Rose sighed as she closed the door to the apartment. She leaned against it and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. That had been the longest shift of her life, time had seemed to stop as if she'd been trapped in the event horizon of some cosmic black hole. Now that she was home maybe she could sort out what had happened in some peace and quiet.
Then she heard noise from the kitchen and realized there would be no such luck. She sighed. Her roomie was still up.
"Hey Julia," she called out.
A blonde head poked out around the corner with a grin.
"Oh, hey! I thought I heard the door. I'm just making some popcorn. You hungry?" the grin asked, and then popped back around the doorframe.
Rose put her purse in the closet and put her keys on the hook by the door before meandering down the short hallway to the kitchen entry. She leaned against the frame to see Julia bouncing around in cotton shorts and a tanktop, waiting for the microwave. Rose's eyes lingered on Julia's tight bum longer than what would be considered normal. She caught little peeks of the blonde's pert cheeks through the bottoms of the shorts as she moved. Rose rubbed her eyes. What was she thinking?
"Why are you still up? It's almost midnight."
Julia glanced at Rose over her shoulder and shrugged. "I dunno, couldn't sleep. Figured you'd be home soon, so it was better to stay up and say hi then try to settle down and be awakened by the door."
It was Rose's turn to shrug. "Makes sense. At least this way I don't have to apologize for waking you. How was your day?"
The microwave beeped and Julia opened the door. She took out a paper bag and shook it before tearing it open and pouring the fresh popcorn into a big bowl. She snagged a couple of pieces and popped them in her mouth, swallowing before answering.
"It was okay. I kind of just moped around. Went for a run in the park, stared at the sky. Wondered if I should call him, then decided against it and did another lap. No biggie."
Rose nodded. Julia had just broken up with her boyfriend for the umpteenth time, and she was hoping that this time it would stick. He'd been with another girl and friends had texted her pictures to prove it.
"I was just about to start a movie, come sit with me?"
Rose shrugged. Given the state she was in, she didn't really want to be around anyone. But Julia was her bestie, and had been having a tough time. "Let me get out of these clothes and grab a shower."
"Hurry up. I'm pushing play, so you have until the previews are done or I start without you," Julia teased, tossing a piece of popcorn at her. Rose swatted it away and laughed.
"I'll catch up when I get the restaurant out of my hair," she said.
She headed off to her room to strip out of the white blouse and black pants that she had to wear for work. Rose peeled off her white bra and panties, tossing them into the hamper before grabbing a towel and making her way to the bathroom naked. She and Julia had never been that hung up on nudity or their bodies, she didn't usually think twice about it. But this time she glanced over at the couch nervously, and was relieved to see Julia was preoccupied with getting the DVD started. She didn't think that it would be possible to see how wet her pussy was, but you could never be too careful.
Rose closed the bathroom door and hung up her towel before starting the shower. She took the clips out of her bouncy red hair to let it out of the confining ponytail the restaurant had required of her. She massaged her scalp and let the scarlet locks roll free. Now that she was alone the images from earlier that night came crashing back into her mind's eye. It didn't help that she was in a bathroom, and that was where it had happened. But at least she had some privacy.
She thought back over her night. It wasn't going away, so she might as well try to make sense of it.
***
It had been like any other night at the restaurant to start. She'd been bustling between her tables: taking orders, refilling drinks and serving plates. It was a busy night, being Saturday, but nothing she couldn't handle.
Then, she was given one of the booth tables. Two women had come in for dinner; a brunette and a dirty blonde. She raised an eyebrow about the pair. For one thing, they were a bit mismatched. The brunette had dark hair in a fashionable bob and she was dressed in a top-of-the-line summer dress in black and grey, with stylish strappy heels. She had the physique of the usual trophy wives: the sculpted look of someone who went to spin classes, yoga, pilates, and stuck to fashionable diets. Everything about her posture and clothes said "high class." She fit in with the usual clientele.
But the shorter blonde didn't fit. She was more down to earth. Round hips and broad shoulders, an off-the-rack coral dress from a department store. Cute but not expensive. Her hair was cut short, almost boyish without being butch. The wide-eyed way she looked around the place indicated that she'd never been there, but more, that she wasn't used to fancy places.
Puzzles like that always stuck in Rose's mind. She liked trying to figure people out, imagining their stories, coming up with explanations. Perhaps they were college friends, and they had different lifestyles but had gotten together for dinner? But that didn't fit really well, as the brunette seemed maybe a few years younger, though it was hard to tell. They weren't sisters, but maybe cousins?
The next time she went to their table, to drop off drinks, Rose thought maybe that was more likely. They sat side by side in the booth, close together, instead of across from one another like casual friends or business associates or a first date. It was a more intimate setting, almost hip to hip. That meant close friends, family, or intimates.
Over the course of the evening she stole glances when she could. Puzzles always stuck with her. The way they looked at one another, laughed, it was more than acquaintances for sure. But it didn't seem cousinly, either. Rose turned it over in the back of her mind while getting her other customers what they needed.
At one point she glanced over, seeing motion, and saw the shorter one getting up. Probably the bathroom, maybe a phone call. The brunette caught her eye and gestured for her to come over. She nodded, finished setting a plate down at the table she was serving, and headed over.
"Anything I can get you?" she smiled.
The stylish woman put her elbows on the table, folded her hands so her chin could sit on them and smiled back. "Oh, I don't know. We were thinking you could bring over dessert when my friend returns from the bathroom. Tiramisu?"
"No problem. Did you want coffee with that?"
"Yes, please. I intend to be up late, fucking her senseless. Do you think she's pretty? She thought you were cute."
The casual, almost off-hand way the woman made her comments meant they didn't sink in at first. Then Rose had to blink and blush. "Pardon?"
"My friend and I have been enjoying a day of sensual exploration. She ate my pussy this morning, and I've been taking her all over the place ever since. Her bed. The car. The mall. I intended to do it again, here, but she wanted to eat and get her strength up. But she mentioned you were cute, and I wondered what you thought of her?"
Rose's ears and brain buzzed. She fought to keep her voice and face calmly professional but it was an effort not to blush. Years of practice had let her endure rude customers, gropey guys and bad manners with a calm smile, but no one had ever spoken quite like this before.
"Uh, well, thank you for the compliment, but is there anything you need from the menu?"
The elegant woman smiled. "Aren't you the dutiful employee? You must be well-trained. But set that facade aside for just the moment. Answer the question. Is my friend pretty?"
Rose glanced around but no one was paying them any particular attention. She felt nerves anyway, and rubbed her fingertips along the side of her neck. There was something compelling about this woman's blatant talk and casual yet intense attitude. She thought about the stocky woman with the short, dirty blonde hair. She wasn't elegant like her friend, but she had a pretty face, with a lovely smile. Her breasts were full and round. A natural beauty more than a refined look.
"Sure, she's pretty."
"You should see her with a mouthful of pussy," the other woman said. "She's a work of art, then. If you'd like to take a look, I'll have her lick me after dinner, in the bathroom."
"I couldn't..."
The woman smiled again. "Just think about it. Either way, your tip tonight is going to be generous. Thank you for indulging my questions."
She raised an eyebrow and nodded at something over Rose's shoulder. Rose looked back and saw the other woman returning from the restroom. Rose nodded at the customer and then turned and walked away. She brushed past the one with the dirty blonde hair on the way, and offered a
smile, hoping to mask the confusion that was boiling in her brain. The woman gave a polite, almost shy smile back, and Rose doubted that she even suspected the things her friend had been saying. That made her even more confused, and she retreated to the back of the restaurant.
Rose went to the employee bathroom and washed her face and hands, taking several deep breaths to clear her head. What was that about? She'd never been asked questions like that. The fact that it was a woman was really surprising, too. She had dealt with handsy guys and gropey customers in her life, but not someone who spoke seductively, confidently and calmly about things no ordinary person would say.
The idea of it, the two women about to go into the bathroom for sex, that was crazy. Rose was sure it happened, you heard stories, but no one had ever blatantly just told her they were about to do it. What was she supposed to do about it? Tell the manager? Was it against the law or anything? Two consenting adults, it was none of her business, was it?
There was another option, she thought. She could go take a peek. If anything untoward was happening, she could report it. But so far as she knew, the brunette had just been talking. She shook her head and laughed at herself. Take a peek? Did part of her want to see what it was like?
Rose was straight, she'd only ever had boyfriends. She was putting herself through grad school, and had never done anything silly with other girls in the dorms, the way you heard stories. It hadn't come up, or if there had been opportunities she hadn't noticed. Taking a peek couldn't hurt, could it?
She chewed her lip, and tried to forget about it. She went back to her tables and made sure everyone had what they needed, and took an order back to the kitchen. Then, on her next lap of the restaurant, she saw the two women at their table. They were finishing up dessert. The brunette caught her eye and smiled, waving a credit card. Rose nodded in response and went to get the portable machine to take it to the table.
They paid and got up to go. Rose started to walk away, and then realized they were headed for the rest room. Was the brunette serious? Was she luring her friend into the bathroom for sex? Rose felt a tingle up her spine. What should she do? She had a sense of urgency, but she couldn't tell if it was alarm or arousal.
She glanced around and then headed towards the bathroom after a moment's hesitation. Her hand trembled as she lifted it to turn the doorknob. Rose took a deep breath and opened it part way, just enough to slip inside, hoping no one would notice.
