The Perils of Paula

TAYLA

I do apologise for not updating this series sooner, I've been away in Copenhagen and Malmo on a much-needed vacation and have come back with some interesting ideas for Scandinavian stories. In this second part of a six-part series we get to meet Tayla, who was mentioned in part one. There isn't a whole lot of sex in this story but that's because I'm trying to focus on building Paula's character arc. With that being said I hope you enjoy part two.

Shaima.

*****

The last time I wrote it was about Rainnie and some of my friends asked if there was any emotional fallout from my first affair and I had to think about that one for a while because while it did take me a while to launch out into the unknown I think by that stage I'd pretty much crossed the line. Still having sex with Rainnie did have an immediate effect on me in that I became a little hardened and definitely more overt. Rainnie had openly recommended me to Tayla and then dropped the hint that she was bendable, a term I know only too well these days. Back then, however, I was still revelling in my new found freedom, Rainnie had opened me up to the world of lesbian love and I was like a kid in a candy store.

I was mindful however of Rainnie's advice about not being compromised and while it might seem romantic to get involved with clients, it's considered bad to mix business with pleasure, it usually ends badly. However, I was keen to spread my wings and take a walk on the wild side. Rainnie had mentioned that Tayla was bendable and I could see that almost right away when she opened the door of her home in Taylors Lakes. She had those come to bed eyes that gave me the once over after I'd introduced myself. She had long, thick brown hair that fell past her shoulderblades and when she smiled dimples appeared. Tayla looked to be about mid-thirties although it was hard to tell beneath the makeup, I opted for late thirties, early forties when she invited me in and introduced me to her eighteen-year-old daughter, Sibyl.

"So, you're Rainnie's hair stylist," she ran a hand through her hair, "I just saw her last week, she looks fantastic for her age, I'm looking forward to seeing what you can do for me."

"Thank you," I glanced at Sibyl briefly, "what would you like me to do?"

"We'll discuss that in the kitchen," she smiled slyly.

I caught a strange look from her daughter as I followed Tayla out to a kitchen that looked out onto a large backyard. Tayla moved to the kettle and flicked the switch.

"Coffee, tea, or something stronger?"

"Coffee, white with two," I studied her, "you've got beautiful hair, by the way."

"Thank you, but it's too thick and with this admin position I'm applying for I want to lose some of the length and thin it out. Rainnie told me that a lot of the applicants are quite a bit younger than me so I want to go for a younger look to soften them up before I hit them with my experience."

"What do you do now?" I leaned against a bench.

"I'm the office manager in a local real estate office, it's a branch office but at my age, I can't see myself advancing much further without screwing someone higher up the food chain. When this vacancy came up Rainnie pushed me into applying," she took down two cups from an overhead cupboard.

"It's a higher salary for a start, less stress and there I can rise higher up the food chain and apply for other positions internally," she smiled slyly, "I'm all for internal manoeuvres."

She was looking straight at me when she said that and I'm sure I must have winced because her smile deepened to expose dimples and then she reached for the coffee.

"Me too," I paused, "I mean, it sounds like a fabulous opportunity."

The conversation moved onto lighter subjects as she made the coffees. She was forty-two, divorced for the second time, her most recent marriage had ended nine months ago and she still had the odd regretful twinge.

"Gary and I were good for quite a few years, he was great with Sibyl but it seemed like we'd reached an impasse. He wanted kids of his own, Sibyl is from my first marriage, and I wasn't going to go down that path again. In the end, I knew I wasn't being fair to him, he's ten years younger than me and deserves someone closer to his age who is willing to fall pregnant. Gary is the only one of my ex partners I still socialise with now, Sibyl's father, Tony is a pompous prick with a house in Kew and a mistress in Elwood."

"What about his wife?" I asked.

"Ah, that sweet little thing," she wrinkled her nose, "she thinks the sun shines out of his arse, I've had to bite my tongue a few times over the years."

"I've got one of those husbands too," I admitted, "and I still haven't forgotten."

"Tell me about it," she smiled crookedly, "when I found out about Tony's little slut I was still breastfeeding Sibyl. He told me that he didn't love his mistress the same way he loved me, and so I pulled Sibyl away from my breast and offered it up to him and asked if he wanted to suck on this for a bit instead."

I laughed out loud at that as I tried to picture the scene. Tayla had a cute face and cut a stylish figure in her black sweater and white trousers but behind the well-groomed looks lurked a lioness. Our talk moved other subjects briefly before returning to the reason I was there, her hair. I had a book of different styles and she flicked through it before deciding on the look she wanted.

"It's very seventies but I feel like doing something different for a change."

The style she'd chosen was quite bold, her hair would just nudge her shoulders in a long-layered bob and by the time I'd finished even her daughter did a double take when she came into the kitchen to get a Coke.

"My God, mum, you look fifteen years younger. You'll have all the boys at uni walking around with an extra leg."

"Language, Sibyl," her mother raised her eyebrows, "if I do get this job I certainly won't be putting it at risk getting involved with boys or girls."

It was the most overt sign yet that Tayla was bendable because her daughter didn't even blink, I finished up and started packing my things away while Tayla went to the bathroom and when she returned she looked thoughtful.

"Do you do makeup too?"

"Um, yeah, not an awful lot but I've done it in the past for weddings."

"Could I book you for a makeup session before this interview?"

"Sure," I replied, "when is it?"

"Next Thursday, two in the afternoon. I'm taking the day off and want to leave here by one, so shall we say about twelve or so?"

I was booked for 12:00 but a quick phone call saw me moving that one back to 11:30 and as I farewelled her I had the feeling that she was checking me out. Not so much in an overt way but more as if she was contemplating something else and just happened to be looking in my direction but I couldn't be sure.

Rachel was also unsure when I told her about it a couple of days later.

"She might very well be curious but still on the edge, I'd hedge my bets on that one. I've known a few women who did make all the right noises until someone made a move and then they changed their tune."

Sage advice but I was also curious myself. Was this woman skirting the edges or willing to dip her toes in new waters and I for one found her attractive. She reminded me of Rainnie in some ways, she was able to front up to men and call them to account, and yet her relationship with Gary also showed a more altruistic side. The fact that she'd let go of a perfectly good man just to let him father his own children struck me as being different. Could I have done the same? Robert was still avoiding the issue of his own infidelity, although on that account I wasn't exactly blameless. Even so, I don't think I could have done the same thing as Tayla.

Suffice it to say, I was more than a little anxious by the time Thursday came around and it must have shown on my face because Tayla actually asked if I was feeling unwell that day.

"I'm fine, just a little flustered today," I told her.

"Well there's wine in the fridge," she nodded at the kitchen, "I have to get changed, make yourself at home and I'll be right out."

Wine was always a good idea! Tayla had quite a good selection of wines too and by the time she came out of the bedroom I was halfway through a white wine and she smiled slyly.

"My favourite wine, it looks like we have something else in common besides a mutual friend," she took a seat at the end of the breakfast bar, "I thought I'd go for the younger look today," she glanced at the window.

"And seeing as it's set to be a scorcher today I won't sweat as much."

The sleeveless, brown dress stopped halfway down her thighs and was decorated with a white belt. I nodded my approval and started taking out my things. Doing a makeover isn't as simple as it might sound it's not just about colour matching it's also all about enhancing the features a woman wants you to notice, and that can be a tricky endeavour in itself. Tayla was an older woman competing against younger women and so I had to aim for a more subtle look that wouldn't make it look like she was trying to recapture her lost youth. The end result was pleasing and she was happy with what I'd managed to achieve.

"I actually look younger," she smiled.

"That's what I was aiming for but you've got the life experience so here's hoping all my work hasn't been in vain."

"I'm sure it hasn't, even if I don't get the job," she turned her head from side to side.

"What are you doing on Friday night?"

"Um, as in night?"

"Yeah, it usually starts sometime after six and goes on until we've had enough, I've got a circle of friends, the Westie First Wives Club, we're all divorced mums but some are in new relationships. We meet up every two weeks for drinks and a barbie if the weather's good, this time I'm having it at my joint, it's a very informal affair. No one's bound to turn up every time, and we're pretty loose with what we get up to and we've only got two rules."

"What are the rules?"

"No men allowed unless they're dropping off or picking up, and no fucking a member's partner for obvious reasons."

"Sounds good, but I'm still married to my first husband, wouldn't that disqualify me?"

"Not at all," she regarded me for a moment, "to be honest I don't know why we chose that name for our group, I think it was late at night and we'd had too much to drink. I mean we call ourselves the Westies but two of our members are from Camberwell and Burwood, but it's up to you."

"Okay," I finally nodded, "I'll come around, what time?"

"About six this time, I'll fire up the barbie and we eat sometime after seven."

"It's a date," I replied and then blushed. Tayla merely nodded though and after that, she had to leave for her job interview.

"Call me if you can't make it, okay?"

I promised her I would make it and then went through a minor panic attack on the way to my next client because I really didn't want to impose on Rachel yet again, but my best friend was more than insistent it would be perfectly fine.

"Go out and let down your hair," she told me, "and don't worry about the time, we'll bed them down at our place and you can pick them up in the morning."

It was a very generous offer and yet I still felt mildly guilty as I prepared for my night out. I chose white jeans and a Hawaiian style shirt accessorised with a plaited belt and sandals. It was casual but stylish, Rachel ran an approving eye over me when I took the kids over to her place.

"Looking good, babe," she studied me for a moment, "it's smart with that flirty look if she's going to step over the line you've certainly dressed for the part."

Nevertheless, I wasn't entirely sure I wanted her to step over the line. It was sitting out there on the periphery of my mind, a vague excitement combined with hesitation, which I attributed to the fact that I had at least known Rainnie for a while but Tayla was still very much a stranger. Was I doing the right thing?

When I got to Tayla's place a little while later there was a notice on the front door.

Cocktails this way.

An arrow pointed to the driveway and another arrow on the fence was aimed at the pathway leading to the backyard. Another two arrows led me to the yard and by then I could hear the clink of glasses and the babble of voices. Tayla was standing by a barbecue with two other women, one of whom looked as if she was younger than me. Tayla noticed me as I opened the side gate and stepped onto the patio, she excused herself and ambled across the pavers towards me.

I had a chance to take in her outfit before she reached me. She was wearing a white, pleated skirt that fell past her knees, it was adorned with a wide leather belt. The skirt was matched with a cream chiffon, sleeveless blouse that left little to the imagination. To wear that out in public you'd have to put something on underneath to hide your bra, but in the sanctity of her backyard, she saw no need for such a precaution and her red bra was clearly visible.

"You came after all," she came to a stop in front of me, "very Hawaiian indeed," she greeted me with a kiss on the cheek, "come on and I'll introduce you to the Westies."

"How did you get on at your interview?"

"I'm on the short list, according to my confidential source," she smiled slyly, "and it's a very short list as well. I'm going up against three others so here's hoping."

I met fifteen other women in the space of a few minutes, ranging in age from their early twenties to late forties, a truly eclectic gathering I commented to Tayla as I helped myself to a wine.

"Thank you, this is about normal for one of our gatherings, the winter and spring see a few more people here but summer and autumn some of us are seeing partners and can't always get away but we always welcome them back."

"Have you ever missed a night because you were with someone?"

"Not likely," she smiled slyly, "this is one of the few chances I get to kick up my heels and just let my hair down. We're doing what women have been doing for thousands of years, socialising and just feeding off each other."

I have fond memories of that barbecue, which makes me wonder why I let things progress the way they did in the aftermath of the barbecue. I'd stayed behind to help clear up along with a woman called Ulrika, who inadvertently set the scene when she casually admitted to Tayla and I that she was going out with another woman.

"I mean it's not totally serious but I have a good feeling when I'm with her," she stretched the cling film over the salad bowl, "what I do love is the no pressure thing if I come around it's cool and if I don't it's still cool. It's not like I have to measure up to some ideal, Jenny just leaves the door wide open, sometimes literally and I can walk in, sit down and put my feet on the coffee table."

"How old is she?" Tayla asked.

"Thirty two, about a year younger than me. She works in middle management at the National bank in the city, got two kids and she managed to swing a deal with her ex where he takes them for a week every month. Now if I could get Greg to do that I'd be on cloud nine, it's a battle to get him to take the little ones for a weekend let alone a week."

"So have you and Jenny?" Tayla looked at her.

"Um, yeah and it's different, but at the end of the day it's sex."

"So, when do you move in together?" Tayla took the bowl from her.

"Um, probably not for the foreseeable future," she blushed, "it's nice having time together but I'm not sure we'd be good living under the same roof and not because she's a woman. I'm just not ready to commit to anyone right now, male or female, I've got three under the age of ten and a job to think about. A relationship is way down the list of priorities."

"There's something in that," Tayla confided a little while later as she sat with a cigarette in her hand, "Ulrika is one of those women who always needed someone in her life but all the guys she went out with in the past seemed to be self obsessed narcissistic pricks. The fact that she can go and see Jenny and go home afterwards is a big thing for her, perhaps I should do the same thing."

"You and me both," I picked a ball of fluff off my jeans, "I had an affair with Rainnie," our eyes met, "please don't tell her that I told you, she likes to be discreet."

"I thought it was something like that," Tayla smiled crookedly, "I knew she was kicking for the other side but she's never made a move towards me."

She contemplated her cigarette for a moment.

"So, what was it like?"

Our eyes met and she chuckled.

"Don't worry I'm discreet too."

"It was better than I expected," I confessed, "it certainly broadened my horizons and considering my limited world that's gotta be a good thing."

"I've always fancied doing it with a woman," Tayla admitted, "there was this woman I knew when I started work down at Vicroads when I was old enough to fuck but too young to keep my legs closed and there were moments I'd look at her and think fuck yeah."

"What was her name?"

"Elaine," she replied, "she moved to Ireland but we still keep in touch. She could drink for Melbourne and I could talk for Melbourne so we were a good match in that way."

"So what was it that attracted you to Elaine?"

"To be honest I don't know," she frowned, "she had this look about her like she could just go down on you at a moment's notice. There were a few times we'd pass out in bed together and I'd wake up to find her snuggled up next to me, she'd have her hand on my breast or my belly."

"Normal enough."

"Not when you consider most of the time I passed out with my clothes on and woke up naked or next to naked. She used to strip me and then get naked herself and lie down next to me, but it's not like she ever put out any signals that she was that way inclined," she put the cigarette out.

"But there was one time I did think it might go further."

"What happened?"

"It was a stupid dare," she replied.

"We got picked up from some pub in Northcote by these two guys. We went back to their joint and had a couple of bongs and then one of them suggested we play strip poker," she propped her head on her palm.

"About halfway through the game, they got bored because they were down to their jocks and we were still pretty much dressed, so they dared us to kiss each other if we lost the next hand and they'd throw in their hands. We lost the next round and kissed each other," her eyes shifted as she recalled the event.

"Now I know we were both pissed and stoned, but she seemed to put more effort into that kiss than me, I can't say how long it lasted exactly but it was certainly not an affectionate peck on the lips, she was really going for it."

"So she was curious," I shifted in my seat, "give her half a chance and she would have stepped across the line."

"Maybe," she looked past me, "my life would certainly have taken a different turn, I met my first husband not long after she left Vicroads. We can laugh about it these days but we've never been tempted to try it again, she lives in Randalstown in County Antrim with her two kids and a guy from the Republic of Ireland."

Well, that answered my next question about if she'd thought about getting together again. They say that when you see a chance you should take it and their chance looked as if it had well and truly gone. When I looked at her again she had a bemused smile on her face.

"So you and Rainnie, huh?"

"Yeah, it was one of those things I was so not going to do until I did it."

"She's always been different that way, she and her husband have a weird relationship. I can't say I'd be willing to let a partner have his mistress even if I had the freedom to do the same thing. She's been to a few of our Westie nights but most of the time she's busy doing her own thing."