Clara And Jennifer Ch 01

She slipped into her robe and began to draw a bath. The tub was rather old and took a while to fill so she puttered around sorting and packing some last minute items. Second term had ended right after classes the day before and the last of the students had finally left. Most of the teachers had already gone home too, but she, and a handful of other staff, had volunteered to stay on the extra day to supervise the students whose buses, trains and planes left a day later.

She rarely took baths. As a senior history teacher, she often met with student after student right through the afternoon and into the early evening. Then there were general and departmental staff meetings, and she also mentored a couple of the less experienced teachers. Not to mention piles of essays to read and mark. Most nights, when she finally retired to her room, she barely had the time and energy for a quick hot shower.

After years of working in local Perth day schools while raising her children, she appreciated the change of pace and atmosphere that the Melbourne boarding school brought. With her three children now raising their own families, scattered across the country, and her husband still spending 18 hours a day at the office, she'd seen no reason to turn down the offer when it came. And she was glad she hadn't. She had grown professionally in her two years at Carlton Manor more than in the ten years before that.

A tap at the door interrupted her thoughts. "Clara? Are you in there?"

"One moment!" she called, hastily tying her robe, pulling on slippers and turning off the water. "Who's there?"

"It's me, Jennifer."

Jennifer. Clara felt her cheeks flush slightly and she shook out her hair to give it some body. She opened the door, smiled, and invited Jennifer inside.

"How's it going, honey?" Jennifer asked.

Jennifer called everyone "honey" or "sweetie." No one else seemed to care, but each time she heard it, Clara felt warm and happy.

Jennifer was new to the Manor, and, in fact, new to the country. She was American, and her first two terms in Australia had been quite the learning experience for everyone. Jennifer was far younger than Clara but the two had become friends immediately. They couldn't have been more different.

Jennifer was young, a seasoned traveler, art teacher extraordinaire, single, and well, American. The students found her entertaining and she openly enjoyed the attention. Clara on the other hand, was middle-aged (although she preferred to think of herself as "ripe"), married with children and grandchildren, had spent all her life in Australia save for one fleeting trip to Bali with girlfriends in her 20s, and while respected and admired by the students, she was certainly not considered "interesting" or "exciting".

And yet the friendship flourished. Clara had helped Jennifer understand Australian etiquette and culture, and Jennifer regaled Clara with stories of her time abroad. From time to time Clara wondered what it was that Jennifer saw in her, but she kept popping into her room at random times for a chat, and Clara became confident the friendship would last.

But slowly, her feelings had changed. It had started a few months ago, without her even realizing it. It had been a particularly stressful day and Jennifer had offered to give her a back rub. They were both fully clothed and chatted throughout. It was purely a friendly gesture, but her body reacted differently. As Jennifer rubbed, Clara's stomach began to flutter, and later when she undressed she noticed a damp patch on her underwear. She hadn't known quite what to make of it.

She began to look forward to Jennifer's little visits, and felt disappointed when she didn't show up. She began to pay more attention to her clothes and when Jennifer complimented her, why she felt wonderful. And then there were the hugs. She had never considered herself a "touchy-feely" person, and at first Jennifer's lack of inhibition overwhelmed her. But slowly she'd become used to Jennifer's freely given hugs, hand squeezes and cheek kisses. Now, she not only tolerated them, she enjoyed them and looked forward to them.

She wondered if Jennifer felt it too. At times she wondered if it was all in her head. Was Jennifer just being Jennifer? Was Clara having wildly inappropriate reactions to completely innocent friendly gestures? She could never quite figure it out. But recently, there had been moments where she thought Jennifer felt it too. A lingered gaze, a tighter hug, a kiss which brushed her lips on the way to her cheek.

It confused her. She had never thought about women sexually but here her body was reacting to Jennifer in a way it hadn't reacted to anybody -- including her husband -- for many years. She'd long given up any expectations of sexual pleasure. Sure, she'd played in her pre-marriage days. She'd even had fun with a girl once. But nothing ever felt even close to what some of her friends described, or what she read about in her novels.

"Oh, did I interrupt you?" asked Jennifer.

"No, no. I was just drawing a bath but I hadn't started yet," Clara explained. "I was finishing my packing. I'm leaving most of my things here because break is only three weeks. What about you? Have you packed?"

"Nah, I'll do it in the morning. You know me, Leave-it-till-the-last-minute Jennifer," she said with a laugh.

Clara laughed too, but she was on edge. She had to figure out what was going on between them, if anything, and she'd come up with what she hoped was a good idea.

"I know it's only three weeks, but I'm going to miss you, Jennifer."

"Oh, I'll miss you too, honey," said Jennifer, squeezing her hand.

"Look, I have something for you," said Clara, handing her friend a wrapped gift.

Jennifer ripped it open (Clara would have neatly undone the tape and save the wrapping paper). Inside was a book, ostensibly for the airplane ride.

"Wow, thanks Clara! You really are a sweetheart. The airplane ride from here to the U.S. is a killer, but this will get me through a chunk of it. Thanks, doll!"

Clara smiled. Jennifer hugged her tightly as they said their goodbyes, then closed the door softly behind her friend.

She smiled a secret smile. Jennifer didn't know yet, but the book was not just any book. Clara had spent over an hour at the book store looking for just the right one. It was racy, but not obvious. And there was a relationship between two women. If Jennifer felt the way Clara suspected she did, she would surely "get it."

As she stepped out of her robe and peeled off her slippers, she licked her lips. In three weeks she would know for sure. But for now, she could dream.

She eased her body into the warm water and breathed a sigh of relief as her hands found her breasts. Her nipples stood at attention like little soldiers and she ran her fingers over them lightly. She was already so aroused, she gasped from her own touch. Her left hand continued to knead her breasts and pull at her nipples while her right hand traveled down to the dewy, mossy place between her legs. She closed her eyes and fantasized about Jennifer -- the first time she'd allowed herself to do so. The naughtiness of it aroused her even more and she even moaned audibly -- something she never, ever did.

Her fingers slipped deep inside her warm, slippery love-nest and her thumb played with the firm little nub of nerve endings above it. Her left land continued to dance across her chest and her lips were busy kissing her imaginary lover. The pleasure grew and her breathing became heavier. She couldn't remember the last time she'd felt anything quite so intense. With a deep shudder and a low guttural moan she brought herself to climax, her body shaking and quivering with gratification. When it passed, she continued to lay in the water, unmoving, replaying and enjoying the monumental pleasure she had just felt.

For years, she'd thought the pleasure of her own hand was all she could achieve. And here, just with a new fantasy, the pleasure had increased at least ten-fold. Could it get better still? Could she share something so intense, so personal, with Jennifer?

Only time would tell.