MONDAY
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Emma's work clothes stuck to her. She wore black high heels, a short black skirt, and a white blouse. She had undone most of the buttons on the blouse as she walked towards the house. She was nineteen, and worked in a travel agency. All day long she dreamed of sunny beaches and city breaks. She had spent the last twenty minutes crammed into a train with other commuters. She was sweaty and tired. She still looked pretty good though. She knew that some of the men on the train had been staring at her. She clicked up the garden path in her heels, and rang the doorbell. She fussed with her hair, taking out the pins, letting it fall loose over her shoulders. She stood on the doorstep, framed by a pair of dark pink rosebushes. She momentarily lost herself, gazing into the soft pink folds of the petals.
Her boyfriend's mother opened the door. She was a raven-haired beautiful woman. She wore trainers and running gear. She smiled when she saw Emma. At the same moment, the sun blazed from behind a cloud.
"Daniel isn't home yet, But come on in and wait for him. You want some orange juice?"
Emma adored her smile. It was intense. It was devastating. She felt herself being drawn to Charlotte's lips. She was a moth and Charlotte was the flame. She fought to get a grip on herself. This was her boyfriend's mother.
"Thanks, Mrs. Garland. Anything cold will do." It was 28 degrees and there was no breeze from the sea. It was clammy and uncomfortable. It promised to be a sweltering summer.
Charlotte rolled her eyes. "I do wish you wouldn't call me Mrs. Garland. You make me feel a hundred years old!"
"I can't help it." Emma said. "My parents raised me to be respectful." She laughed. "Especially to old people."
"You know I'm sensitive about turning forty this week."
Charlotte's long legs were clad in a tight pair of black Capri leggings that stopped just below her knees. Above that, she wore a figure-hugging white T-shirt with the words SUMMER OF LOVE stretched across her chest. Her hair was tied back. She was about to start her daily five mile run, but she was sweating just standing there. She carried a massive hunk of machinery clipped to her waist.
"What is that? It looks like it'll slow you down." Emma pointed at the square slab of blue metal. "Is it a gramophone?"
"It's a discman. It plays compact discs."
"Er... what are those?" Emma joked. One of the reasons Emma and Charlotte got on really well together was because they shared a love of music. Emma had loaned Charlotte her Katy B album. In return, Charlotte had got Emma hooked on Bowie. Emma had always been into music. She played guitar, and wrote her own songs.
Charlotte laughed. "I suppose you've never heard of a walkman either? They take cassettes!"
Emma shook her head, pretending to be dumb. Her pretty green eyes were wide and innocent. Her red hair flicked from side to side.
Charlotte pushed her lightly. "Liar! You're old enough to remember mix tapes. I'd like to replace it with an MP3 player at some point, but it'll do for now. You never know – someone might buy me an iPod for my birthday."
Emma grabbed her arm, and pulled. It was an excuse to touch her. The two women grappled in the doorway. The sun beat down on them. Charlotte pulled Emma's hair. Emma bit Charlotte on the arm. She grasped Charlotte's wrist hard enough to bruise it. Charlotte pinched Emma's thighs. Emma spanked Charlotte's buttocks. Their bodies crushed together. Their legs twisted. Emma forced her thigh up into Charlotte's groin. Charlotte grunted and ground herself against Emma's leg. Their play-fights were getting worse. For Charlotte, it was just a bit of fun. Emma wasn't sure what it meant to her. All she knew was that she felt aroused right now. The two women fought, both dressed in black and white. They struggled wordlessly, grunting and squealing. Somewhere close, an ice-cream van tootled. They parted, staring at each other hard. Charlotte panted for breath. Emma had a speck of blood on her lips.
"Did I do that?"
Emma nodded, grinning. She longed for Charlotte to kiss it better.
"Shit! Sorry." Charlotte frowned. It felt normal to her but she guessed that if anyone else saw them play-fighting, they would think it bizarre. She was strangely aware that they didn't do it when Daniel was in the room. She wondered briefly why that was. Still, the evening was too warm for her to care. "Why don't you come running with me?"
"Because there's no way you would keep up."
"Oh really?"
Emma watched her boyfriend's mother run down the street. She watched her cute ass wriggle in the lycra. Charlotte might be turning forty this week but she sure didn't look it. Emma closed the door and went into the living room. She sat on the sofa, waiting for Daniel but thinking of Charlotte.
***
Emma had her doubts. She had always preferred men. She certainly wasn't a virgin. She had slept with seven guys over the last couple of years. But recently, she hadn't been interested. Men left her cold. She was going through something, but she couldn't say exactly what. She had lied to Daniel, telling him she didn't believe in sex before marriage. That was rubbish. Of course, she hadn't told him about the seven guys she slept with before. The truth was, Daniel was a great guy, and he was handsome. He had a lean body and deep soulful eyes. But, right now, she was more interested in women. It was peculiar. She thought that, if you were a lesbian, you knew it from an early age. She had never heard of anyone suddenly changing their sexuality at nineteen. She was confused. She didn't know who she was. Her mobile phone buzzed. It was Daniel.
HEY GORGEOUS. MISSED THE TRAIN. I HAVE TO WAIT ANOTHER HOUR. SORRY. SEE U SOON XXX.
Emma's heart beat faster as she read the message. It meant she had time. She couldn't get Charlotte out of her mind. She imagined her running, her breasts leaping, the muscles in her legs flexing, her dark hair tied into a ponytail and bouncing.
She went upstairs.
Not for the first time, Emma intruded into Charlotte's bedroom. She loved this room. It was the place where all her fantasies converged. She admired the queen-size bed. The mattress was thick and soft, like lying on a cloud. The headrest was black wrought iron. Emma suspected Charlotte was a deeply sensual woman. She slept beneath satin sheets, sometimes gold, sometimes midnight blue, but today they were a purply-red, the colour of a full-bodied Burgundy wine.
Emma reached out and her hand glided gently across them. She thought about making love to Charlotte under those sheets, their excited bodies entwined, orgasming as the sheets slid over them.
The furniture was modern, angular, and made from cherry wood. The tone of the wood was deep and warm. There was a dressing table, with a large mirror. Emma pulled the square stool out from under the table and sat down. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. Emma knew men thought her pretty. She had coppery red hair that curled loosely down to her shoulders. Her eyes glowed green like peridot. Was that how Charlotte saw her? Did Charlotte even notice when she ran her hands through her dark hair, how Emma smiled, how she licked her lips?