JULIE'S STORY
Ilona and Julie were mentioned in Seducing Zoe Part Four and as promised, I've penned a two-part short story about these two women. The other characters in the abovementioned story don't make an appearance though, so without delay let me introduce you to Ilona and Julie, the story is set in the Melbourne suburb of Mooroolbark, 2012 and begins with Julie's story.
Julie couldn't quite decide what she liked most about Ilona the first time she laid eyes on her at work. Unlike the other women in the office she was quiet and unhurried, the kind of employee who seems to do the lion's share of the work whilst others were busy yacking on about their boyfriend, the newest sale or any number of subjects.
Ilona was twenty four years old with immaculately styled blonde hair styled at the front, falling to just past her shoulders. She had light brown eyes, a cute button nose and when she smiled you could see her dimples. She was wearing a white, silk blouse fastened with silk-covered buttons and pulled tightly over her ample breasts and tucked into a brown pencil skirt. Her waist was slim but her hips curvaceous, and when she locked her hands behind her head and arched her back sometime before midday, Julie's eyes flickered to her breasts.
"What's wrong?"
"Um," Julie fiddled with her lace pussybow, "I was just wondering about lunch breaks, "no one told me what time people go for lunch."
"We generally work it out for ourselves," Ilona looked past her at the others in the open plan office, "I'm due to go in an hour though, so if you like you can go at the same time."
"Thanks," she smiled, "I was told just about everything else before I started this morning."
"A word of warning then," Ilona looked at her computer monitor, "don't drink the coffee, most of us bring our own small jars into work instead."
Julie nodded sagely and looked at her computer screen, this type of work was so familiar she felt as if she'd been doing it forever, although her last job at a bank in the inner suburb of Richmond had been far more varied. This job as a tax return consultant felt like a sideways promotion, but if she wanted to pay the bills, her mortgage, and fund her sideline dressmaking business then she needed a full time job.
"Do you drink Nescafe?" Ilona rose and tucked the blouse further into her skirt.
"Yeah," she glanced at her, "why?"
"Milk and two, black and two or straight black?"
"Black and strong," she replied.
"Like your men?" Ilona smiled tightly.
Julie returned the smile as Ilona stepped away from her desk.
"I'll be back in five minutes."
It was only then that Julie noticed the diamond-encrusted engagement ring on her finger and yet when she commented on it, Ilona merely smiled tightly and head off to make the coffees. Julie chanced a glance in her direction as she walked away, noticing the curve of her hips and a smile nudged her lips. Her new co-worker was hot, and engaged, she returned to the screen.
Probably to some hot guy in senior management, knowing my luck.
She was so engrossed in the windows that populated the screen that she was only dimly of Ilona's return until the woman placed the cup on her desk.
"Thanks, I owe you one," she picked the cup up and sniffed it, "nothing like the smell of caffeine in the morning."
"Especially after a hard night," Ilona reached out and tugged at the sleeve of her blouse, "where did you buy this? My mum had one years ago but she took it to the op shop."
"I made it," she glanced up at her.
"No way?" Ilona's eyes widened, "seriously?"
"Yes," she leaned back in her seat to give her a better look.
The silk blouse had a white bodice with a wide pleat down each side of a placket that was hidden by wide ties made of white lace and looped over in a loose knot at her throat, the tie ends stopped at her belt and the puffy sleeves ended in narrow cuffs. The blouse was tucked into a black pencil skirt that stopped just below her knees.
"I'd let you see my own label stitched behind the collar," she pushed the ties aside to reveal the placket, "but it might look awkward in this place."
Ilona's lips dropped in a sardonic smile.
"Yeah it might look awkward," she leaned down and fingered the ties, "my god, it's exquisite," she straightened up and glanced at a colleague staring at them.
"Just admiring the merchandise," her eyes narrowed as she faced her down, "she makes clothes," she took a step back and sat down at her desk, "my shout for lunch, I want to know more."
Julie chanced a glance to her right at the dour-faced, middle aged woman who'd been introduced as Karen, their immediate supervisor. Karen's eyes widened slightly and then she returned to her screen and Julie felt a slight surge of relief.
"Karen's a bitch," Ilona announced breezily an hour later as they sauntered into the food court at Eastland, "she's been there so long I think they just built the place around her. She's married to some builder who owns his own company but he's always travelling around the state going to different sites, so she's left on her own with a bottle of wine and the telly for company."
"Sad," Julie commented as they looked around.
"It is sad," Ilona sighed, "decisions, decisions, decisions. Do you want Thai, a pizza, burger, KFC, Wendy's or a healthy option?"
"It's your shout," Julie reminded her.
"Too right," she slipped a hand into the crook of her elbow, "Thai it is then," she started walking again, "level two."
Julie couldn't help but feel a mixture of bemused wonder and mild anxiety as they made their way to a Thai restaurant sandwiched between a Japanese one and an establishment that specialised in dumplings. One of the benefits about not being out and proud was the ability to blend in, but on the other hand, she glanced at the menu on the window, eventually one had to at least drop the hint to avoid misunderstandings. Ilona was talkative as they walked and Julie discovered that she lived with her fiancé, Nick and that the wedding was in three months.
"So, tell me about yourself," Ilona asked her some five minutes later as they sat down to a meal.
"What do you want to know?"
"Everything," she smiled.
"I'm twenty eight years old, I started working at Westpac when I was nineteen years old, but three years ago I did a part time dressmaking course with the idea of making enough money to justify quitting my job and launching my career in fashion," she took a mouthful of food.
"I live by myself in Mooroolbark with my dog, Max and my cat, Celine, and when I'm not at work or walking the dog I'm sitting down making clothes for my girlfriends."
"No boyfriend?" Ilona raised her eyebrows.
"No," Julie contemplated her for a moment, "I'm more into women."
"Oh," Ilona's eyes widened.
"I would have said something before but I didn't feel like announcing it with people walking past," she looked past her, "I try to keep a low profile."
"Sneaky," Ilona grinned and then grabbed her wrist, "it's fine, really. I have a few gay friends but you're definitely the best looking lesbian friend I've got," she let go of her wrist and slid her hand back across the table.
"Assuming lesbian is the right word, I'm always worried I'll accidentally upset someone."
