Authors Note:
This story is a work of fiction and depicts a sexual relationship between two consenting adult women. If this offends you, read no further.
I would like to thank everyone who read the previous parts of this story. The comments and emails have been greatly appreciated. Your support and encouragement has meant more to me than I can put into words. Please feel free to continue posting and emailing your thoughts.
A special thanks to germanchocolate4u for your inspiration and patience. Thank you. XxXx
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The exams had been a blur of textbooks, tension and avoidance. I had spent most of my time in my car and hadn't seen Renee since the encounter in my bedroom. Being in our apartment was a feat I could not face. The memories were everywhere and in everything; every sight, every colour, every item of furniture, every smell and every texture. Some nights I would stand outside the apartment door, keys in hand, knowing she would be on the other side and find myself unable to lift the key. There were nights that I would sleep in my car and wait until I knew she had left before going in to shower and grab some clean clothes.
Fortunately I had been accepted for a summer internship at a pharmaceutical company in New York. I was five weeks in to my internship and concentration was harder to come by than ever. I couldn't work, couldn't think, couldn't sit still for any significant length of time. The hotel room that had been booked for me, at times, felt like a prison cell. Not even sleep offered any respite. My dreams would flood with vivid imagery and wake me with intense sensation. I would find myself confused, flustered and drenched with perspiration. I felt like I would soon lose myself, lose control. Pictures would flash through my mind at the most inappropriate of moments and I would catch a whiff of the distinctive scent just walking through the streets. I was being suffocated by my own need and was utterly helpless to stop it.
Some days the need would chase me like a rabid dog, making me push my body so hard that it would eventually crumble to its knees to purge itself of the overwhelming urgency. An urgency which had me thrown from my comfort zone and drove me to pay visits to a couple of the local girl bars. Both visits followed a similar pattern; I would arrive at the location and have to force myself to step inside. I would pause in the entrance to take in the scenery and allow the electric charge flooding my senses to dissipate enough for me to conduct myself in a sane manner. I would occupy a seat, at the end of the bar, which would permit me to survey the room and its occupants from a safe position.
On my first attempt, my attention was caught by a tall, slim beauty with naturally medium brown hair which extended to the curve of her spine. Her face was narrow with a long jaw line and her eyes were a deep brown. She was dressed in white denim mini-shorts and a light pink crop top, an ensemble that leant her a cheerful countenance. When she noticed my attentions she began to play with the rim of her glass, containing a cocktail of some sort, and her eyes often drifted toward me only to shyly dart away. Her courage slowly grew, fuelled by her drink I imagined, to the point where she was able to hold my gaze and smile at me. A smile which made my blood run cold. Her smile was the picture of innocence. It was too innocent. Innocence is something that has never been safe in my hands no matter how delicately it was held. I tried to subtly avoid making eye contact with her again. When she slipped away to the restroom, the door had barely closed behind her when I was downing the remainder of my second glass of wine and bolting for the exit.
The second attempt began and ended in much the same way. The woman, however, was a petit blonde with a deep tan who wore tight jeans and a tank top with an open back. Her smile was the farthest thing from innocent, she had the air of a woman who knew what she wanted and was going to enjoy getting it. The moment that made me run came when she gave me a confident smirk with desire filled eyes. In that moment my mind was bombarded with images of Renee that gave no reprieve. So once again when she made for the restroom, I made for the exit. By the time the fresh air hit my nostrils I was hyperventilating. It caused me to remove my shoes and run as fast as I could through the dimly lit streets, bumping into person after person and wearing the skin off the bottoms of my feet.
Fortunately I was able to throw myself into my intern work during the days which helped to stifle my suffocating thoughts. I was constantly surrounded by older men who had been in the industry for years. Most were polite and extremely helpful, others were somewhat misogynistic and made no effort to conceal it. I was, however, grateful for their incessant snide remarks and the numerous miniscule tasks they sent my way. It was a welcomed distraction.
The brass doorhandle creaked as I pushed it down. The door swung open and my nose was immediately harassed by the stale air of the records' room. It was hardly ever used. The door was only ever open long enough for the latest reports to be chucked onto the shelves and the occasional inspector would use the records during an inquiry. The tiles were big and had an egg-shell colour. The shelves were made of an unvarnished and flimsy yellowwood. The room was surprisingly big and gave the feel of an old school library, rows upon rows of shelves. Filling the shelves was a cascade of ring binder files. There were green ones, blue ones, black ones, maroon ones, striped files and chequered files. Files made of plastic, files made of leather and some made of cardboard. Unlike a library though, there was no discernable filing system. I perused the rows of files in the light of the setting sun that poured through the large windows, lending the dusky room a golden glow.
At the end of the second row I paused to look out at the city scape. The view left something to be desired but I imagined the picture was quite different at night. I lingered a moment to take it in. I thought I could smell something in that section of the room. It smelled... light, sweet and perhaps a little fruity. While I concentrated on identifying the scent a soft sniff startled me. I inched my head around the corner of the row. Lana, the only other woman in my department was leaning against the end of the shelves.
She was gazing out the window at, what seemed like, everything and nothing. Her green eyes shone a spectacular shade of yellow in the sunlight. Her arms were crossed over her midsection and her left hand caressed her right arm. She swallowed hard and blinked a few times. The royal blue blouse she was wearing looked perfect on her, tucked neatly into her black pencil skirt at the waist. The skirt ended just below her knees making her legs seem never-ending. My heart beat grew heavy in my chest. The sadness in her eyes was captivating. On occasion, during the morning interdepartmental meetings I had noticed the same forlorn expression on her face. Her eyes would flit from one barren point in the room to another as though she were a prisoner in her own thoughts.
When she spoke she had a bubbly personality and I thought it a nearly flawless disguise. Her eyes betrayed her. It was her eyes that in a millisecond of distraction would reveal a caged presence in her. I wanted to understand it, understand her. I wanted to touch her and watch the sadness fade away. I wondered if it would fade away. I wanted to find out. Her legs shifted beneath her skirt as she shifted her weight to her left leg, her right knee bending against the bottom of the skirt. I felt my right hand twitch as my eyes travelled up her thighs. Her chest rose as she inhaled deeply and her head fell backwards, resting against the wooden shelf, as she sighed loudly.
I suddenly felt a mixture of guilt and excitement, as though I were impinging on a private moment like a peeping-Tom. I swallowed my thoughts and squeezed my eyes shut.
"Lana?" my voice was low and noticeably shaky. She gasped in surprise and jumped to her left, clasping her chest as she realised it was me.
"Oh god, you scared the shit out of me." She exclaimed with wide eyes. She began to giggle, her left hand still holding her chest and her right moving to conceal her mouth. Her eyes were closed.
"I'm so sorry, I really didn't mean to startle you. I didn't think anyone would be in here." I explained, trying to subdue the smile at the corners of my mouth but it was futile. Her giggle was infectious. Her eyes opened to meet mine and my stomach fluttered, making me look away nervously.
