  Sarah fell silent. She’d never been naked in front of a woman before. Hell, no one had seen her naked other than Tyrese. She was almost ready to take off her bra, her panties, but she couldn’t. The realization hit like a bomb: She wanted Nina to do it. She wanted Nina to be the one kissing her, touching her, making love to her, not the other way around. She wanted to be wanted.

  She almost cried at the sudden thought that Nina didn’t want her, that this was all…letting her down easy.

  “You’re so warm,” Nina said slowly, reaching out reverently to place two fingers on Sarah’s stomach. She looked up, for permission, and Sarah gave it. Her fingers brushed over Sarah’s skin. Not anywhere…naughty, but not where she was usually touched either. Over her ribs, over her panties; it was like Nina was literally getting a feel for her. “I didn’t expect you to be so warm…” Nina looked up at her, her eyes big and dark again. “Are you sure you want
this? Do you want me?”

  “Yes,” Sarah breathed.

  Nina sat down and leaned back onto her elbows, splaying herself before Sarah. Her legs were almost bare, and most definitely parted. “Then have me.”

  “I don’t know.” Sarah could barely breathe. Her mind was brimming over, all Nina, all the time, a million places to kiss and touch and feel all demanding attention. She thought she’d been turned on before, but nothing could compare to Nina Rose beckoning her on, next to naked. Hers to undress, to make love to… “I don’t know what to do.”

  Nina dropped on her back and crossed her legs. “Well, that part I do have some ideas about.” She cocked her head. “Do you know how to touch me?”

  Sarah shook her head. It seemed like a major accomplishment.

  “I could show you.”

  Sarah could’ve fainted.

  “Would you like to watch that?”

  “I’d like to help.” Sarah had no idea where that came from. A moment ago, she’d been sure she’d gone mute. “Just tell me what to do.”

  Nina reached down and untied the belt of her kimono. “Undress me.”

  Sarah joined Nina on the bed, hands going to her body as carefully as a surgeon working with a scalpel. Her hands felt like someone else’s as they gently grasped either side of the robe, the material as soft as clouds between her fingers, and drew it aside.

  This time, Sarah did gasp.

  All Nina wore underneath was a nightie, cut high and with a hem that went across mid-thigh. On those terms, it was quite modest. But the material it was made from was far thinner than the kimono, virtually gossamer, almost translucent. With the barest effort, Sarah could see everything underneath—Nina’s skin, turned into alabaster by the combination of the moonlight and the tinting fabric. Her nipples, poking through the nightie, a deep, rich red that stood out on the white plain of her body like bonfires. And down below, between her legs—no, that was still hidden, a secret of shadows and fabric.

  “Touch me,” Nina murmured, eyes closed, head tilted back.

  How could she? What if she got it wrong? What if she tickled her or prodded a bruise or—or ripped her nightie?

  Sarah stood there, unable to move.

  Nina’s eyes opened sinuously. They settled on Sarah like a snake eying a bird. “Are you scared?”

  “Nervous,” Sarah corrected hastily.

  “It’s okay to be nervous.” Nina propped herself up on one perfect arm, a shoulder strap falling down the other. “But you don’t have to be scared. You’re with me. This is just…a story you haven’t told yet. There’s no right or wrong thing to do. There’s just things to learn.” She reached out and took Sarah’s hand, a cheeky grin blooming. Sarah couldn’t help herself. She smiled back. “Things to learn about you… Things to learn about me…” She brought Sarah’s hand to her mouth. Shortish fingernails, no nail polish. She kissed its back. “I want to know everything about you.”

  She kept kissing Sarah’s hand, over the fingers, the knuckles, the thumb, the webbing between fingers. Sarah wondered if Nina could taste how much her fingers had yearned to touch her—smell it like a dab of perfume.

  With one last succulent suck on Sarah’s finger, Nina stopped playing and moved the hand over her face. Against her cheek, then down her throat. She made Sarah feel her skin. It was warm, and goose-pimpled, like her body was clamoring for attention. Just like Sarah’s. Nina fed herself on Sarah’s touch, running the hand across her body from shoulder strap to shoulder strap. Her skin was clear, smooth, warm. And human. Not untouchable, not unapproachable. Just a girl.

  Then Nina lowered Sarah’s hand to her breast.

  “Oh!” Sarah said helplessly.

  Nina smiled up at her, biting her lip in a show of nervousness. She covered it up quickly. “Do you like them?”

  “Yes! Of course I do. They’re…wow.”

  Nina’s face settled into smugness. “Yes, I like to think so. Feel them. Take your time. I know you want to.”

  As if she were tending a flower, Sarah applied the slightest pressure. Nina’s breast creased under her touch, filling her hand. It was soft. Impossibly soft, silk layered over silk, warm like it’d spent hours soaking in sunlight. Her nipple was a tiny, perfect core of hardness in Sarah’s palm. Sarah rolled her hand over it, amazed at the pebbled surface, the textured feel of it—and the way Nina’s eyes closed as she was handled. Everything was so like her own body, only…more so. Finished. Perfected.

  “Could you”—Sarah bit her lip—“could you turn around, please?”

  Nina’s eyes fluttered open. “I get it. Hard to concentrate while I’m looking at you. Easier if we can do this a little blind. Or maybe you’re just an ass-woman, eh?”

  “No!” Sarah said quickly. “I mean, not that there’s anything wrong with your ass…”

  “How would you know?” Nina asked, shrugging her kimono off. “Unless you check?”

  She turned over. Her bare ass peeked out from beneath her nightie. It was glorious. Tight and sleek, yet…substantial somehow, like a piece of fruit that’d ripened on the vine for the exact right length of time. There was just enough of it, toned and the same gilded color as the rest of her. Sarah could just picture Nina sunbathing nude, making her whole body perfect…

  And as she stood there, gaping, Nina rolled her ass at Sarah like a stripper. Her nightie ended up scrunched over the ripe curves of her ass like magic. It nearly gave Sarah a stroke.

  Nina worked her way up to her knees, her nightie falling back over her as she did. Internally, Sarah screamed but stopped when Nina reached back to touch her face. Her fingers moved as lightly as feathers. “You know, I’ve told a lot of people to kiss my ass.” The fingers, shy but insistent, ushered Sarah to her knees. “Maybe it’s time someone actually does it.”

  And with a smile fixed on her face, Nina turned back around and presented her ass to a Sarah no longer able to resist. She only had to do as she was told.

  Leaning forward, Sarah kissed the flare of Nina’s wide hips. Nothing happened. No cops burst in, no laughing pranksters spilled out of a closet, no phone rang to interrupt them. Just a breathy little moan from Nina, barely there at all.

  Sarah moved along, pecking at Nina’s waist and the small of her back in quick, breathless little snips of passion. Nina moaned again, but impatiently. She looked over her shoulder at Sarah expectantly. And, obeying her gaze, Sarah moved lower. Into the places a bikini would cover.

  She made a line right down the curve of Nina’s ass, not too deep into unknown territory but decidedly there, and kissed her way to the back of Nina’s thigh. Then she went back up and kissed the sensitive flesh closer to the crevice. It felt so odd to be touched somewhere she barely even thought of. Was Nina used to the sensation or—

  “Good girl,” Nina said sweetly, virtually purring. Her body flicked up and down like a cat’s. Sarah had to move with her to keep kissing her, and she did. It wasn’t just the feel of her ass, the way the flesh seemed more tender there. It was the knowledge that she was doing something she shouldn’t, with someone she shouldn’t, and getting away with it.

  Only now she didn’t know what to do with her hands. Should she…touch herself? That kinda took a lot of concentration, at least if you wanted to do it right. Maybe she should touch Nina? But how did you touch a goddess? Wouldn’t she smite you?

  Sarah moved to the other side of the ass, and as she did, she set her hands on Nina’s ankles. As if she were holding her down. As if she could.

  “Oh,” Nina went. “Mmm.”

  Sarah had no idea if that was a good “Oh—mmm” or a bad one. Nina had her face buried in the bedspread, expression covered by her own hair. Sarah moved her hands up, feeling the corded muscles in Nina’s calves.

  “Uh-huh,” Nina muttered gently. “Yeah.”

  Sarah went further, licking Nina from thigh to waist as her hands trailed up Nina’s thighs. When she looked again, Nina was biting her sheets. That was a good thing, right?

>   Her hands kept moving, making an executive decision to reach around Nina and dip between her legs. Sarah only realized it when she felt what was there.

  “Oh God. Oh God, you’re so wet.”

  “Mmmmm,” Nina purred as she all-foured down the bed, her hips wagging from side to side even more than they did when she walked. She turned over, her thighs crossing coquettishly. When Sarah saw her face, she was biting her plump lip. “Taste me.”

  Panic ran through Sarah like ice water. She couldn’t do that—eat a girl out! She’d only ever seen that on The L Word, during Showtime’s free preview week, and if there was more to it than shaking your head over a pair of panties, Sarah didn’t know it.

  “Sarah, come here,” Nina said insistently, uncrossing her legs.

  Oh God. Oh Christ. She was dripping.

  “I…” Sarah began, finding herself crawling onto the bed.

  “It’s all right,” Nina assured her, moving her thigh to bop Sarah’s head, her grin infectious. “It won’t bite you. I might, so you’re far safer down there than up here.”

  “Well,” Sarah said, and didn’t have anything after that. “Wuh-wuh-well…”

  “Do you stutter?” Nina asked.

  “I don’t think so…so…”

  “Just come down here.” Nina moved her hand down over her nightie. The scrunching material obscured and exposed her body in equal measure. “Learn my scent.”

  “I don’t stutter,” Sarah said for some reason. She lowered her head, bowing before Nina. Held her breath. Released it and inhaled.

  Nina was fragrant. Like a kind of rose Sarah had never smelled before, a kind of meal she’d never been served. She was perfume.

  “Good work, my dear.” Nina moved her legs, steepling them on either side of Sarah’s body. The thought stuck in Sarah’s head that she was between Nina’s legs. “Now how about a kiss?”

  “Down there?” Sarah squeaked.

  “Well, you can’t expect any tongue from me.” Nina rolled her eyes. “It’s our first date.”