So... Close

... You're kidding me.

...

Nope, dead serious.

... So . . . I've been flirting with a girl for . . . like . . . 45 minutes and she could drive here

in under an hour.

... Yup. How about that?

... Gee. What are the odds. I mean, the World Wide Web implies . . . wide . . . world.

... Well, we did establish even before we started privating that we were in the same

state.

... Yeah, but, . . . two towns over?

... Mmm. Gets the blood flowing, doesn't it? Think. Those bras and panties we've been

describing. If we wanted to, we could be looking at them.

... Touching them, even.

... Removing them.

... - - -

... - - -

... Well . . .

... Yeah, well. What's it gonna be? Feeling adventurous?

... Actually, yeah. Yeah, I am. But . . .

... But?

... Yeah, but. But, this is just the sort of thing you're not supposed to do on line. You

could be anyone. You are a

girl

, right?

... Yes, I am a

girl

. A woman, actually. And, you're right, this isn't the prescribed behavior,

but, you're not the only one going out on a limb here. My heart is racing, by the way.

... Mine is like a sledge hammer. Oh, screw it. Your place or mine?

... Cool. Well, mine's kind of a mess.

... Settled. I just cleaned this morning. It's 1:10. Shall we say 2:00?

... Make it 2:30. I need to make myself pretty. Prettier.

... Speaking of that . . . I was being honest when I described myself.

... So was I. No reason to fabricate. That's just stupid.

... Okay. I'll give you my address and phone, if you get lost. I'm really . . . excited.

... Me, too. Extremely. Oh, hey . . .

... Hey, what?

... Well, I was just thinking. When I arrive, let's kiss. Right away. You know, get the

awkwardness out of the way.

... Yeah. Okay.

Eileen stood up, turned from her laptop, and began to tremble. What had she just done? And where did that confidence come from, that chutzpah? She knew better. She knew she was the world's least confident, shyest person, so this meeting was an impossibility. It couldn't happen.

But it was going to. And what's more, she wanted it to. This was something she had thought about for years, something she wanted to explore. And now that the opportunity was within reach, she was not going to let it slip away. So, she took a few deep breaths and started thinking about how best to use the hour and a quarter that she had.

She gave her place one more quick circuit of a check to see that it was, indeed, presentable and found it pleasing. She had a nice bottle of white chilling, along with some beers and knew she could throw some snacks together if need be. She went into her bedroom and started to choose something to wear but stopped and looked at her bed, wondering what, if anything, was about to happen there.

This was new and uncharted territory for her and she had finally gone looking for it in a chat room. A normal chat room (That just might be an oxymoron, she thought) with woman just riffing about any topic that came to mind. She and Sarah (with an --h, she had stated) had found each other in the course of the group chat and had gone off on their own verbal diagonal. It had been Sarah who had suggested that they leave the group and chat on their own, in private. Eileen had been delighted. The talk was easy, free-wheeling, and fun.

It had taken some time to broach the topic of sex. When it arrived, it had started with men -- discourses on guys the two of them had dated, liked, slept with, loved, and been burned by. Eileen might have embellished the limited experiences she had had with guys but she wanted to hang in the same league as Sarah. In truth, her shyness had tended to drive men away, particularly when things were approaching intimacy. Just three times had a relationship gotten to an actual sexual level and, in truth, none of the experiences had been earth-shaking for Eileen. It was enough to make her wonder if she should be looking elsewhere.

In their chat, Eileen eventually had dropped in a query concerning women as casually as she could. Like, had Sarah ever? Sarah had paused before answering and finally responded with what was probably the best answer she could have, from Eileen's point of view. "No. Not yet."

Thus began the fifteen minutes of flirting and both women knew where things were headed. They had happened onto the perfect storm. Two like-minded, similar-aged, well educated humans of the same sex, both exceedingly curious to see what all the fuss was about. The fact that they were in such close physical proximity just greased the wheels, so to speak. Instead of a leisurely, internet 'courtship', here was a chance to let it fly. Boom!

Of course, cyber-chemistry is one thing, thought Eileen. This could be a disaster. What if it's just obvious there's nothing going on? What if she freaked at the very thought and dissolved into a panic attack? Would she have the strength -- and tact -- to properly call things off? Well, that would be seen to, soon enough. For now, Eileen had to get herself ready.

A short distance away, Sarah was already well underway. A nearly scalding shower, featuring a thorough scrubbing of her medium length dark brown hair, had her feeling fresh and more than a little tingly. She applied her favorite scent -- judiciously, didn't want to blow the poor girl away -- and stepped into her prettiest pair of undergarments. Worn but once, bought on a trip to Montreal, the bra and panties were sheer, silky, and incredibly demur. God, how she loved them! She decided to go with casual tan slacks, a medium brown turtleneck, and a loose Irish knit pullover. The effect she wanted was effortless elegance. A check in the mirror brought forth a satisfied nod. It worked. She decided to bring a bottle of Prosecco that had been chilling in her fridge. Perhaps a toast to start the meeting would be a nice touch. With the bottle under her arm, Eileen's address in hand, she was off.

By now, Eileen had also showered and, looking at the clock, realized she had to stop dithering over her choice of apparel. Then, inspiration. She pulled out a loose, long peasant dress, all in dark blues and blacks, with muted streaks of magenta and yellow. It swayed a bit as Eileen moved and covered what she thought to be the sins of an extra pound or five she could do without. She went conservative underneath the dress, choosing a plain, but flattering, smoky-gray strapless bra and slightly darker boy-cut panties. Stockings or pantyhose would just be an encumbrance, she thought. The darkness of the dress provided lovely contrast to Eileen's shoulder length dark blonde hair. Like her ever-approaching guest to be, Eileen was pleased with her appearance. She forced herself to sit for a moment, then she walked to her front room window so she could catch a view of Sarah when she arrived. Wouldn't hurt, she thought.

Sarah inched her way through the moderate Saturday traffic and realized she was within five minutes of her destination. She was nervous and excited and turned on, all at once. Eileen and she had hit it off immediately on line and Sarah had really good feelings that this might work out. At the least, this one afternoon could satisfy a tickle that had existed for quite some time. She hadn't been totally honest when Eileen asked about her experiences with women, but it hadn't been much and had occurred far back enough that it was a faint, but pleasant memory. Sarah was ready for more.

The car, a modest steel blue sedan, pulled into the one available space across the street from Eileen's house. As she watched from a discreetly parted curtain, Eileen saw the young woman climb out of her seat, stand with her back to the car, and look toward her.

How pretty

, she thought.

And she's coming to be with me.

Sarah thought she saw an image behind a second-floor window but couldn't be sure. Taking a deep breath, she looked both ways and crossed to her destination.

Eileen forced herself to count to five before answering the doorbell's ring. She swung the door open and hostess and guest exchanged their first glances.

"Hi, come on in," said Eileen, with the slightest nervous catch in her throat.

Sarah crossed the threshold and turned to face Eileen, separated by a few feet. Both women smiled and it was Sarah who opened her arms and made the first approach. "I believe I remember suggesting something," she said softly and Eileen was nodding with a smile as their faces closed and their lips met.

Both Eileen and Sarah were bombarded with random thoughts as the kiss happened. They were struck by their similar heights, by the mingled fragrances, by the softness of the other woman's lips, and by the wonderfully pleasant feeling that each was sharing. Lips parted slightly, a fleeting encounter between tongue tips, and then it was over.

"That was a really fine idea," purred Eileen. "Welcome to my home. Come." She led Sarah into her cozy living room.

"This is lovely," said Sarah, and she meant it. "Do you own it?"

"Thanks. No, I rent it from my aunt and uncle. I'd love to buy a house but it's going to be a while. I'm still paying college loans and will be for quite some time."

As they chatted, trying to get comfortable in the somewhat nervous atmosphere, both were happy to note something that they couldn't tactfully voice. Each found the other to be attractive - pretty even. But, not so

stunning

that they had to feel worried that they might be a disappointment to the other. In other words, they were a really good match. Two nice-looking girls, period. Sarah had the off-beat recollection of playing tennis with players both a lot better and a lot worse at the game than she was. It had been no fun for anyone involved. This looked far more promising.

Eileen gratefully accepted the Prosecco and suggested opening it so they could share a toast. They sat in two living room chairs arranged in a right angle and touched the fluted glasses with a clink.

"To chat rooms," began Sarah.

"To good fortune in our chat room," replied Eileen, and they sipped.

"To proximity and coincidence."

"Yes! And to new experience." Another sip. "You kiss really nicely."

"Thank you. So do you." Sarah put her glass down and leaned across the space to help herself to another of those kisses. This one lasted a bit longer and grew deeper and more liquid in nature as it went on. Hands remained uninvolved.

"Am I really your first girl?" Eileen asked, breathily. "You're so

good

at this."

Sarah decided to share a bit. "Well, I have kissed a girl before. My college roommate and I got drunk one night and she grabbed me and kissed me. I was drunk enough to kiss her back but that was it." That wasn't it. It had gone on for the better part of an hour and had led to some pretty liberal exploration of young bodies but Sarah decided that could stay locked away. It had stayed active in her memory for the past eight years and was one reason she had gone looking for the situation in which she found herself now. This time, she planned to have her wits about her, so after one more sip of the sparkly Italian white, she put the glass down. "What about you, Eileen. Never? Really?"

"No, I swear." Eileen blushed. "I'm not a prude, really. I just . . ." She didn't know what to say. How to express the fact that she had wanted this experience for years, had always harbored a desire to know what a woman's touch was like? Now, at 26, opportunity had knocked and she wanted to make the lack of experience something in the past tense. "I'm just hoping we can maybe explore, and learn, together. If you still want to."

By way of answering, Sarah stood and extended her hand. "Why don't you take me on a house tour? I don't need to see

all

the rooms." Eileen understood perfectly and stood as well. She leaned in for another kiss and, this time, hooked her arm around Sarah's neck and softly took it in her hand, leaning into her as the kiss deepened. Their bodies now touched for the first time and Eileen was struck at the uniqueness of feeling the imprint of another woman's breasts on hers. Sarah's hands had met in the small of Eileen's back and were gently urging her closer. After minutes of grinding against one another, the two women moved hand in hand from the living room.

"Well, that's my kitchen," noted Eileen, in a distinctly shaky voice, as they moved toward the central staircase. "It's small but functional."

"Very nice. I like the counter tops." Truly, Sarah couldn't have cared less about the kitchen and she subtly urged her tour guide toward the stairs. Up they climbed.

Eileen motioned to a room to the right of the stair top and explained, "That's my spare bedroom. I pretty much use it as a closet and computer room."

"Is that where you were when we chatted?"

"Yes. Maybe I should install a commemorative plaque," Eileen answered with mock gravitas.

"No, I think if there's going to be a plaque, it'll be elsewhere," responded Sarah, coyly. "Let me guess. Master bedroom over yonder?"

It was indeed Eileen's bedroom and she nodded as she opened the door to it. She didn't feel any response was necessary and, besides, she found herself having difficulty articulating cogent thoughts. Hand in hand, the two women, practically throbbing in anticipation, crossed into the room.

It was a pretty, bright room, Sarah noted, tastefully decorated in an understated, modern style. The furnishings were Nordic in appearance and she guessed someone had made several trips to Ikea. The platform-style bed was low and large, likely queen size. It was topped with a rustic quilt in muted shades of rust and dark brown. In all, it was extremely inviting and Sarah told her hostess so. Eileen smiled in thanks and the two stood facing each other - for a moment, not quite knowing how to move forward.

Eileen spoke first. "This seems really odd. I didn't know you a few hours ago, but here we are . . . in my bedroom . . . and I'm comfortable with this whole thing. I just don't know how . . . skilled I'm going to be." She had actually surprised herself by being so forthright and verbal. This constituted a major victory over her innate shyness.

Sarah reached out and took both of Eileen's hands in hers. "Eileen. If it makes you feel any better, I promise, I'm nervous, too. But, I knew as soon as I walked in the front door that this was right. You're everything I could ask for and I think we just need to relax and

enjoy

. That's all, just enjoy. Nothing we're going to do is going to hurt us. Let's just . . . savor." With that, she moved forward and freed her hands so that she could place them on Eileen's shoulders. She initiated a kiss and, as it took place, Sarah was able to work her fingertips under the elasticized neckline of Eileen's dress until her shoulders were bare. She rubbed into her partner's delicate skin in a rhythm that peaked and ebbed with the thrusts of the kiss. Eileen heard soft moans and realized that she was the one making the sounds. It just felt so good. So soft and smooth and, frankly, delicious. She'd never received feminine kisses before and she was loving them in every way.

The women eventually found themselves sitting on the edge of the bed, Eileen's hands pushing against Sarah's thighs, Sarah's still working on those gorgeous shoulders. They broke for a needed breath of air and eyes locked, full of heat. "This dress is driving me crazy," muttered Sarah. "It's just begging me to get it out of the way."

"Please do," Eileen whispered. "Hurry." She stood and positioned her arms at her sides. Sarah rose just enough to bring her head to Eileen's neck level and slowly pulled with both hands. The elastic of the top was loose enough that Sarah was able to stretch it out beyond the end of Eileen's shoulders. She then slowly began sliding the dress lower, pulling it toward her to clear the bra that was mere inches in front of Sarah's face. She continued pulling, oh so slowly. Was that Eileen's heart, or hers, she could hear pounding as she moved south? Sarah spread the wonderfully generous elastic hem wide enough to clear Eileen's hips. Sarah lowered herself in tandem with the downward movement of her arms until she was kneeling in front of Eileen, a collection of dress material pooled around the young woman's ankles. Eileen stepped away from the dress and casually pushed it aside with her foot. She found herself standing, clad only in bra and panties, in front of a fully clothed Sarah whose nose was practically poking her in the navel.

Sarah ran her hands up the outsides of Eileen's legs. "You're so pretty," she cooed. She could feel goose bumps rise on Eileen's legs. Sarah turned her head so that the side of her face rested on Eileen's tummy and she enclosed her lower body in a soft embrace. Eileen was softly stroking Sarah's hair and feeling there was no reason to hurry that which was feeling quite perfect. Finally, though, Sarah stood and said, "It appears I'm really overdressed. Help me?"

Eileen needed little urging. She pulled the sweater over Sarah's head and assisted as she wiggled out of the turtleneck. Eileen's eyes widened at the sight of Sarah's beautiful little bra and she hurriedly helped work the slacks from her legs. The matching panties made quite a picture and Eileen couldn't help but step back to admire the garments. "Oh my gosh. Those are just gorgeous, Sarah! Where did you get them?"

Sarah played model, doing a languid 360, revealing the ultra-sheer nature of the set. Her nipples were quite visible through the gossamer fabric and a the inverse triangle at the juncture of her legs was only partly concealed by the panties. She answered, "They're Parisian but I got them in a boutique in Montreal. A real splurge but, for this moment, utterly worth it. Agree?"

Eileen nodded. "Oh, yes. We just need to make sure they don't get hurt."

Sarah laughed. "Well, that's up to you. Be gentle." She then felt compelled to note, "Eileen. You look wonderful. Your body . . ." For, indeed, she did. Her figure was more rounded than Sarah's but to call her Rubenesque would be a stretch. Curvy, in the best way, was more like it. Sarah found her eyes riveted to Eileen's chest, breasts full and round and begging to be freed and caressed.

The two young women then fell back to the bed and embraced. Kisses now took on more urgency. Eileen knew she was fully intent of going through with this now. Any shyness or nerves had melted away in the presence of this sweet, sensitive woman who had done so much to make Eileen feel relaxed. Lying side by side with Sarah felt like the most natural thing in the world. Stretched out, on their sides, facing each other, they took their time exploring the curves and swells at arms' reach. Eileen observed, as she ran her finger down the length of Sarah's leg, "You're so hot. I mean, literally. It feels like you're on fire. Feel how cold I am."

"Hmm. Yes, you are. What can I do to change that?" Sarah sat forward and put her open mouth on Eileen's outer thigh. She exhaled a hot breath and looked up to see if she had earned a reaction. Eileen quivered and sighed, "Oh please, don't stop." Sarah gladly obliged and began covering her bedmate in kisses -- up and down her legs and then on her stomach. Eileen lay back and luxuriated in the heavenly feeling of being vanquished. It was when Sarah sat up and straddled her midsection that Eileen began to feel the first bit of trepidation. Now what, she thought?

Sarah sensed her anxiety and calmed her with a smile and, "Don't worry, sweetie. Nothing but good, I promise." A kiss on the lips, followed by a trail of kisses down Eileen's neck and onto her upper chest led Sarah to the valley between Eileen's breasts, which were still enclosed in the bra. Sarah sat up and looked Eileen in the eye as she gently urged her forward by her shoulders and reached behind her. Eileen offered no resistance and inhaled deeply as she heard the two muffled snapping sounds from behind her. She sat still as Sarah brought the two sides of material forward and let them drop away, allowing Eileen's breasts to spill out of their constraints. Sarah gazed lustily at the treasures on display and used her hands to cup them on their undersides. Eileen thought her heart would explode.