Threading the Needle

First I need to start by acknowledging and thanking my trio of editors, careythomas, snow, and most especially Terry. I am completely mortified that I forgot to thank you with chapter 1. You all contributed in huge ways, especially in how the stories will develop over the course of the chapters.

It's most especially Terry because since the pandemic, I have not heard from him. Knowing his background and personal situation, I have to assume that he is among the many people we lost to COVID-19. He checked more than a couple of risk boxes. Since he reached out to me almost 10 years ago, he played a major part in everything I published, or will publish in this story. He was an inspiration to me and helped me become a better writer.

This series is dedicated to my friend Terry. He not only knew where it was going, he helped me chose where that would be.

Like almost all of my series, this one will only be understood if you have read the chapters before it. Also I know some will differ with me about the category I have picked. This is the sole chapter that involves sex between members of the opposite sex, but while this part of the chapter is important to understanding the rest of the path of the story, it doesn't change that this is a story about lesbian love and relationships. I offer sincere apologies if that explanation doesn't work for you as it is certainly not my intention to offend.

Threading the Needle

Chapter 2

The meeting room already had a fair number of people in it when Marika arrived. It was in one of the local hotels and tables were set up in a classroom style. No one was sitting yet but instead were milling around talking to one another. She looked around the room. Liz was up front with a large man who could have been anywhere from 35 to 45 years old. While his face was weathered, it had a youthful look despite the somewhat scruffy beard. Ringlets of dishwater blond hair covered his head. There was a smile on his face. He was not really handsome but between the smile and his bright blue eyes, Marika couldn't help but find him attractive.

"He must do well with the female customers," Marika thought to herself. As she watched, she realized that he was flirting with Liz who playfully responded. While he was unlikely to get anywhere with her, he was charming enough to not offend her. She chuckled and thought, "I should include the straight guides too as targets for him."

On the other side of the room was a cluster of younger people. "They must be most of the other new trainees," she thought. While there were still a few people coming in, it looked like she was going to be the oldest one. It gave her an unfamiliar feeling. She could not remember anytime when she was the oldest in a group. That combined with the awareness that she was the only parent in the group made her feel her years more than ever. "I shouldn't feel ancient at thirty," she thought to herself.

Just as she was about to go over and join them, Winnie came in the door. "Oh, I'm glad you're here," she said to Marika, her face lighting up. "It's easier meeting a new group when you have a friend!"

"Absolutely! I was about to go over and say hi. Now I've got a little more courage," Marika told Winnie.

Chuckling, Winnie shook her head. "I can't imagine you needing courage. You always seem to just charge in at work."

"Yeah, at work! This is different. I'm out of my element. Most of them look more like a guide than I do. Well, too late to back out now. Anyway Elizabeth would kill me if I tried," Marika said. She automatically looked over at Liz. It surprised her a little to see Liz watching her. She smiled and gave her a little wave; Liz acknowledged it with a nod and then turned back at the other guide. As she watched, a middle-aged man came in and joined them. Having been on many trips with Liz, she recognized him as the owner of the company, Weston. Marika barely knew him, especially since after having done this for almost two decades Weston no longer rafted every weekend. She had seen less of him over the last couple of years. Still it was nice to see another familiar face.

With Winnie in the lead, they went over to say hi to the rest of the new guides. By now, there was quite a large group. Marika counted eleven in total, including her and Winnie. The introductions went by quickly and she knew that she would not remember half of them. Hopefully the same would be true for everyone else. There was only one other female guide, Julie, which made her name be easy to remember. She had a very athletic look, as if she spent a lot of time outdoors.

Of the male trainees, Bohdi was the easiest one to remember. He lived up to his name with long blonde dreadlocks and wearing a slightly ratty t-shirt with cargo shorts. A gregarious friendly guy, he seemed to think nothing of giving both Winnie and Marika a hug. As he squeezed her lightly, Marika could smell the unmistakable aroma of pot. She smiled. Again, there was no surprise with Bohdi. Marika had been on enough rafting weekends to know he was unlikely to be the only one who smoked. Most of the guides indulged at least to some degree.

Another woman entered the room and caught Marika's attention. She was a pretty and somewhat petite woman with silky brown hair. When she glanced over at the group, Marika caught sight of piercing green eyes. Something made her glance over at Liz. "Thought so," Marika said to herself as she saw Liz's eyes shift over to the newcomer. "She's the type to get Liz interested." From the way that she headed over to the group of experienced guides, Marika assumed she was another trainer.

"Hey Liz," Lena said as she drew near. She had on a pair of jeans that hugged her ass and waist. Her shirt hung off one shoulder, exposing a thin black bra strap over flawlessly smooth skin. "It's nice to see you," she said with a flirtatious smile. It slowly faded as she saw the deadpan way Liz looked at her. She seemed like a completely different person than the playful woman from the other night.

"Hi Lena," said Liz. "This is Weston, the company's owner, and this is Bear. He is one of the two guides that are helping with training." When Lena was finished saying hello, Liz pointed at the rest of the trainees. "We aren't quite ready to start. If you want to go wait with them that would be great." Liz turned her back on Lena, essentially dismissing her.

Lena stood there for a second with a stunned look before she turned and walked over to the group. Bear watched her go and chuckled. "God, that had to hurt," he said. "That woman is something else."

"You have no idea. I came this close to getting somewhere with her the other night, and now by the time training is done she will be convinced I am the biggest bitch around." Liz shook her head. She wanted to look over her shoulder, but that might ruin the image she was trying to create.

"Close but no cigar?" Bear said, chuckling louder. "Is the invincible Liz starting to lose her touch?"

Liz punched him in the arm. It didn't seem to affect him and reminded Liz just how strong he was. "No, jackass," she said. The way she said it left no doubt that she and Bear were good friends. "She was on a date, so I couldn't try too hard."

Bear laughed a big deep chortle. There was a bit of a friendly rivalry between them. Although he was much older, they had a lot in common. They both were ski and rafting bums, teaching in the winter and running rivers in the spring and summer. Teaching at different resorts, tonight was the first time they had seen each other in a couple of months. The rivalry came from their mutual interest in good-looking women. Just as Liz figured that all women were a little curious, Bear assumed that he had the ability to charm any of them. More than once, they put their sights on the same woman. Sometimes Bear was successful, and sometimes it was Liz. Since neither one was interested in settling down, it had not come between their friendship. That there were other fish in the sea was a mutual philosophy.

Weston smiled but otherwise didn't say anything. He appreciated Liz's dedication to running guide training. Even though he used to run it himself, he admitted that she tended to turn out better guides. Looking at his watch, he muttered. "All the trainees are here. Where the hell is Indigo?"

Just as he said that, the missing guide ran through the door. "Damn, sorry Weston. I know I'm late. The alarm clock is busted and I forgot. It won't happen again," she said as she came to a stop in front of the other trainers.

"What's the matter? Alex didn't sleep over?" Liz said with a little smirk.

Indigo blushed. Her skin was very pale and there was nothing she could do to hide it. Hanging her head a little, she hoped that her hair would cover her cheeks. A thick black curly mane reached down to her shoulders. She glanced up at Liz. Her eyes were green, not the same intense green that Lena had. Indigo's eyes were a warmer green with flecks of gold in them. It didn't matter how she was feeling, they were always a window into those emotions. Right now, they reflected the discomfort that she felt at Liz's teasing.

"No, she's gone for the weekend. She's out at the coast surf kayaking," Indigo said. "She wanted me to go, but I have this. It's okay."

Liz opened her mouth as if to say something but then cut it off. Indigo and Alex had a bit of a tempestuous relationship. Even after having been together for close to three years, they still had separate apartments. It wasn't uncommon for one of them, more likely Alex, to disappear off on an adventure of her own. Neither one of them expected the other to be exclusive. When they were together, they acted like a couple. However when they were apart, they both felt free to hook up with others. Most of the time, there was no jealousy. When it did rear its head, it could be ugly. Alex in particular could get very pissed off. Still, it seemed to work for them.

Naturally, Liz had slept with both of them.

With Alex, it only happened a few times. It was rare for her to be on the river without Indigo. She wasn't one of the guides. Her passion was kayaking. When they were doing some of the rockier rivers, Weston always had a safety kayaker run with them. On technical rivers like that, anyone in the water was potentially in danger. Someone like Alex could swoop down into places a big raft could not. Indigo only guided the last three years so it was only last year that she started running the same rivers as Alex.

The times that Liz got together with Alex always had two things in common. First, Weston was short of guides to do one of the technical rivers. The other thing was that Indigo was visiting her family. After the first time that Alex went on one of Indigo's visits, she refused to go again. It was not that they didn't make her feel welcome. It was the exact opposite. Indigo came out to them in junior high. They accepted her and never were anything but supportive.

It didn't take long for Indigo's mother to start asking the two women about their long-term plans. She knew that her daughter wanted to marry and someday raise a child with her wife. She could not help wanting to know if Alex felt the same way. Given the casual nature of their relationship, the questions caught Alex off guard. Even worse, they were questions that Alex had yet to consider. She didn't know what she wanted in life yet and was content with pushing them out a while. During the argument on the way back to Seattle, Alex refused to go and visit them again.

From then on, it was always a sore point for Alex. Liz knew that to some degree Alex having sex with her was revenge on Indigo. It was so passionate that Liz had a hard time caring. She also suspected that part of what drove Alex in those trysts was a bit of jealousy. While Indigo would hook up occasionally when Alex wasn't around, the only person that Indigo hooked up with relatively frequently was Liz.

Most of the time, Indigo would make herself available if Liz was interested. Even when someone else was in the middle of flirting with her, it didn't matter. The other woman found herself ignored as Indigo went over to Liz. Even during the off-season, Liz would sometimes text Indigo after striking out. If she was home alone, it was rare for Indigo not to invite Liz over.

The one time that Alex came over unannounced was also the only time. She walked in and saw Liz on the floor with one arm around Indigo's leg and her face all wet from eating Indigo's pussy. She looked invitingly at Alex, clearly happy to have her join in. Indigo stammered, trying to explain.

"No big deal, Indigo. I know our rules. I shouldn't have barged in," Alex said. "You two have fun." Turning, Alex walked out of the bedroom door. Indigo's pleas to stay had no effect. Even as Indigo was calling out, Liz put her face back in between her legs and started to lick her pussy again. Her voice cut off with a little squeal before the front door closed behind Alex.

That night was one of the few where Liz spent the entire night with Indigo. Usually she left within minutes of finishing. With the way Indigo clung to her, even Liz didn't have the heart to leave her alone. She still woke up early and was starting to get dressed before Indigo woke. She was just putting her t-shirt back on when Indigo stirred. Her eyes were unreadable, not that Liz tried hard.

"Thanks for staying the night," Indigo said. She knew better than to ask when they would see each other again. She ignored the dull ache from knowing that Liz was leaving without trying to wake her.

"It's okay," Liz said. She grabbed her bag. "See you." She left without giving Indigo a chance to say anything else. Indigo watched the door for a few minutes. When the tears started, she rolled over and hugged a pillow. Even she couldn't tell if she was crying about Alex or Liz.

That spelled an end to Liz getting together with Alex. It brought things into focus for Alex. She knew that things continued between Indigo and Liz. There was a special text tone for Liz so Alex knew every time that Liz texted Indigo. It wasn't even as if Indigo could ignore it during the rafting season. Sometimes they were just messages about what river she would be running. Those ones Indigo acknowledged. Alex knew the meaning of the ones that didn't get a reply. Despite it slowly bothering her more over time, Alex never said a thing and there was no reason for anyone to realize differently.

Indigo tried just to ignore the thoughts that were running through her mind as Weston moved in front of the room. "Okay, would everyone find a seat?" He said loudly. He stepped over in front of a table where there was a bunch of rafting gear. He watched as the group of trainees took their time. "Let's go! We have things to do!" he barked. That did the trick. Everyone dropped into the closest chair and looked attentive.

"I'm Weston, the owner of this company. I know I've met most of you," Weston said. He looked over at Marika and gave her a smile. He knew her the longest of any of the new trainees. When Liz ran her first commercial trip, it was with a group that Marika had organized. Since then Marika was a frequent river runner, whether organizing a boat or as Liz's guest. Most of the rest of them took a trip or two and wanted more. "I guess there are only two of you I don't know. I just met Lena, which must mean you are Winnie." Weston smiled at Winnie, who smiled shyly back. "So I just want to say, this is Liz's training. I used to run these, but she's much better at it than I am. It was a no brainer for me to cede my spot to her, although that doesn't mean I won't be around. I may come along a weekend or two as one of the trainers to see how you do, but she is in charge. If you have any complaints, talk to her." He looked around one last time. "I guess that is all. See you on the river!" With that, he left. He didn't need to be there for the classroom stuff.

"For those of you who don't know, I'm Liz. That's Bear and that is Indigo. Along with Weston, we will be running guide training. As you know, besides the classroom instruction this tonight, there will be four weekends of guiding on the river. I hope that all of you will do well enough that Weston will want to hire you as guides. It isn't guaranteed. There are two basic requirements. First, you have to be able to guide your customers safely down the river. Second, you have to do it in a way that will make sure they enjoy it, as long as it's safe," Liz said. She paused and looked every one of them in the eyes. "Whitewater is not forgiving. You take the responsibility for the people in your boats. We will teach you what you need to know, but in the end it is all on you." She paused again and gave them her most serious look. "Okay, open up the binders in front of you. Let's start going through things," Liz said.

For the next four hours, Liz, Bear and Indigo tried to cram as much as they could about rafting into the heads of the trainees. Much of it would not completely make sense until they were on the river, but they did their best. Some of the time, they broke up into small groups, with the three trainers moving from group to group.

Lena was in a group with Bohdi and two other guys, Reed and Brock. The four of them got along well. They all enjoyed a light, almost flirtatious, banter. It was easy for Lena. While she had mostly been going out with women the last year, she still found that she was interested in guys. For now, she was okay with being bi. Still, none of them tried to push it too far.

Maybe they were like that because it was obvious that Lena focused her attention on Liz. When she came over, Lena tried to include Liz in their banter but got nowhere. It was disappointing to Lena who had enjoyed Liz's playful manner at the bar. If she was not with Katie the other night, Lena thought she might have ended up going home with Liz. Now each time that Liz stopped by, she was clearly their instructor. A couple of times, she even told Lena to stop horsing around and pay attention to what she was doing.

With Bear, it was completely different. While his expertise on the water was clear, he didn't seem to have a problem with mixing teaching and flirting. In particular, he seemed to like flirting with both Winnie and Marika. They were in a group with a couple of guys named Sawyer and Hart. Bear enjoyed joking with all of them, but his jokes with the two women had a ribald flavor. He had a knack for never pushing it too far, just to the very edge of too far. He could make either one of them blush deep red while not offending them. Part of it was the constant smile on his face. Marika wondered if he ever took anything seriously. After the way things were with Samuel, it felt nice to have someone make her feel attractive. She rarely got that from her husband. Without really thinking about it, Marika began to flirt right back.

Since Liz called roll, she introduced Marika as Rikki. The more that Marika tried to correct it, the more the name stuck. Eventually even Winnie joined in. When that happened, Marika gave up. "I guess everyone needs a river name," she said in resignation. The truth was that it really didn't bother her very much. Being Marika was all about being grown up and responsible. Most of the time she didn't mind it, but the whole point behind learning to guide was to bring a little fun into her life. Maybe being Rikki would remind her of that.

While Liz had her distance and Bear had his experience, Indigo had neither. It was her first time helping with training. It was only a few years ago that she was one of the trainees. Despite all the trips she had guided since then, Indigo felt more like all the new trainees than Liz and Bear. She easily caught the trainees' mood and joined in the joking. She got along with all of them, but in particular with Lena.