. 02

It took a while, still more romance than sex, but getting there... Your comments encourage me. Thank you!

*****

In the Warm and Cozy, Part II

Chapter 2

Most mornings they wake up and make exotic coffees. No ovens, so the cookies and pastries Janie and Snooky are eager to make will have to wait. An induction burner Ernie found is their genie from which an enviable diet of omelets, eggs, home fries, and sautéed treats emerge depending on who's cooking.

After breakfast, they take turns directing each other on runs around the neighborhood, down this street and that, their passage met by the smiling faces of cafe patrons and their baristas, the regulars who time their attention to glimpse them: Like beauty in motion these three are a sight to behold, long legs stepping high, hair bouncing, as fine curves move to the cadence of graceful strides.

Rounding a corner this fateful morning, they literally run into Sally, the stunning girl whose agility limits their collision to a bumped shoulder and a stumble.

The panting, hapless runners rush to help her up, all the while apologizing, their faces now redder than the exhaustion of their run.

Sally's angry frown vanishes as giggles, "You all look so...ah red! I thought I was being attacked by Indians...clumsy Indians, glad you left your horses behind." Now everyone is laughing as Janie introduces them.

When she gets to Snooky, Sally gets a friendly hug around her good shoulder and an exaggerated, "Hiawatha at your service."

"Nice bumping into you," Sally adds, her smile softening another snark. "You all seem harmless enough when you're not on your feet..."

More giggles as she realizes these people don't rile easily and decides it couldn't hurt to ask, "Have you seen any places for rent around here? I'm going to the Masterson Culinary School nearby." Her back straightens when she mentions the school. They all know the reputation of the school and how hard it is to get admitted.

"You mean the Cheeseburger Academy?" Janie asks innocently.

"No...ah...why cheeseburger?" Sally asks, the frown forming like a cloud across her perfect brow.

Ernie adds, "I am proud to say I have earned a first degree flipper certificate...60 hours on the grill to strengthen my wrists."

Snooky, her arm still around the girl, thinks even her frown is beautiful as she whispers in her ear, "They're bullshitting you, Sally. We're all new students at Masterson."

Surprised, Sally turns sharply toward Snooki and bumps her head.

"Ow!" Both girls say, and grab their noses. They look so shocked! Laurel and Hardy couldn't have timed it better. Ernie and Janie laugh so hard they have to lean against each other to keep upright.

Now, Sally and Snooky are laughing, too—at them—yet another slapstick pair.

Sally shakes her head at an embarrassing hiccup, and smiles, "No horses, OK?"

Wiping tears from her eyes, Janie pats Sally's back. She looks at her friends who are grinning. "We might have a place where you can stay. Want to come back with us? There's plenty of room-sort of. We live on the top floor of the school where they store all the junk. We'll ask Mr. Masterson if it's OK to have another roommate."

Sally nods, but looks worried. "Won't we be putting him on the spot. I'm lucky just to get in...on scholarship."

"So are we," Snooki says. "You could wait upstairs."

"No, I'll come along. I want him to know there's no pressure. He's already done enough to help me."

"Great!" Ernie says, "It'll be neat having another Indian to run with, although those stubby legs of yours will slow us down."

Sally's see's Ernie's wink and smiles as Janie and Snooky tickle him, "Look at those long lean-and we'd better add, beautiful legs-they'll put you to shame, Ernest!"

Sally looks at them, still clowning around, laughing at each together, easy smiles as they tease. She see's how she might fit in with these playful touchy-feely girls and this boy they dote over.

Standing at the imposing archway of the entrance to the Masterson Culinary school, Sally wonders why she agreed to come. It's frightening, your first day, looking for a favor from a stranger. Well, that's four strangers now, she thinks, and realizes her "Indians" are already more than strangers, they could even be friends...the feel of Snooki's inviting hug, their bumped noses...Janie's surprisingly maternal hand on her back, fingers rubbing comfortably between her shoulder blades...and even Ernie with his silly jokes.

(Little do they know that here they be, fated, their Nubian princess Sally luminous before them, ready for the heady winds of swelling lust-now just an inkling, a light breeze—yet soon enough to billow, to blow hard and strong, to consume them in comely desire.)

"We usually go in the back way, but today in your honor" he bows, "we'll use the stairs." And extends his arm, elbow crooked, to escort Sally.

Snooky takes her other arm and adds, "Now all we need is music to skip to..." Just as Mr. Masterson comes out of the building, smiling at his new students.

They stop and giggle, looking a little sheepish. "We were just going to visit you, sir." Janie says.

"Sir?" Mr. Masterson says, smiling.

"Yes!" Janie says. "That's what polite girls say to their generous benefactor when they would like a favor."

"How can I resist!" Mr. Masterson says going along with their comedy of manners. "Would this favor involve a room for one of our excellent new students," And watches as Sally's eyes widen,

"I see you've met Sally. I was hoping you could find a room for her in all of the...hmm...equipment upstairs."

"That's exactly what we were thinking!" Snooky says, big smile blooming.

Mr. Masterson smiles, too, as his students laugh companionably. Ernie explains, "We were running around the corner and accidentally bumped into Sally.—We're here in one piece thanks to her good reflexes."

"Well, I'm glad you've already met and seem to be getting along. You're lucky to have friends you can cook for and practice with. I hope you put all that excess inventory, what some might call junk in the attic to good use."

Waving goodbye to their benefactor, they lead Sally to the back of the cooking school to a gigantic freight elevator they've nicknamed Bertha.

"It's not like we've got a lot of stuff to move, as you'll see. But it would be a bear to climb up five flights of stairs without our friend Bertha here." Janie says. "She's supposed to only be used for special occasions so we don't disrupt deliveries to the School's restaurant on the second floor,"

"Restaurant?" Sally asks.

"Yep," Ernie says, "not sure when we get to fly our wings there, probably in our second year."

''That long?"

"First year's like boot camp, I've heard." Snooky tells Sally. "The basics: It's described as 'getting your hands' chopping, cutting, deboning, and the principles...less the art of cooking than the craft."

"Spoken like a soon-to-be teacher Miss Snooky. Do you know you'll be taking their baking class as part of the basics, Sally?"

"It's really Janie's class." Snooki says. "I'm just the assistant to our cookie master."

"Right! I wouldn't be here without you...maybe nowhere at all. But enough of the past," Janie says, eyes downturned. "Onward and upward-to the 5th floor, if persnickety Bertha's willing."

Into the elevator they go, the up-down doors of the freight elevator closing, the creaky cables singing when sure enough between the 4th & 5th floors a sequel of protest shudders them to an abrupt stop.

"Bertha" Ernie sighs, "Sally is not that heavy!"

Sally's shiver of fear at being trapped in the old elevator disappears as she pinches Ernie's cheek. "No more double lattes for me! I'll keep my 118 pounds lean and mean so I can outrun your skinny white ass."

They all exhale a big laugh, their predicament momentarily forgotten.

"Oh, Ernest!" Snooky bats her eyes. "Girlfriend has challenged your...ah...manhood...I mean stamina."

As Snooky blushes at the implications of her joke, Ernie is just winks at Sally. "If Bertha lets us go, we'll have to do a relay to catchup with Sally as she runs madly away from us, stamina not withstanding."

"Look at my sweetheart blush!" Janie says putting her arm around Sally's waist, "Isn't she cute tripping over her tongue because she has a crush on Ernie and now you. We all do I think!"

"All?" Sally says, her own blush rising, her heart beating faster. Her blush, she fears, a telltale temptation: What if!

"Not to worry, Spooky and I just started our lesbian adventure by trying to seduce Ernie. I guess you could say we're a little confused or maybe open-ended."

"Bi, you mean," Snooky says. "After all who could resist Ernie, our resident chef...and you, especially when you blush like this." And lightly touches Sally's cheek.

Sally touches Snooki's fingers, pressing them in place. "You can see me, blush?"

"Like dark rosy chocolate," Snooki says and leans in to kiss her other cheek, "good enough to eat."

Sally is caught between the heat of this girl's fingers and the closeness of her face, Turn away or stay? She smiles not wanting anything to disrupt their mood and faces Snooki to lightly kiss her, lips to lips. Inspired, she does the same to Janie, adding, "I certainly don't want to play favorites!"

When she moves to Ernie, she laughs, "I don't know about boys..."

"Boys will be boys, as the French say." Ernie says and kisses Sally on both cheeks, Euro style, but then, as he is turning away, adds another noisy kiss, "But here in America, it's lips-to-lips."

Janie laughs, "Not fair, us poor girls only got a single Sally kiss! What to do?" And winks at Snooky as they both surround Sally and start to giggle, "Stuck in the elevator kissing our new friend Sally, K-I-S-S...ING..."

Sally can only smile, arms wrapped loosely around the dancing girls, as they peck at her cheeks, the red-haired Jane and the blond Snooky, reminding her of butterflies swooping.

The elevator jolts with a start and up they go, laughing with relief half afraid of where their playfulness might lead them.

Ernie looks at her and winks, "Get use to it. They're big flirts, disguised as good girls gone wild."

Janie laughs and puts her arm around Sally, "He sees right though us. We're harmless!"

Snooki grins and wraps her arm around Ernie, "Yep...harmless!"

On the 5th floor, Ernie shows Sally how to open the freight elevator adding, "In case you need a quick getaway!"

Sally looks at them as they stand there is the hallway of her new home. "Thank you for distracting me in the elevator. I guess kissing is a cure for claustrophobia."

Janie and Sally grin and, on cue, say, "That what friends are for!"

"Did you rehearse that?" Sally asks.

"Nope!" Snooky giggles, "We just think alike...it must be those vibrations from the planet Lesbos." And winks.

"Yeah right!" Sally laughs, her eyes shinning at their good humor, at their efforts to distract her from her fears in the elevator. A little risky...what if she had reacted badly and pushed them away?

They take a tour.

"Let's start with our more palatial accommodation," Jane says, "that would be Ernie's room and our shared kitchen. It's the only room with a fridge.

"This is our cozy couch where we like to gang up on Ernest. Show him what's hot...we like to keep him on edge. We want to be mysterious and glamorous even when we stumble in here at all hours to use the fridge in our ratty nighties."

Sally surveys the big room, the high ceilings, and the tall north facing windows. Glancing speculatively at the couch, she wonders how cozy cozy is, before turning her attention to the kitchen. She sees the glass doors of the big fridge and what looks like a fancy hot plate surrounded by bottles. She sees all kinds of sauces, even piri-piri, a favorite, and that old standby, fish sauce, something she remembers from her grandma's shelf. Little pots of spice, turmeric, white and green pepper, cumin, curry, cardamon, and dry peppers. She smiles thinking she might like to try her hand at a dish her two, see if her new friends are up for Caribbean, sweet, strong and spicy...like me.

Janie grabs her hand. "This is where we meet for breakfast and other treats. I'm thinking it'll take a while to declutter the other rooms, so maybe we could have a girl's dormitory next door in our room. Of course you could just sleep with Ernie. We'd all be jealous but we'd get over it at least by the time we graduate...sigh!"

"We'll get over it as long as you share." As Snooki bats her eyes, a swooning Southern bell, twirling a bit to catch their attention, resulting in laugher and a hearty tickle attack.

"Ok! Ok!" Sally says after the giggles die down, "No sleeping with Ernie, so sad, so sorry. BUT no sleeping with girls!"

As though rehearsed, Janie and Snooki, sidle up to her arms out to engulf her in a mock tender embrace, "The sisterhood of deviant divas will miss you but we respect your decision and offer our humble flat for lonely but uninterrupted sleep. We'll show you after you're done drooling over Ernie's kitchen."

"I'm not drooling," Sally smirks, "just wondering weather you all are up to some hot and spicy Caribbean."

When the girls surround her and peck her cheek, she realizes her mistake adding while playfully shooing them away, her favorite butterflies, "I am not the meal, just the cook! Cool?"

"Hot! Hot!" The girls say, "Just a tasty bite..." And take her hand, "Come on, Princess Hot and Spicy, we'll show you to your quarters. You can come too Ernie, we're all family."

All family? Sally thinks, a warm feeling taking away lingering jitters. Maybe my lesbian girlfriends will be just that girls to like and be friends with, not always easy to find, if I'm honest.

Hand in hand they cross the hall to Janie and Snooky's room. By now much of the junk has been cleared out, a sprawling couch, a long dinning table, and there in the corner the huge double bunk, the bed where Janie and Snooki consecrated their long awaited love.

"We have family dinners here because this is the largest table we could find. There's no TV so we sit together and joke and, as you must already know, tease. So spread the table with the hot and spicy, we can't wait."

"Me, too," Sally says. Then glancing at the big wooden bunk bed in the corner, flanked by curtain-less windows, "Is that the only bed?"

"So far," Janie says. "Maybe we'll find another one. We haven't explored all the rooms up here."

"You can sleep on the top bunk, if you don't mind." Snooky says. "Janie and I will snuggle on the bottom bunk, but'" she exaggerates with a big grin, "If you get cold, we are all too ready to keep you warm."

Sally laughs, after all she is part of this family of teases, and says, her fingers stroking Snooky's cheek, "I can't wait! It's Ok if I bring Ernie?"

She is surprised to see Ernie blush, as he says, "Naw, I think that bed can only hold three."

Janie takes up the thread, "No prob, Ernest, you have a gigantic bed, big enough for the four of us! Won't that be fun, we won't get a lick of sleep."

"But we might get a lick," adds Sally, stepping up. But, alas, that tinging down below betrays an unspoken desire as she imagines her new friend Snooky, blond hair frizzy and full, eager head bobbing between all-to-willing thighs—thin taunt black thighs, slick with sweat.

None other than my own! Sally thinks, hoping her too-tempting tease goes unnoticed. No such luck as Ernie comments, "Oh, oh! Another girl gone wild... The red and the blond are so contagious."

They settle around the big table. Sally and Ernie joke about the lack of a sink in the girls' bathroom, while Janie and Snooki put clean sheets on the top bunk. They add some of the cleaner furniture pads as blankets.

Sally looks at the makeshift blankets and decides she might need help moving her stuff in after all. It'll be a pain lugging blankets on the T.

"Would you like to see new places and meet sometimes friendly people—while helping me move? We could run to the Fenway station and take the T to my neighborhood."

"Sure!" Janie says, looking at Sally from her perch on the top of the bed, "Ernie loves to carry awkward things for helpless girls."

Sally is about to take offense, that frown starting—she would never tolerate being helpless, but Ernie winks and answers for her. "Sally is anything but helpless! Wait and see." And laughs, "She already promised to outrun my skinny ass."

Janie laughs, "So true." Then she looks at her new friend, eyes serious, "Snooky and I are the helpless girls, Sally. Ernie helped us move that huge bed from the room down the hall. We spent half the day digging it out."

Snooky giggles, "We'll all help you move, no matter how many blankets you bring!"

"You noticed me eyeing those furniture pads, huh?"

"We tried some of the surplus table cloths but they smelled of grease. The pads are the warmest. It gets cool at night."

"The sheets are new, though." Janie grins. "Do you like them? They're from out friend Irma."

"Yeah!" Snooky laughs, "Irma told us purple was the best color for hungry young lesbians." Smiling, now, eyes flirting, "That's why we lent you our favorite sheets."

"On that fun note, I better go to bed myself. Have to conserve my strength for the move," Ernie says. "The door across the hall is always open if you need the fridge."

The girls take turns in the shower. Sitting on the bottom bunk, Janie and Sally wait while Snooky spends what seems like hours under the hot water.

Steam wafts through the curtain that separates the bath from the loft.

"No doors?"

"The toilet stall has a door and even a fan, thank God."

"There's a shower curtain—cloudy, can't see a thing!" Janie says and pokes Sally in the ribs.

"Can't wait!"

"Maybe an hour or so..." At which Sally tickles Janie her fingers digging into her pits. "You all are so touchy-feely!"

"We are!" and retaliates, her hands roaming over Sally looking for sensitive spots, settling on the ribs, tickling them like piano keys.

Snooky, wrapped in a towel comes out to find the girls wrestling, laugher shining in their eyes. Sally straddles Janie, bouncing on her belly like a kid on a toy pony.

"I'll give you touchy feely." Janie's fingers crawling spider-like up and down Sally's torso, now under her arms to dig in as Sally giggles uncontrollably.

Snooky joins them, telling Janie, "I'll do her feet!"

"Not my feet!' Sally says as she feels the tingle of wily fingers giving her a sexy tickle.

Snooky, her long wet hair now loose and swirling across Sally's bare legs, giggles, "You're not going to pee, are you?"

"If I do, it'll be on you for ganging up on me."

"Sounds kinky! We've haven't tried water sports."

"Bitch!" Sally shifts to attack Snooky, giving Janie just enough leverage to push her off.

Sally and Snooky tumble back together, the towel gets tangled up between their legs. Suddenly, Sally looks up to see pink naked breasts land flush against her ebony chin.

Janie giggles, "Lucky you! That's taking it on the chin!"

Sally, a little glassy eyed, wonders just how her mouth could be so impossibly close to this secretly desired flesh. Nudging her face upward, her cheeks slide across the silky smooth valley between...Oh! Oh!

Unnerved, her cheeks hot, she says, "I'm going to bite you, girl! Good girls don't let their boobies wonder!"

Janie laughs and laughs as she watches them helplessly sprawled together, "Wow, we are so happy to find you.—I've been looking everywhere for those lost boobies!"

Relieved to be teased, now Sally's laugher wets those wondering boobies with tears. Janie kisses Sally's forehead and lifts Snooky's breasts gently from her face, "Aren't they fine? Better let me move them before they smoother you, lucky girl."