DISCLAIMER: The characters in this story belong to me or them or no-one, I'm not sure, but as long as they get to have a little fun I'm sure they won't sue.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I started this story for NaNoWritMo but real life kind of got in the way.
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.
THANKS: To Jillo for the beta.
Sex, Cars and Poker Nights
By ralst
Part One
Candace waited by the side of the road, her small duffle bag crammed to bursting point with the few meagre belongings she had managed to rescue from the fire that had destroyed her home and left her alone and penniless. It wasn't much to show for twenty-five years of solid citizenship, but then she'd never been much of a one for belongings. And what few things she had managed to accumulate over the years had been sacrificed on the altar of bad wiring.
Thrusting out her chest, Candace smiled at the approaching car, her thumb stuck out in the universal plea for a lift. She had already been picked up four times by four horny drivers. Middle-aged men in badly fitting business suits who looked at her as if she was their last meal and Fort Knox rolled into one. Their expectations dashed with the first flash of her handy little switchblade.
A grey Lincoln Continental slowed to a stop five feet in front of her, its passenger side door pushed open in invitation. Candace took a deep breath and, making sure her blade was in easy reach, smiled pleasantly as she dropped onto the seat.
"Thanks for stopping," she began, her words trailing off as she caught sight of her latest driver.
"No problem, honey." The woman was in her forties, her dark hair cut short and curling lazily around her ears, the smile on her face less predatory than her male counterparts but nonetheless expectant. "Where are you headed?"
Candace's answer had changed with each successive lift but for some reason she decided to tell the woman the truth.
"As far away from where I came from as possible."
The woman chuckled, her hand landing on Candace's thigh in a friendly manner that she would have resented from any of the other drivers. As the seconds passed and the woman's laughter died, her hand remained where it lay.
"Miriam," the woman said, squeezing Candace's thigh.
"Candace."
They rode for several miles in silence, Miriam's hand gently encircling Candace's thigh, the heat of the touch causing the younger woman's heart rate to increase. It had been months since she'd experienced the touch of another woman, but Candace was just as addicted to the feeling as she'd always been. Be it stranger or her aunt's best friend, she couldn't resist the touch of another woman.
"A friend of mine runs a motel over on Freemount Avenue and I happen to know she's looking for a night manager." Miriam's hand rose slightly higher. "It doesn't pay too well but you get your own room and plenty of time for fun." She smiled, the meaning behind her words obvious.
"I've never worked in a motel." Candace began fiddling with a loose thread on her jeans.
"Would she need a reference?"
"I'm your reference, honey," Miriam assured her.
Candace knew she'd have to pay for the kindness but if it meant she'd have a place to stay that didn't smell like a dumpster and a few pennies in her pockets for some of the luxuries like food, it would be more than worth it.
"That would be great."
Miriam's hand rode higher still and Candace conveniently parted her thighs, the feel of the hand pressed tight against her centre oddly thrilling in its inappropriateness. She wondered if they'd turn off before they reached the motel for Miriam to collect her reward or if she'd have time to freshen up and maybe grab a bite to eat first. Not that she minded; her body was certainly ready for anything Miriam had to offer, but for the first time in a long while the thought of a good meal had overridden the desire for a good fuck.
"Does the motel serve food?"
"God, no! Lilly would probably kill off all her customers if she forced them to choke down the swill she cooks." Miriam's laugh was contagious and despite her disappointment Candace couldn't help smiling at the woman. "If it's food you're after I'd suggest you pay Anna a visit."
"Anna?"
"She runs the diner across the street." Miriam's hand rubbed gently against the inseam of Candace's jeans in an unconscious move prompted by thoughts of the young diner owner. "The best damn chilli this side of Mexico."
Candace squirmed, her libido doing battle with her hunger, as she began rocking back and forth in her seat, rubbing herself against the other woman's hand. It was a movement she'd perfected during her baby-sitting days, when young Mrs. Thomas had insisted on driving her the long way home, and introducing her to the pleasures of friction. At seventeen she'd thought herself in love but although that thought had soon been dispelled, her love of front seat sex had not, and she began thrusting quicker as she waited for Miriam to take the hint and pull over.
A life spent fending off football players and randy teachers had taught Candace that she was both beautiful and desirable; her shoulder length jet black hair, flawless skin and mouth-watering breasts had attracted their fair share of admirers over the years, and she had no doubt that Miriam would succumb sooner rather than later.
"I'm married," Miriam quietly informed, slipping her hand from between Candace's thighs. "He sells insurance."
"I could have used him when my apartment burned down." Candace undid one of the buttons on her blouse. "But I don't see him here now."
Miriam's smile was less confident. She had been accused on many occasions of being a terrible flirt, but after her last little indiscretion she had promised her husband that she'd curb her inclinations and refrain from indulging her desires. Flirting with Candace had been one thing, but if she pulled over to the side of the road, which seemed to be her companion's wish, she knew her promise would be up in smoke before the engine cooled.
"You can't tell Lilly." Candace didn't know who Lilly was, so it was an easy promise to make. "Or Anna or any of the other women out there."
As Candace nodded her head in agreement she let another button on her shirt loose and Miriam pulled over and turned off the engine. The sudden quiet caused them both to pause.
"My husband's a good man," Miriam whispered, although whether to convince herself or Candace, she wasn't sure. "He can never know."
Candace threw her shirt onto the back seat and began reaching for the clasp to her bra. She was starting to dislike Miriam's husband, and if the other woman didn't start fucking her soon she was seriously thinking about finding him and kicking him in the nuts.
"Will you shut up and fuck me?"
Miriam pushed her back into the seat and reached for the lever that allowed them to recline fully. It was still cramped but the extra leg room provided enough space to get creative. Candace's bra joined her shirt on the back seat and Miriam took advantage of the moment to lean forward and suck a rosy nipple into her mouth. The puckered flesh soon rose to full attention under her expert manipulation, a grunt of pleasure signalling Candace's encouragement.
She scraped her teeth across the hardened peak, the flesh slick with her saliva and slipping tantalisingly across her tongue. Miriam began to kneed the other breast, the nipple caught between her fingers, and squeezed until the point between pleasure and pain began to blur. She had always been a breast woman, and her young hitchhiker's generous offering was proving hard to leave, despite the writhing entreaties for attention to be focused elsewhere.
Taking Miriam's hand, Candace forced it down the front of her jeans, her need for attention overriding any sense of patience she might normally have had with the other woman's fixation on her breasts. She had been far too long without a lover to appreciate a slow seduction, especially one on the front seat of a Lincoln Continental.
"Fuck me," she pleaded.
Miriam's fingers pushed past the flimsy barrier of Candace's panties and were welcomed into her warm depths. The slick folds surrounded her digits and beckoned them forward until she was lost deep within Candace's core.
"Mhh, yeah, that's it."
Plunging deep, Miriam quickly withdrew, her fingers taking up a steady rhythm as she fucked Candace into incoherence. The younger woman was reduced to breathless whimpers as she rode the invading digits, her hands clasped desperately to the back of Miriam's head, urging her to continue the oral assault on her breasts. The speed with which she found herself on the edge of release astonished even her, the months of abstinence proving an aphrodisiac in their own right.
Her eyes squeezed shut, Candace began to rock harder and harder against the fingers within her depths, her breath coming out in gasps as Miriam increased the pace. Her head was thrown back as the orgasm hit, and she began to ride the wave of pleasure to its furthest shore.
As the sound of Candace's pleasure started to recede, the noise from the road outside began to intrude, and the two women suddenly became aware of an approaching vehicle. Looking into the rear view mirror, Miriam swore under her breath and quickly instructed her companion to retrieve her shirt before turning over the engine and rapidly pulling back out onto the road.
"That fucking bastard!" Miriam swore, her voice raised as she lowered the window and flipped the other driver the bird.
"I don't think he saw," Candace assured her, sticking her bra in her pocket and quickly re-buttoning her shirt.
"What?" The car swerved and a horn sounded close behind them. "That old coot couldn't see his dick if it was in front of him."
Candace was confused but her terror at Miriam's driving chased every question from her mind. She quietly cringed in the passenger's seat as they careened around a corner and increased speed. Several buildings came into sight at the end of the next bend and Candace could only pray that one of them was her new home. She didn't think she could withstand another minute of Miriam's driving without vomiting or losing the control of her bladder.
The second vehicle, a truck Candace finally realised, began to pull up alongside them, its bulk blocking out the light and bathing the car in a heavy plume of dust. Miriam leaned forward in her seat, as if urging the engine to go faster, the old Lincoln indulging her wish and slowly pulling away from the truck. As the nearest building came into sight, they both aimed for the entrance, the narrow width of the opening meaning that only one would be successful in its bid to gain entry.
"Hold onto somethin'," Miriam instructed, slamming her foot down heavily on the accelerator and swerving out in front of the truck, forcing the driver to attack his breaks or risk a pileup.
As the car came to a stop, haphazardly parked in front of the motel, Candace practically fell from her seat onto the hard concrete, the urge to escape propelling her to the other side of the car park before Miriam had even un-clicked her seat belt.
"Are you insane!"
Miriam smiled. "Don't sweat it, honey; you're in one piece."
Candace bit down on the urge to call Miriam all the names under the sun, suddenly reminded that the insane woman was her ticket to a new job and place to crash. She pushed her bra deeper into her pocket and prayed that she didn't look like a woman who'd just been fucked and fucked up by a passing lunatic.
"You said you could introduce me to the owner." She pointed toward the motel. "Or is there someone else you need to terrorise?"
Miriam laughed but, unlike before, the sound grated on Candace's nerves and made her anxious to get away from the other woman and into a steaming bath.
"Come on, I'll introduce you."
The motel's lobby was a throwback to the seventies, with loud prints and brown leather settees that had seen better days. The woman behind the counter seemed right at home in her environment; her curly brown hair hung loose and untamed down her back, a vacant smile on her face as she convened with an inner voice that was more than likely chemically induced. She was, Candace thought, an old hippie trapped in the curvaceous body of a much younger woman.
"Lilly?"
The woman's smile was instant but it was a second or two before she appeared to recognise her visitor.
"Mir, baby, where have you been?"
"Carlton." Cutting off any further questions, Miriam pointed over her shoulder at Candace. "I've found you a new night manager."
"Wow, that's great." Lilly turned to Candace, her smile growing wider as she took in the young woman's appeal, the obviousness of her appreciation bringing a blush to Candace's cheeks and a renewed warmth to her thighs. "Can you start tonight?"
Candace hadn't slept in over twenty hours but she wasn't about to decline. "Sure."
"Cool."
Lilly would have stood there grinning for an hour if Miriam hadn't prompted her to pass Candace her key and let the girl get settled in before her shift began. Although still smarting over her insane driving, Candace was thankful to the older woman for allowing her the opportunity to escape.
"Number four," Lilly explained, passing her a key. "If you're hungry the diner across the street is open and they do a pretty good meatloaf." Shuffling through a pile of notes on the counter, Lilly pulled out a ticket stub and handed it to Candace. "This entitles you to a free meal and choice of beverage."
Taking the ticket, Candace made her excuses and headed straight for her room. She knew that she should have asked Miriam if she wanted to join her, for the meal at least. She'd allow the woman to infer the rest, but she couldn't quite bring herself to court the woman's company. She knew she'd end up returning the little favour the older woman had bestowed on her back on the side of the road, but she was too pissed at her reckless attitude at that moment to want to fuck her senseless.
She opened the door to her room and was pleasantly surprised by the cleanliness and appeal of the interior. Whatever retro bug had infected the designer of the lobby, it had obviously cleared up by the time they got around to her room. The walls were a neutral shade, with a splash of colour introduced at strategic intervals from various water-colours depicting an array of natural beauty spots. The queensized bed was covered in a freshly laundered white bedspread, the pillows plump and inviting.
Throwing her bag on the small table, Candace flopped down onto the bed and allowed herself a moment or two to soak up the comfort and warmth before she reluctantly got back on her feet and headed for the door, the call for food only just winning out over the need for sleep.
Crossing the road to the diner, Candace looked back to see Miriam regaling her new boss with some tale or other, and she could only hope it wasn't the one about them and the front seat on recline. Hippie or not, there was no telling how Lilly would react to the news that her new night manager had just opened her legs to the first woman to offer her a ride.
The bell over the door rang and several heads turned in Candace's direction as she made her way into the diner. The place was a lot bigger than she'd assumed from the outside and half a dozen customers were dotted around the room hunched over their food. Two waitresses rushed between tables, handing out dishes and clearing plates while avoiding the wandering hands and suggestive remarks of the men they served.
Candace sat at the counter, as far away from the other customers as she could manage, although not far enough to avoid their wanton stares.
"What'll it be?"
The waitress looked cross, as if Candace were responsible for the bad day she'd been having, or perhaps the thousands of bad days she'd had before that. She hoped it wasn't a prerequisite for working in the service industry because she hated the idea of her own face taking on such a sour expression after a month or two of working at the motel.
"Meatloaf?"
Without a menu it was the only dish that Candace felt certain they served and at that point she was well past caring what she ate.
"You don't want the meatloaf," a second voice disagreed. "It's drier than a camel's hump."
Candace turned to the woman, a smile working its way onto her lips as her eyes took in the short blonde hair, big blue eyes and curves in all the right places. She hoped to God the woman wasn't just passing through and she'd get the chance to see if that glint of metal she'd notice really was a tongue piercing.
"Hurumph." The waitress turned and abandoned her latest customer in favour of one of the regulars who was calling for more pie.
"Sorry about Stella; she's what we like to call 'personality challenged'." The woman passed over a menu. "Are you from the motel?"
"How did you...?"
The blonde smiled. "If you're not a regular the chances are you're staying over at the motel." Her eyes drifted down the front of Candace's shirt, stopping at the obviously bra-less chest. "You a working girl?"
"I'm the new night manager," Candace replied.
"Oh." The blonde's smile grew. "I'm Anna. I run this place, or at least I try."
"Candace."
"Nice to meet you, Candy."
Candace gritted her teeth and tried to pretend she didn't hate that particular nickname with a passion.
"You don't like that, huh?"
"It's...No."
"Okay then, Candace it is." Anna dipped her head in apology. "I have the same reaction every time someone calls me Annabelle. It's like being eight all over again and getting a lecture from my mama about being more ladylike."
"For me it was the lollipop jokes that did it." At Anna's blank look she elaborated. "You know, candy, sweets, lollipops? Are you cherry flavoured? Can I suck you and see? I just wanna lick myself a big old lollipop."
Anna smirked. "Stop, you're making me hungry."
Candace lifted the menu. "Speaking of hungry, could I have a meatball sub with fries?"
"Not the chef's best but not bad either."
Anna filled the water glass before heading back into the kitchen to instruct the chef, the sway of her hips fully enjoyed by a number of the patrons, Candace among them. The clientele might have left a lot to be desired, but Candace was starting to think that the fringe benefits were well worth running the gauntlet of slobbish men and grim waitresses.
Minutes later her original waitress returned carrying a steaming plate of food and an offhand comment about the owner being called away. Candace tried not to be disappointed, but at the same time she made sure not to linger over her food, as delicious as it turned out to be, and quickly returned to the motel and her waiting bed.
Miriam waited until she saw Candace enter the diner before she spilt the beans, or at least tried to. Lilly wasn't always the most receptive listener, her head in the clouds more often than not.
"I picked her up on the side of the road," she confided. "From what I could tell she's running away from something."
"Abusive husband?"
"Abusive girlfriend, maybe, but I doubt there's a husband in the background."
"Oh." Lilly paused, her head titled to the side in thought. "Women are so much more violent these days."
"I didn't say that there was an ex-girlfriend." Miriam paused to wait for an enquiry into exactly how she knew the new arrival's gender of choice, but it was not forthcoming. With a sigh she gave up on subtlety and tried the direct approach. "I broke my promise to Stanley."
Lilly began leafing through the booklets on the counter, carefully reading the faded blurbs extolling the virtues of each and every local attraction. It was a small collection and hadn't been updated for years, but the allure of the printed words and accompanying pictures always seemed much more of an adventure than speaking with Miriam and listening to her endless tales of marital woes. "Which promise?"
Miriam's voice lowered. "The 'no women' promise."
Leaning forward, a gleam of feigned interest in her clouded eyes, Lilly looked around to make sure they were alone. "Was it Patrice?"
"No." Patrice had hardly talked to Miriam since Stanley threatened to staple her legs together after he caught them fucking in the upstairs bathroom. "Candace."
"Who?"
Miriam sighed. She knew she should have gone across the road and dished the dirt with the girls at the diner. "Your new night manager."
"Wow, she's a looker." Lilly peered across at the diner. "I wish I was a lesbian."
"Listen, honey, you don't have to be a lesbian to enjoy a little fun between the sheets with someone as fine as that." Miriam had never once considered herself gay. She had a husband and daughter, after all, but that didn't mean she couldn't enjoy the company of women. They were so beautiful and soft to the touch that she couldn't help indulging her desires when the opportunity presented itself. It didn't change anything; she always returned to Stanley and the normality of their life together. "Why don't you give it a try?"
Lilly leaned, casually, against the counter, her mind drifting to images of the women who had passed through her life and motel over the years. She'd had plenty of chances to indulge her fascination with the female of the species but, as much as she appreciated the physical beauty and soft voices of the women around her, she preferred the hard bodies and indifference of her male lovers. It was a curse, really, her reliance of men for sexual gratification, but she had learnt to accept her limitations with grace.
"I wonder if I should introduce her to Patrice?"
"Don't you dare." Miriam began to regret her indiscretion. "Patrice would eat the girl alive."
Lilly smiled at her sweetly. "Isn't that the point?"
"Don't be vulgar."
"I say it; you do it. Who is the true vulgarian?" Lilly twirled a lock of hair between her fingers, the air of otherworldliness vanishing in a flash of artful design.
Candace stretched and allowed herself a few minutes to contemplate her new surroundings. The bed was soft and enticing. The room comfortable and, although bland, better appointed that her previous, cockroach ridden, apartment. Her new job was a mystery, but her employer didn't have the look of a slave driver, so she was confident that it wouldn't be too harsh an ordeal. Even if it was there was, an open road and truck drivers aplenty only yards from her front door.
Her escape route already mapped out, Candace felt confident in her decision to stay and succumb to the lure of a regular income and place to live. In many ways it was something she hadn't experienced since she was a teenager, and the prospect filled her with an unusual sense of peace.
As she rolled over her body scraped against the sheets and her nipples tingled with a half forgotten dream and the memory of the day before. She couldn't quite recall the face of her dream lover but the memory of her encounter with Miriam was fresh and somewhat troubling. Not that she hadn't thoroughly enjoyed herself but she was unsure whether starting her new life by getting fucked by a married stranger in the front seat of a car was the right way to go about it. She had no doubt that Miriam would divulge the nature of their meeting to the first available pair of ears, jealous husband or not, and that meant more curious looks and heightened expectations of debauchery. She was quite willing to satisfy the second, given half a chance and a suitably alluring partner or three, but she'd had her fill of gossip for one lifetime.
She rose and padded towards the bathroom, goose bumps chasing across her exposed skin as the evening air cooled her heated flesh. She would deal with the gossip when it arose, but until then she would enjoy the novelty of her new surroundings and, if she was lucky, the company of the delicious looking blonde across the road. It was always good to have goals in life, and getting to know the diner's owner on a more personal basis seemed to Candace like a pretty good objective.
Her shower completed and the least creased and worn of her clothes adorned, Candace made her way towards the motel's lobby. Lilly's befuddled smile greeted her arrival and she was soon being shown into the manager's room, a small cubby-hole behind the counter that was filled with a leather easy chair, similar to the brown monstrosity that dominated the lobby, and a large flat screen television that was currently showing an old episode of Friends, the sound mute.
"It's usually pretty quiet after the girls have finished for the evening," Lilly explained. "So I usually curl up and watch a good film or something."
"The girls?"
"Jennifer, Christie, Mandy and a few others." She waved her hand vaguely, as if the names were unimportant and their identity obvious. "You charge them for the full hour, no matter what, so don't go listening to Mandy; she's always trying to save a few bucks and screw me out of my profits." She smiled as if wrangling over the rates was the best fun she'd had in days. "The only exception is if they ask for a full nighter, in which case you charge them the four star rate." She pointed towards the laminated price list on the wall behind the counter. "And make sure their johns overhears the amount."
"Their johns?"
"Yes." The vague air of confusion settled around Lilly's shoulders once again. "I think that's the term. At least that's what Jennifer calls them, although Christie tends to refer to them as her investors."
"Investors?" Candace had never met a prostitute, but from the sounds of things she was about to have that little oversight corrected. "Is this a brothel?"
Lilly blinked, as if shocked. "It's a motel."
"Oh."
Candace wasn't sure if working in a makeshift brothel, however well disguised, was a plus or minus on her list of reasons to stay. The novelty of the situation was definitely appealing but she supposed the possibility of getting mixed up with unlawful events should be looked at with some dread, especially if it brought to light some of her youthful misdeeds.
"Jack and Tennison will be in at seven to clean the room, and I'll relieve you at eight." Lilly handed over a large set of keys. "We've two regular guests at the moment, in numbers seven and twenty-six, a young couple and an older man." She pulled a face. "The wife wears fur and said some awful things about the girls."
"Are they staying long?"
"Until the end of the week."
Lilly fussed about the counter for a few minutes before waving farewell and leaving Candace to her own devices.
The gaggle of voices broke Candace out of her boredom-induced trance, and she looked up to see a couple of women, arms linked, striding into the lobby, a mismatched pair of men following in their wake.
"Good evening," Candace called pleasantly, unsure if these were the infamous 'girls' or regular patrons back from an evening of frivolity.
"No Lilly tonight?" asked the redhead, a look of suspicion on her face.
"Not tonight." Candace debated whether or not a handshake would be in order but her prostitute etiquette was a little lacking. "I'm the new night manager, Candace, can I help you?"
"I'm sure you can, sugar," said the second woman, her beige curls contrasting dramatically with her dark skin and flashing blue eyes. She was the kind of woman who made you look twice and then once again for the sheer unadulterated pleasure of it. "I'm Christie."
The redhead, older and taller than her companion, was far less striking to the eye but she gave off a certain air of intimidation that was guaranteed to make her the centre of attention in any room.
"Jennifer." She placed two crumbled bills on the counter. "A room facing the parking lot."
Candace took the money and dished out the key, unsure whether or not she was meant to have the guests sign in. From the way Jennifer snatched the key and walked away, dragging her unprotesting john behind her, she guessed not.
"Me too, sweets," Christie called, blowing a kiss at her embarrassed date.
Candace handed over the second key and watched as the temporary couple made their way towards their waiting room. Exactly what they planned to do in that room provided Candace with a moment or two of lascivious speculation, but the mating dance of straight couples had never been able to hold her attention for long, a fact she blamed on having to listen to her school friends go on and on about the boys they dated until her eyes began to blur and she was left praying for a little excitement of her own to impart.
Twenty minutes later both women had already left, along with their dates, and Candace was once again alone and bored. There was nothing of interest on the television, and Lilly's choice of books left a lot to be desired. She was tempted to wander off and explore, but she had no doubt that Jennifer and her friends would be back, and she didn't want to miss them.
"A key." The voice broke Candace out of her stupor and she looked up to see a small woman with a pockmarked face glaring at her. The man standing to her rear was young, barely out of his twenties, and brazenly appraising both women before him as if he'd been shown a buffet table and had just to pick and choose his delights. "Come on," the woman growled, tapping her fingers agitatedly on the counter top.
Candace passed over the key in exchange for the hourly fee and watched as they, too, made a hasty retreat, the young man casting a last, lingering look in her direction as he passed out of sight. The thoughts running through his mind were easy to read and easier to dismiss. Ten minutes later she spotted the young man leaving, quickly followed by the return of the young woman to the lobby.
"There weren't any towels in my room," she accused.
"I'm sorry. I'll make sure that doesn't happen again."
"I paid good money for that room," the woman continued, her voice raised in annoyance. "I want my money back."
"And I want a date with Jodie Foster," Candace dismissed. "Life is full of disappointments."
"Bitch! Don't make fun of me."
The retort died on Candace's lips as the little woman turned on her heels and stormed from the motel. Her show of pique brought a smile to Candace's face and proved the highlight of her first night as a motel manager.
"Hello," a young man called, the morning light streaming into the lobby and signalling the end of Candace's first day. "I'm Jack."
The name rang a bell but Candace couldn't quite place the reference. "Do you need a room?"
"No I need a mop and duster," he said around a smile. "I help clean for Lilly."
Candace introduced herself for what felt like the hundredth time since she'd arrived at the motel. "Weren't there supposed to be two of you?"
"There's only one Jack," he said, the smile on his face taking on a look of permanence. "Tennison is always late."
"Fucking snitch," a young woman spat, coming up behind him and dropping her bag on the counter. "Are you the new manager?"
"Candace," she supplied, again.
The younger woman gave her a thorough once over, her eyes lingering on areas Jack's much quicker perusal had studiously ignored. It made Candace feel rather uncomfortable, but she quickly pushed the feeling aside as she listened to Jack describing their normal rounds.
"We have to finish by eight so we can get to school," Tennison explained. "We're both seniors."
The two eventually left to attend to the cleaning, Tennison's eyes lingering in a manner similar to the young john from earlier in the evening. The blatant display was obviously meant to intrigue but it just left Candace feeling relieved at her departure. She might have indulged in some rather dubious activities with Mrs. Thomas when she was seventeen, but there was no way she planned on repeating the scenario from the other side of the generation gap.
Ten minutes later Lilly arrived and relieved Candace of her responsibilities, casually mentioning the identity of Tennison's mother.
"She's Miriam's daughter?"
"Uh huh." Lilly flipped through the books and quickly summed up the night's takings. "A chip off the old block."
Candace felt uncomfortable, worried that the gossip about her encounter with Tennison's mother would spread and cause problems for her at work. She had no doubt, even from such a short introduction, that Tennison was fully capable of stirring trouble and extracting revenge for any perceived slight. Bidding farewell, Candace made her way back to her room and, she hoped, an uninterrupted sleep.
Turning the corner, key in hand, Candace spotted Tennison leaning against her door. The younger girl had abandoned her cleaning supplies and, from what she could remember, loosened a button or two on her blouse. The black skirt she wore had already been short enough to raise eyebrows, and the pose she had taken up exposed her long legs to their best advantage.
"I can clean my own room," Candace told her.
"Good." Tennison leaned closer, her pose reminiscent of movie seductresses the world over. "I just wanted to say hi."
"I thought we did that already."
Candace pushed past the teenager and inserted her key, the door opening with a groan of protest that matched Candace's own when Tennison moved to block her path.
"Are you going to invite me in?"
"No." Candace pushed her to one side. "Shouldn't you be working?"
"Jack's taking care of it." She pushed her chest forward but the small cups failed to produce the desired effect. "I don't have to be in school for an hour."
"Lucky you. I have to be in bed in twenty seconds or I'll collapse where I stand."
Tennison smiled and Candace realised she'd said the wrong thing.
"Do you want some company?"
"No."
"Are you sure?"
As forthright as she'd been as a teen, Candace didn't think she'd ever had the nerve to be so brazen. In all her dealings with older women, it had been they who'd instigated the encounters, and even they had never been quite this obvious.
"Get back to work, Tennison."
Anna pushed through the entrance to the motel and grinned over at Lilly. She had hoped to catch sight of the new arrival, but she curbed her disappointment as she approached the counter. It was an irrational desire, really, to seek out the dark-haired woman and engage her in conversation. The hoped for conclusion, she acknowledged, was to lure the other woman to her bed, be it right then or some time in the near future, and ravish her senseless.
"What are you smiling about?" Lilly asked.
With a shrug Anna brushed off the question and lifted herself up onto the counter, her legs dangling over the edge in a childlike manner that prompted a smile from her friend.
"Where did you find the new girl?" Anna asked.
"She hitched a ride with Miriam." Lilly debated passing on the little titbit of information Miriam had so happily supplied about the extent of their brief acquaintance, but she decided to save that juicy morsel for another time. "I only saw her for a few minutes but she seems nice enough."
"Yeah." Anna paused. "Did she mention anything about a boyfriend or anything?"
"No, not that I remember, and according to Mir, she plays for your team rather than mine."
"Hell, Lilly, I'm not sure what team you play for, but I'd love to be in the showers after the game." Her smile faded. "How does Miriam know, anyway?"
Lilly shrugged. She'd really wanted to hold onto that little bit of information, but sometimes circumstances seemed to go against her.
"Apparently they got naked on the way over here."
"She slept with her?" Anna's tone conveyed all the dismay and disappointment she felt. "I thought she'd sworn off women?"
"You've seen Candace; would you say no?"
Anna thought it was an unfair question. She didn't have a husband, daughter and ex-lover to consider, so of course she'd make the most of any opportunity that presented itself. Or at least she would have, before she'd heard about Miriam, but the thought of sharing a piece of ass with the older woman was extremely distasteful.
"I would have hoped Candace had more taste."
"Don't start." Lilly shooed her off the counter. "That business with you and Miriam was years ago and it's high time you let it drop."
"Let it drop?" She could feel her blood pressure rising. "You try walking in on your girlfriend and your best friend each being shagged by some old tart and see how you like it."
"Tsst, Karen wasn't right for you and you know it, and as for Michelle, you two patched things up, so what's the problem? Holding grudges is bad for your karma."
Anna started to head for the door before she did or said something that would screw up her karma for ever. No one seemed to understand what if felt like to be betrayed like that and, although it wasn't all Miriam's fault, she couldn't bring herself to forgive or forget. They'd made her feel inadequate and stupid and that wasn't something you could just get over.
"I'd best get back before Stella burns the place to the ground. Are we still on for poker tonight?"
"Sure thing; see y'later."
Miriam was bored. She'd hoped to catch the new girl before she finished her shift, but just as she was about to make her entrance Tennison had shown up and put pay to that idea. She didn't mind the whole town finding out about her little indiscretion but she wasn't about to flaunt the knowledge in front of her little princess. There were just some things children did not need to know about their parents and, she supposed, the idea of two women engaged in more pleasurable pursuits would no doubt shock her little girl.
The months of being without female companionship had taken their toll on Miriam's libido and the sudden reawakening of her desires the day before had left her feeling incredibly turned on. She had managed to stave off the worst of the cravings by surprising Stanley with a bottle of Champagne and chocolate body paint the night before, but it had come nowhere near to extinguishing the flames of her lust.
Luckily for her she lived in a town overflowing with lesbians, bisexuals and just plain old horny women, and finding a playmate or two had never been a problem. All she needed to do was consider her options and pick the lucky lady who would help her work off some steam.
Until the incident with Stanley she could have relied on Patrice to be there for her in an emergency. The two of them had been fuck buddies for years, in between Patrice's bouts of happily ever after with whatever bimbo she'd picked up at the local deli, but there was little chance that she'd be willing to forget their latest misunderstanding and go for a drive.
Anna was out. The woman loathed her with a passion, which Miriam always thought a particular shame, as she'd have given a kidney for the chance of getting into the blonde's panties. From what Karen had divulged during their short fling, sex with Anna had always been both inventive and memorable, twin concepts that Miriam highly valued in a sex partner. She'd never quite understood why, if Anna was so hot in the sack, Karen had ventured elsewhere, but she never let it worry her to the extent of actually questioning the woman.
Michelle was another casualty of that particular fling, which left Emily, the local mechanic turned stud, who had never been known to turn away a woman in need. A fact Miriam had capitalised on frequently before her promise to Stanley. But now that particular promise was a thing of the past, she didn't see any reason not to revive that acquaintance. Heading over to the garage, Miriam began practising her pickup line, the words themselves unimportant but the tone and suggestion vital in guaranteeing Emily's undivided attention and immediate attempt at satisfaction. She parked her car and headed into the pit, the smell of the grease tickling her nose and reminding her that she'd need to stop off at the dry-cleaners on the way home.
"Emily?"
The main body of the garage was empty with several cars left, half finished, up on blocks and leaking oil, almost as if Emily had been called away suddenly. Moving about the garage, Miriam headed for the back office, where she knew Emily sometimes retreated for a quick smoke. It was a disgusting habit, but she couldn't deny the sensual pleasure she had always derived from watching Emily indulge her addiction.
"Emi. . . ."
The name died on Miriam's lips as she opened the door and saw exactly why the mechanic hadn't been answering her calls. Stretched out on the desk, her bottom in the air, Patrice squealed in delight as Emily thrust into her with the large dildo. Neither woman appeared to have noticed Miriam's intrusion as Emily continued to pump away with the strap-on, her skin slapping against the caramel coloured flesh of Patrice's arse with every thrust.
Miriam felt sick and turned on at the same time.
"What the fuck are you doing!" she demanded.
The two women scrambled to their feet, the fully erect dildo incongruous against their feigned looks of innocence. Grabbing their clothes, both women seemed to reconsider at the same moment and turning, they confronted their intruder.
"Miriam? What the heck are you doing here?"
Miriam had always found Patrice's reluctance to swear rather endearing, but after witnessing her being fucked so magnificently only moments before, it now seemed the height of hypocrisy.
"What am I doing? What are you doing is the question."
Emily threw her shirt to one side, her near nakedness no longer an issue, as she rounded on Miriam.
"This is my place. Mine. And if you don't like that you can get the fuck out of here." She took a step closer. An imposing figure at the best of times, she was positively scary as she towered over Miriam, her cheeks flushed with anger and her hands balled into fists. "And what I do in my place is none of your goddamn business."
At nearly six feet tall Emily had a tendency to intimidate other women, her close cropped brown hair and narrow features adding to her sense of menace, but it wasn't until that exact moment that Miriam began to understand why others found her frightening. She might have been nearly ten years the woman's senior but she suddenly felt like a recalcitrant child, albeit a very aroused one.
"I'm sorry," she mumbled, addressing her remark to Emily, and totally ignoring Patrice's smirk of triumph. "I should have. . . I'll leave."
She waited a moment, hoping one or both of them would beg her to stay and join in the fun, but when neither spoke she quickly left the garage and climbed into her car. Her options for a morning of sex without consequences had just been reduced by two, but the need for release had increased dramatically. She wondered if it was too early to pay Candace a visit.
Anna watched as Stanley consumed one piece of bacon after another in rapid fire succession, the bacon fat sticking to his chin and leaving her feeling a little queasy. She hadn't seen him eat like that in months, not since the infamous Patrice incident, when he'd practically drowned himself in greasy food and fizzy drinks.
"Hey, Stan, how you doing?"
He looked up from his meal, a rather sheepish expression on his face that quickly turned to sorrow as his eyes met Anna's.
"I think she's cheating again," he said, with no attempt at discretion. "She came home last night and practically tore my clothes off."
Anna tried not to let the image linger. Stanley might have been good looking for a man of his age but the thought of him and Miriam engaging in anything more intimate than Scrabble was almost inconceivable. She wasn't sure if that was because of everything she knew about Miriam's taste in women or the sweet yet slightly befuddled look that Stanley always seemed to adopt every time his wife came near.
"I know it's been a while since I've had a girlfriend, but I would have thought that's a good thing."
He shook his head. "Someone got her all hot and bothered and it wasn't me."
Everyone in town knew about Miriam's indiscretions. The woman would plead with her lover one minute to keep things quiet, and the next she'd be telling all and sundry about her exploits between the sheets. She'd only managed to keep her relationship with Patrice a secret from her husband for so long because he'd assumed she was still mooning over Anna's ex.
"Maybe she'd been watching a porno?"
The thought didn't appease him. "I bet it was a lesbian porno."
"What does that matter?" Despite the ample reasons his wife had provided, Anna knew that Stanley wasn't the least bit prejudiced when it came to gays and lesbians. It was one of the reasons she'd always liked the guy and resented Miriam's treatment of him. "I bet you've watched one or two in your time."
He didn't answer.
"Hell, in college I watched this cheap Scandinavian flick about these two guys who liked to dress up as super heroes and screw cheerleaders."
"Yeah but I bet you weren't looking at the men and wishing they'd do that to you."
"Men in red spandex really don't do it for me," she joked.
"That's the point. Watching two women does do it for Mir and I'm starting to think that maybe it's only women who do." He reached for another piece of bacon, only to have Anna slap his hand away. "I won't say that I ever got over her cheating on me, but at least I used to think she was just as attracted to me as she was to the women in her life. Now I'm not so sure."
"Why, what's happened?"
He shrugged. "I dunno; when we're in bed together it's almost as if I'm just there as a prop, a handy bit of equipment she can take out to play with while she's imagining someone else."
Anna wanted to offer him some words of comfort, but she doubted he was wrong in his assessment. Stanley was a nice guy, and there were plenty of women who would have jumped at the chance of taking him to their bed. His easy manner and square-jawed look of rugged reliance had caused many a second look from her female patrons and occasionally the male but he'd never once returned any of those friendly flirtations. It was just a shame that of all the men out there, he had to be the one stuck with Miriam and her wandering libido.
"Have you never been attracted to anyone else?"
"Of course, I'm not blind. There are plenty of attractive women out there or in here, come to that." He smiled at Anna in a way that made her feel attractive without the accompanying sense of lechery that she received from most of the diner's patrons. "But I'm married and my vows mean something to me."
If he'd been a little younger, a lot femaler and not sporting a five o'clock shadow, Anna thought, she might have run away with him herself.
"You could be wrong about Miriam. Maybe it wasn't another woman or a bad lesbian porno; maybe she was just horny." She held up a hand to forestall his protests. "She's at that age, you know, where women start to do battle with their hormones. My aunt Frida said she turned into a raving nymphomaniac the second she turned forty-one, so maybe you should just lay back and enjoy the ride."
The idea of a menopausal sex maniac living in his house seemed to lift Stanley's spirits, and he pushed his plate to the centre of the counter and, laying a generous tip on the side, he bid Anna goodbye and went in search of his good lady wife in the hopes of finding her before some bright spark recommended she try HRT or something.
Anna felt a little guilty for raising his hopes but it was better than watching him eat his way into an early grave. And, with luck, he'd meet someone decent one of these days and realise that putting up with Miriam's shit wasn't worth the aggravation.
Candace felt groggy. Unaccustomed as she was to sleeping during the day, she'd barely managed a few hours before she'd woken in search of breakfast. Her first instinct had been to head to the diner and indulge in a little people watching with her pancakes but a quick look in her wallet had dissuaded her of that idea. She was no stranger to economising, but since the fire her savings had been rapidly eaten away and she was left counting every penny. The job at the motel might have been a life saver as far as providing a roof over her head, but she still had to wait another six days before she got paid.
Pulling on her jeans and the shirt she'd worn the day before, Candace added detergent to the list of items on her wish list. She wasn't certain, having never even stayed in a motel before, but she supposed they'd need to launder the sheets and pillowcases somehow, which meant they just might have cleaning supplies on site. In that case she could simply borrow a few necessities until pay day and no one would be any the wiser.
Heading towards the lobby, Candace peered down the hallways, looking for any sign of a laundry or supply closet.
"You're up early," Lilly called, the second she rounded the corning into the lobby. "Trouble sleeping?"
"A little."
"It'll pass," Lilly assured her. "Then before you know it you'll be wondering how you ever managed to sleep at night with all the quiet."
Candace doubted that but she wasn't about to contradict her boss on the second day. "I hope so."
The lobby was as empty as it had been the day before and Candace began to wonder how the place stayed in business. The 'girls' brought in a little ready cash but hardly enough to keep a place like the motel open all year round. The thought of finding a job, only to have it snatched away again when the motel went bankrupt, was enough to make her reconsider her decision to stay.
"Is it always this quiet?"
"Lovely, isn't it?" Lilly appeared oblivious to the concern in her voice as she leafed through the phone book, scribbling down numbers and chewing thoughtfully on the end of her pencil. "It's bedlam during the conventions, of course, but that's the price you have to pay for solvency."
Candace's mind fixated on the word solvency, a smile lighting up her face. "Conventions?"
"Hmm? Oh, yes, all sorts: insurance, pharmaceutical, plastics. You name it, we've had it." She put down the phone book and took her first good look at Candace. "There's a big convention centre over in Carlton, but the town planning regulations means they haven't been able to build enough hotels and the like to accommodate all the guests. So the overflow ends up here or at the Pine Retreat on the other side of the Carlton."
Candace had passed through Carlton just before hooking up with Miriam and could vaguely recall seeing a few large, stadium like buildings ringing the outskirts of the main thoroughfare. They'd looked deserted, at least in retrospect, so she hadn't given them much thought.
"When's the next convention?"
"Next Tuesday." She pointed to a calendar on the back wall. "Blues are for conventions, pinks for retreat and yellow for local events, not that we've had many of them lately, but you can't stop a girl from hoping."
"What's -"
"Can you play poker?" Lilly cut in.
"Sure." Candace didn't think it germane to mention the four months she spent working in Reno before her then girlfriend ran out with her savings and favourite suede jacket. "My aunt taught me."
"We've a game tonight, if you're interested."
"I'm a little -"
"It'll give you a good chance to meet the girls," Lilly cut in, once again, somewhat oblivious to Candace's half formed sentence. "Not the 'girls' girls, just the girls."
Candace had no idea what she was talking about.
"Anna and Miriam you've already met. Then there's Michelle, Patrice, Susan and Emily."
A little tingle worked itself up Candace's spine at the mention of Anna and, she was loathe to admit, Miriam. One held the promise of the unknown, wrapped in a gorgeously fit blonde body, and the other the certainty of a lot of fun between the sheets. Together they'd make the perfect date but even separately they were something to be admired and flirted with. There was only one problem.
"I'm a little short on cash, this week. Maybe next time?"
Lilly waved her hands in a shooing movement. "We only play for chips and bragging rights, so it won't cost you a nickel."
"I guess."
Moving out from behind the counter, Lilly brought out a large roll of bills from her skirt pocket, carefully peeling off a few and handing them to Candace.
"An advance." Looking down at Candace's worn clothing she quickly peeled off another bill. "You'll be needing a few things. Miriam told me you lost most of your belongings in a fire?"
"Yeah."
"Well, that should be enough to afford you a change of clothes and some essentials."
Candace gaped at the change that had come over her employer. Gone was the dithering woman lost behind a fog of chemicals and in her place a determined humanitarian, a hippie with a spine of steel.
"Thank you."
"Don't worry, child, you'll earn every penny." Lilly smiled, the steel slipping from her spine. "Come convention day."
Stuffing the money into her pocket, Candace decided to pay a quick visit to the diner before she began her search for somewhere cheap to buy a few groceries. Her knowledge of the surrounding area was limited to Anna's place and the road from Carlton, and neither would be of much help in providing her with clean underwear and toothpaste.
"So, poker tonight?"
A room full of women and at least half of them dykes. "I'd love to."
Poker nights at the motel had been a regular occurrence for years, and despite catfights, infidelities and enough one night stands to fill a confessional, the same group of women attended week after week. Gay, straight and somewhere in between, for one night a week they got to bitch about their partners and speculate on the availability of strangers and newcomers alike. It was the last part of the weekly ritual that was causing a few dirty looks to be thrown in Lilly's direction. The news of Candace's arrival, not to mention her encounter with Miriam, had spread through the community like wildfire, and each of the women present had been eager to dissect the gossip and discover something juicy they could use in future, something they couldn't do with the object of their interest sitting opposite them at the table.
"You're not sleepy?" Emily asked, once the introductions had been made.
Candace shrugged. "A little but Lilly said it was best to brazen through the first couple of nights and force my body to get used to sleeping during the day."
Lilly winced as someone kicked her on the shin but otherwise her smile stayed in place.
"Nice top," Miriam added, taking the opportunity to stare closely at the deep V-neck that plunged dramatically into Candace's cleavage. The deep burgundy colour brought out the tinge of pink in her complexion and made her black hair shine in reflection. "Is it new?"
"I bought it this afternoon."
Candace looked over at Anna. After a fruitless search for the other woman at the diner, she'd walked to the local shopping district and indulged her passions another way, by shopping. Her meagre budget had meant she'd been forced to search out bargain after bargain, but the hunt had proven a joy in itself and she'd come away, arms laden, and with enough change in her purse to last until pay day.
"It emphasises your breasts."
Candace turned to face Susan, an older woman who had been introduced as the town's librarian, yet displayed none of the buttoned up severity that she associated with the type of ageing spinster who roamed the shelves of libraries everywhere. The woman had the look of a young Jane Fonda, her short hair styled in a manner that was both practical and becoming, the highlights nestled amidst the natural brown and giving her a sun kissed look.
"Good," she said. "It's meant to."
Susan threw her head back and laughed, delighted with the other woman's candour.
"She's just jealous," Miriam chimed in. "Because no one's notice her boobs since Reagan was in power."
"Alas, she's right," Susan lamented, her tone just as playful as Miriam's. "My pinup days are behind me."
"I doubt that."
The rest of the women laughed as Candace's eyes dipped to survey the area in question, her cheeks turning bright pink once she realised the location of her gaze. Not that she thought Susan would mind. On the contrary, the lovely librarian seemed quite flattered at the attention, but it was still rather embarrassing to have the two women you were attempting to lure into your bed catch you ogling a third.
Lilly took up the cards and started dealing, while Patrice began rooting around in a cupboard for the plastic chips, her swaying behind earning a wolf whistle from Anna and twin looks of lust from Emily and Miriam. The latter's interest left Candace confused and eager to determine the couples from the singles in their little get together.
"Is there a history of . . ." As her voice trailed off she realised she'd never actually asked the name of the town. The motel, she knew, was named "the motel" for some minimalist reason that Lilly had explained but she'd failed to register. The town's identity, on the other hand, was a mystery. "The local's dating habits?"
Michelle, who until then had been relatively silent, quickly interpreted for the newcomer. "She means who's been fucking who?"
"Really, Michelle, is there any call for that kind of language?" Susan questioned.
"So common," Anna drawled, her smile quickly transforming into a smirk.
Michelle poked out her tongue.
Ignoring them, Lilly decided to answer the question at hand, starting with the women at the table. "Emily and Patrice are fucking." The librarian sighed. "Sorry, Susan, screwing?" Lilly ventured, only to be met with frowns all around. "Fucking it is then. Miriam and Patrice used to fuck, in between lovers and husbands."
"Only one husband," Miriam quickly added.
"Michelle and Anna are best friends and say they've never fucked, although why they wouldn't is a mystery to me as they're both quite lovely."
Michelle batted her eyelashes and blew kisses at her friend, while Anna merely rolled her eyes and signalled Lilly to get on with it.
"Michelle and Miriam had this strange three-way thing with Anna's ex, Karen, but we don't talk about that."
"You just did," Anna pointed out.
"Then there's Emily and Miriam, but that was never serious, and Susan and Miriam, but that was years ago." Lilly stopped, a smile on her lips. "Actually, I think Miriam's fucked everybody at this table with the exception of me and Anna." She looked pointedly at Candace but refrained from mentioning her by name. "Whereas Emily's had everyone barring you, me and Susan."
Emily turned a wistful eye on Susan. "Why did you have to settle down so young?"
Susan patted her knee but refused to comment.
"Susan lives with Frances and has done since Noah was a boy, and I'm pretty sure Anna and Michelle have both had a fling of their own with Patrice but I'm not certain." She looked to the two young women who both nodded reluctantly. "And that's the fucking history of Ellisville in a nutshell."
"Wow." Candace took in all the red faces. "I feel almost virginal."
The women burst into laughter, a few sheepish smiles passing between long ago lovers, before several pairs of eyes turned in Lilly's direction.
"I think you've forgotten someone in your summing up," Anna accused. "A certain curly haired hippie with open access to fifty odd beds and the fifth infantry."
Lilly appeared unperturbed. "I didn't think she was interested in the goings on of us mere heterosexuals, but in the spirit of disclosure I will admit to having tried every single one of those beds, at least twice, with different men."
Candace almost choked. "One hundred men?"
"Give or take." Lilly shrugged. "There is no sin in feeding the body the sensations it craves."
"Oh God, someone stop her before she starts going on and on about cycles and biorhythm." Michelle pleaded. "The last time I listened to that crap I ended up butt in the air being spanked by the woman who came to read my gas meter."
All eyes turned in her direction.
"What?"
Not a single hand of cards had been played but already Candace felt as if she knew more about the women seated around her than she should. Not that she minded, far from it, but it did make her wonder how long it would be until all her indiscretions were grist for the gossip mill. From Lilly's comment earlier she was pretty sure Miriam had already spilled the beans about their little tryst and there was no saying Anna or any of the others would be any more discreet.
As if she'd been reading her mind, Susan turned in Candace's direction, a saucy smile on her face.
"So, dear, what's your flavour?"
"Pardon?"
"Girls, boys, both?"
Candace refused to look in Miriam's direction. "Women."
"Any deranged or otherwise girlfriend in the background that we should know about?" Susan continued.
"No."
"Preferences?"
Candace was beginning to think Susan had missed her calling as a member of the Spanish Inquisition.
"How do you mean?"
"Butch, femme, top, bottom, older, younger, athletic, curvy, black, white, Latino, Asian, single, attached, one night stands or commitment?" The list rolled off Susan's tongue as if it was something she asked every day.
"I don't . . ." She looked around the room and saw representatives from a number of those categories seated around her, each one appealing in their own right. "It depends."
"Stop badgering her," Anna defended.
"I wasn't badgering. I was simply trying to do my bit for the dating pool." Susan's voice lowered and she beckoned Candace forward, as if that was somehow going to make her comments private. "Anna here is a little on the butch side but a pussycat underneath; whereas Michelle turns into a bit of a dominatrix when the lights go out."
"Hey!" Michelle whacked Anna on the arm, as if it was somehow her fault. "Assertive is not the same as being a dominatrix."
"There speaks the woman who spends her days wearing leather and twiddling with her handcuffs."
Candace's eyes widened.
"I'm a policewoman," Michelle clarified.
"Top," Patrice whispered.
"Whereas Patrice, over there, is a total bottom." Susan smiled. "They'd be the perfect couple if it wasn't for the colour factor."
"Colour factor?" Candace was getting confused.
"She has this theory," Michelle elaborated, pointing at Patrice. "That just because we're the only two women of colour in our little group, we're expected to pair off and go live in a ghetto somewhere."
"I never mentioned a ghetto."
"And that if we did hook up we'd only be perpetuating racial stereotypes."
"But... I thought the two of you . . ." Candace gestured vaguely.
"A brief indiscretion of youth." Michelle pouted and Patrice quickly clarified, "A lovely indiscretion, beautiful even, but not something we've repeated."
Miriam laid a hand on Candace's arm. "Don't try and figure it out; it'll just hurt your brain."
"I blame that sociology course she took at the Institute," Michelle continued. "Before that she was all over me like a rash."
"I was not."
"Couldn't get enough," Michelle whispered, a smile tingeing her voice.
Michelle and Patrice continued bickering good naturedly as everyone took up their cards and began playing. The momentary reprieve from questioning left Candace a little time to ponder exactly what her preferences were.
Her past lovers had never really fallen into a pattern; older, younger, the same age, it all depended on the woman, the same with race and other physical characteristics. She supposed, if she really thought about it, she preferred women who knew how to take charge, but she by no means considered herself a submissive. She just liked someone who knew what she was doing and wasn't afraid to go after exactly what she wanted.
"Your bet," Lilly advised, breaking into of her thoughts.
As the game continued the teasing remarks and friendly jibes took on a recognisable pattern and for the first time Candace began to see how the different relationships meshed. It was obvious, almost from the start, that Anna wasn't Miriam's biggest fan, but what also became apparent was the tension that existed between Miriam, Patrice and Emily. But whereas with Anna the motivation appeared to be simple dislike with the others it was something else entirely. From the way both Emily and Miriam had stared so openly at Patrice's backside earlier Candace had assumed it had been a simple case of rivalry but as the night wore on she detected something else, a kind of mutual interest, that encompassed all three, and Lilly's earlier comment about Miriam's threesome with Michelle made her wonder if that wasn't what was going through all their minds.
Lilly and Susan, probably because they were outside the current dating circle, seemed the most at ease with the group, openly laughing and flirting with all but meaning nothing beyond the joy of the moment and the blush on someone else's cheek.
As the night came to a close and Candace prepared to start her day's work, she reconsidered some of her earlier goals. The desire to sleep with Anna was still as strong as ever, even though the woman had given no indication of returning her interest, but she now found herself adding Michelle's name to the list of people of interest. Her ready laugh and flashing eyes had attracted Candace from the start, but seeing her deep in conversation with Anna, their heads close, blonde and black curls mixed together, their skins a contrast in forms of beauty that would look heavenly stretched out beneath her, had only intensified her attraction. She shook her head to dispel the image. Threesomes might work well in fantasy but she doubted they were ever as fulfilling in real life and, considering the close friendship of the women involved, it would probably end in tears. She would leave the threesomes to Miriam and settle for luring just one of the friends to her bed, at least for now.