Mae Me Feel

Part of Bea had wondered if she had imagined the encounter with the beautiful red haired woman. Of course she knew it had happened but with so little evidence and with it being so out of the realms of reality she wondered if it had been a fever dream, a particularly vivid masturbatory fantasy or perhaps some kind of psychosis due to dehydration after a long day at work. She knew it had happened of course, Josh had apologised profusely for the late appointment the very next day, Lucy brought up the woman regularly asking if she had been in again and so Bea had to accept that it had happened but was unlikely to happen again. Over a month had passed since she and June had last seen each other and while Bea had spent many a night scouring facebook trying to find June North she had come up empty. She had asked Josh if he had her mobile number or email in order to 'send her a loyalty offer' but as she had been a walk in she had simply filled in her name and her medical information which left Bea with very little to go on. It didn't really matter though, when they had met face to face June hadn't seemed interested, hadn't offered her number so it was probably for the best.

Meeting women, or anyone really, in London was never an easy feat. Owning her own business meant that Bea literally spoke to three people day in day out and then occasionally a few of the workers at some of the small businesses nearby. All of them were coupled up and she knew that while she was young, only just nearing twenty four, there was the constant fear that if she didn't find someone she would end up alone. This message was mostly drilled into her by her Mum who asked weekly if she'd been on a date. After a lot of time spent on Bumble, Bea had eventually met someone on Hinge and agreed to go out on a date. Leaving work on time she applied a little pink lipstick to her full lips and added some mascara and black eyeliner, wanting to look good but not put on a different face entirely. Staying East she walked across to Shoreditch to Shoreditch House, giving her name at the door only to be told to go upstairs to the bar.

Bea knew it was a members only club and part of her thought it was douchey for the other woman to suggest it for a first date but Bea reasoned that it was better than a super busy bar where they wouldn't be able to hear one another. Standing in the lift with what could only be described as a model - even could have been! - Bea felt thick and frumpy in comparison. Usually she tried not to let other people impact her own self worth but feeling anxious about the date meant her usual steady resolve was beginning to fray a little at the edges. She became very aware of the weight she was carrying around her stomach, how thick her thighs were and how her leather jacket was five years old. Stepping out of the lift she smiled at the model-esque woman before walking into the bar, glancing around curiously. Telling herself she was being ridiculous she let those negative thoughts drift away. She absolutely was not too poor to be here. She definitely was as attractive as the more than attractive clientele. Bea was about to text her date when she heard her name, following the sound she smiled when she recognised the face from her photos.

"Bea! Hi! I have a table over here," Penny smiled. Without any hint of awkwardness she took Bea's hand and led her over to a quiet table away from the main bar, the pair sinking into a deep velvet sofa, forced to sit with their knees resting against one anothers.

"Hello," Bea smiled and shrugged off her leather jacket. "It's great to meet you in person finally..."

Penny smiled warmly at that, crossing one leg over the other as she eyed Bea over slowly, thinking that for once someone actually looked like their profile pictures. "Yeah exactly - I was starting to run out of banter so we timed this pretty well."

Bea nodded in agreement and laughed softly. "Yeah, my gif game is pretty strong but I was starting to run a little dry."

"Well. Let me get you a drink? What will you have?" Penny asked and waved over to the waitress to come and take their order.

Mindful that this was a members bar Bea knew she was going to be spending a lot that night and tried to think of something that wouldn't break the bank. "A gin and tonic would be great, please."

The waitress nodded and smiled. "We have fifty gins in the bar and a selection of infused tonics... or we have a number of gin cocktails you might enjoy."

Penny nodded with a bright smile, "...they do an amazing French 75... you must try it. You said you love gin."

Bea felt both their eyes on her and she found herself nodding. "Sounds great to me." Waiting as the waitress took Penny's order she turned to face her again. "So do you spend a lot of time here?"

Penny made a face at that and shrugged her shoulders. "Sort of? I'm not actually a member. My work do a lot of events here so we kind of have an office membership? I come for work mostly or when they have interesting events on. I could never afford the membership," Penny admitted with a quiet laugh, tucking a strand of silver hair behind her heavily pierced ear. There were two little silver hoops in the lobes and then a little star and moon stud piercing the shell of her ear. "I am way too broke for that."

Bea felt a wave of relief with those words, glad that they were at least on the same page and she wasn't going to run up a bill and then expect to go halves. "Yeah. I've got to be honest when you suggested this place I was a little worried..."

"Oh you should have said," Penny said with a frown, resting her hand on Bea's knee and giving it a gentle squeeze. "I didn't want to make you feel uncomfortable. We just had an event here earlier today and I knew I'd be on time if it was here."

"It's okay," Bea assured her, glancing down at the hand on her knee, admiring the selection of silver midi and gemstone rings that adorned her fingers. "It's really nice here. Very comfy."

"Yeah it is... until one of the celebs that think they're cool because they were on Eastenders kicks off and makes a scene," Penny laughed and rolled her eyes, taking her hand back and resting them back in her lap. "How was your day? You're a masseuse right?"

Bea nodded and was about to speak when the waitress returned with their drinks. Giving the waitress a smile she glanced at the tiny glass and told herself she needed to take it slow. Clinking her glass to Penny's she took a little sip, appreciating the sweet flavour but could tell it was strong. "Yeah, I am. I actually own my own little spa."

"You do?" Penny said, raising an eyebrow. "That's pretty cool. How is that going? What's it called?"

"It's going well," Bea nodded. "We've been open a year which is a big milestone. It's been tough but I love it. We're called Float On."

"Float On?" Penny asked, sipping her drink. "Unusual name."

Laughing quietly Bea nodded. "Pretty much everything in my life is named after a song in one way or another. There's a song by Modest Mouse called Float On? The way that song makes me feel when I hear it? It's how I want people to feel when they leave... you accept the life happens but you can feel good despite it all."

Penny thought about that for a moment and she smiled. "I think I know that song? Maybe? I'm more of a pop fan than an indie girl myself... but that's really cool! You must have the softest hands in the world!"

Bea nodded and offered her hand for Penny to touch. "See for yourself?"

Penny met Bea's eyes for a moment and reached out, dragging her fingertips over the palm of her hand only to move her thumb over the inside of her wrist. "Very soft. But you must get dodgy people every now and then?"

Hesitating for a moment she laughed and shook her head. "When I used to work at the hotels? All the time. But since I opened my own thing? I - we don't charge enough that really entitled people looking for premium service come in and we charge a little too much for the average weirdo. We mostly get stressed out tech people, causal Shoreditch hipsters and the occasional stay at home Mum."

Penny nodded, eyeing Bea over with a smile. "Sounds pretty great. Do you want dessert? They do the best sticky toffee pudding here."

When she had set out that evening Bea had not intended to get the night train home. Bea had been pretty sure she would be bidding her date adieu around ten and yet here they were at two in the morning standing outside Voodoo Rays finishing off a huge slice of New York pizza to try and ease the hangover they both knew they were going to have the next day. Leaning against Penny she smiled to herself as she took her last bite of crust. "I am going to be so unhappy tomorrow," Bea laughed, shaking her head.

"Or you might be super happy?" Penny protested, giving her hip a gentle nudge as she laced their fingers together, giving her hand a gentle squeeze before twirling her around on the spot.

"When I'm having to massage someone and trying not to be sick?" Bea raised an eyebrow. "I'll be sad in the moment."

Penny rolled her eyes and took her paper plate from her and put it into the bin. "But we've had a good night? Haven't we?" For the most part Penny came across as incredibly confident and easygoing but there was an uncertainty in that question, a vulnerability that she couldn't quite hide.

"We've had a great time." Bea assured her, giving her hand a squeeze back. "What station do you need to go to?"

"Uh - I'll go wherever you're going. I want to walk you to the train?" Penny smiled, biting into her lip gently. "Say goodnight properly."

Bea was going to argue but it felt nice for someone to want to look after her for a change. Turning and heading back towards Old Street station they held hands, both swaying a little as they tried to walk in a straight line and just the edges of their words slightly slurred. She could feel Penny's thumb sliding over the inside of her palm and over the inside of her wrist and couldn't believe the way it was making her smile to herself. "I really thought tonight might be awful," she admitted after they had been walking in silence for a few beats.

"What? Why?" Penny asked curiously, tilting her head to meet Bea's eyes briefly. With just the moon and the glow of the orange street lamps illuminating their way it made her silver bob look like it was shining gold for a moment.

Bea shrugged her shoulders and gave a weak smile. "I guess I don't have much faith in apps? It's been a while since I met someone who genuinely made me laugh?"

Penny nodded in agreement, swaying their hands between them as they kept up a brisk pace, not wanting the cold air to seep too deep into their bones. "Yeah I know what you mean. I've met quite a few lasses and it's just awkward or no spark at all." Letting go of her hand as they tapped into the station Penny was quick to take it again once they moved onto the escalator. "I know it's super mean to say this right now but... I don't care. I had a really great time tonight and I know I'm drunk but I would really like to see you again? I'd take you home now but I want it to be clear that I'm - I'm into you. Not just for tonight."

Bea was stood on the lower escalator step and she couldn't stop the smile from spreading across her face. With biker boots, leopard print mini skirt, cashmere black jumper and hunter green car coat she was definitely a visual sight to be seen but Bea found she loved it, never having been one for fashion herself but Penny wasn't fashionable she had style and it was the first time Bea had realised the difference. "I will take that into consideration," she said after a moment of just looking into her blue eyes, Bea's face feeling warm all over.

"Keeping me on my toes! I like it!" Penny grinned and twirled Bea again under her arm as they stepped off the escalator and went down to the platform. Curling her hands around Bea she gave her hips a gentle squeeze through her leather jacket.

Bea's heels were just past the yellow safety line as she curled her arms around Penny's neck, smiling shyly now as she felt butterflies in her stomach. "It has been a great evening," she nodded in agreement. She was almost positive that Penny was going to kiss her but a train could arrive in any moment and the last thing she wanted was some awkward peck before backing into the carriage.

Luckily she didn't have to wonder long as Penny leaned in and pressed her soft pouty lips to Bea's, pulling Bea that little bit closer as they kissed soft and sweet.

Penny nuzzled her nose gently and smiled, her eyes still closed. "I hope I see you again soon."

Bea felt a little like her breath had been taken away as she nodded a little too earnestly, "...you will!"

The train had pulled into the platform behind her and Penny let go just as the doors opened.

"Goodnight." Bea whispered as she took a few steps back.

"Goodnight," Penny echoed and smiled as she blew a kiss. She waited until the doors closed and the train pulled away before turning and heading home, the smile still tugging at her lips long after Bea had gone from view.

It was another miserable, wet November day and Bea was tired of the world. Standing in the line at the Tesco Metro to grab some milk for the spa she rubbed her eyes tiredly as she shuffled forward in the queue. Glancing at her iphone she checked to see if she had a reply from Penny but by this point wasn't surprised when she didn't see anything waiting for her. Despite the note they had left their date on Penny had yet to reply to a single text that Bea had sent her. After sending three texts in a row over a three day period Bea had given up, not able to be entirely pathetic. Smiling at the person behind the till she paid for the milk and started to walk back to the North side of the roundabout, narrowly missing getting hit by an errant cyclist as she crossed the road.

Pushing the door open she held the milk up to Josh who looked at her guiltily. "What?"

Josh made an 'eek' face and took the milk from her. "So. You know how you're super tired and said you wanted to go home and get into bed?"

"I distinctly remember that being the last thing I said to you," Bea nodded in agreement and eyed him suspiciously. "Because you know it's been a long day."

"Walk in. One more?" he asked and put his hands together in a prayer motion. "I will bring you coffee tomorrow. And a pastry."

"It's my business, you shouldn't have to sweeten me up to work," Bea laughed softly but even as she said it she wished that he hadn't let them come in. It wasn't just Penny ghosting her that had gotten her down but the general pants weather combined with flatmate politics and the date for the business rate hike inching that much closer. It was the normal day to day stress of a small business owner in London that was just accentuated by romantic disappointment.

"Well that's true," Josh rolled his eyes and shut down his macbook and stood up. "She's already in the room just chilling, got the whale sounds on and all that... I said you'd be a little while and she said she'd be happy to wait."

"Okay. Thanks Josh," Bea smiled and gave him a hug after shrugging off her raincoat, hanging it up in the closet. Seeing him out she locked the door behind him so no one else would walk in and then walked through to the treatment room. "Hello... I'm Bea and I'll be your therapist today," Bea murmured as she went over to the essential oil and tipped a few droplets onto some tissue. Walking over she was just going through the motions as she rested a hand on the woman's covered back. "Take three deep breaths for me... in through the nose and out through the mouth... Have you been with us before?"

"Yes. Just once before." A muffled voice came from the bed.

"That's great. Thanks for coming back," Bea smiled, taking the tissue away and then pressing hands at the top and base of her spine then sliding her hands over her body through the sheet. "Are there any particular points you want me to focus on? Any injuries?"

"My legs in particular. They're really aching." The muffled voice said.

Bea was pulling the sheet down and about to tuck it into the woman's underwear when she saw she wasn't wearing any, that voice immediately becoming recognisable as she saw the freckles that were covering her back. It was June. That long red hair that had been so distinctive the last time they had met was tied up in a top knot on top of her head, hence Bea missing it at first in the dusky light of the room. "Sure... of course..." Bea said softly and for a moment her hands trembled, unsure if she was more nervous or excited. On the one hand she was already anticipating what could happen, but what if that wasn't what she wanted this time? That could have been a one off.

Turning to warm the oil on her hands she stood back, really taking a moment to admire her body as June lay stretched out across the bed ahead of her. The pink light cast from the salt lamp illuminated the dip in the small of her back, the curve of her ass leaving the rest of her body hidden in shadows. Even if nothing was going to happen Bea couldn't deny that her body was incredible and counted herself as lucky to get to admire it, even for the briefest of moments. Once her hands were vibrating with warmth she placed her hands on June's back and began the back massage. It had been just over a month since the last time they had been in this room together and while her mind had been thinking of the alternative activities they could be enjoying her focus was pulled to the state of her back as she felt nothing but knots beneath her skin."You carry a lot of tension in your back." Bea murmured as she felt firm knots in the top of her back and around her shoulders.

"My job - well, my life is quite stressful," June murmured as she lay flat out on her stomach, wondering if she could tell the masseuse to give up on the charade and just pleasure her.

Bea nodded in understanding and moved her strong yet tender hands over her upper shoulders, applying pressure to each knot only to begin working it out till she felt it start to ease beneath her touch. "I'd suggest getting a massage more frequently or maybe taking some more baths? You're very tense. You're not going to leave like a noodle today," Bea laughed quietly.

June's eyes were closed but she rolled them behind her eyelids at the chit chat, never having been very fond of pleasantries or small talk. "I'm sure you can be creative in your way to relax me," she said casually. June had had no intention of returning to the little spa across the road from one of her clients office but she had walked past it on the way to work and then had not been able to think of anything else. Since that evening June had touched herself more than once just thinking of what had happened in this cosy little room and now that she was so close there was no way she could resist reliving the fantasy.

All afternoon she had gone back and forth debating whether she should go again but as she came up with pros and cons she couldn't ignore how wet she was getting. At one point she had slipped off to the bathroom, unable to ignore the ache of her pussy for a minute longer. Using a little lipstick sized vibrator she had gotten off in the disabled bathroom having hoped that would quell the ache inside of her. No such luck. As she left the office that night she had walked past the little spa thinking it would be closed but there was still a light inside and as she approached the window the same pink haired boy with a nose ring had been sat behind the desk. June had just been about to turn away when he saw her through the glass and offered her a warm smile and a wave. Before she could overthink it he was handing her a camomile tea, hanging up her coat and it was all so warm and comforting and the prospect so inviting that she could hardly resist. That's how she had found herself flat out naked on her back asking this pretty young thing to touch her.