Total Recall - Chapter 19
THIS LEADS TO AN ALTERNATIVE ENDING TO THAT YOU’LL FIND IN MY CHAPTER 18
Reprise from Chapter 17…. With apologies for the delay in releasing this follow-up chapter……
For those readers who missed the end of ch.17……or alternatively, who may have read the first “ending” in my ch.18……, This extract may help set the scene for what is to follow in the new chapter……… That will be a chapter with a difference….. (explanation later)….. It IS a chapter with an interactive element…. Alternative endings you might say……
The scene is the hair and beauty salon in the deepest, darkest corner of Cornwall, England. Jenny is the central character, hairdresser to Karen, sometime Andy, who share a deepening love. Jenny and Karen are running up to a weekend when some critical decisions are to be made… by Andy……. His wife, Catherine, will soon return from a business trip — what will she find, and what will her feelings be, when she returns?!
Jenny’s Beautician has completed Karen’s evening make-up. Jenny has finished with another client and will soon create some magic in Karen’s hair that is just now tightly-wound on rollers.
“Oh! I do love my work!” Jenny said, out loud. Andy smiled, looking at himself, “Karen”, in the mirror before him.
“Your hair’s the perfect length for a style I’ve remembered from the Sixties…. It’s called “The Gypsy”…….You’ve probably never heard of it but it’s a stunner for girls with hair your length, and with the colour you’ve got in there, it will be superb!” Jenny rambled on, modestly.
“If I say so myself, I’m a bit of an expert where this is concerned…… You see, your hair’s just the right length on top, for the curls to be teased up and out to give height, and then the sides and back are shorter but they create a — and she whispered — “a ‘come and fuck me’ look” that demands your lover runs her hands through all your curls, ….and maybe tugs them a little to show who’s in charge… get me???”
“Oh yes indeed,…. YES please!” Karen breathed the right reply.
“I’ve booked us a dinner for tonight…… at a place on the quayside, it’s called Alba, in St.Ives.”
For those who don’t know Cornwall in England, St. Ives is a cool little town, much favoured by artists and others for the beauty if the light by which to paint. It’s also full of a group of quite hedonistic men and women who arrived in the 1960s and never left. A kind of Woodstock generation, living by the sea!
“I love St. Ives… I always feel at home when I’m there….” said Karen.
“Well, I’m gonna take you there ….dressed!... for the first time in your life!” laughed Jenny.
They paused while Jenny got on with styling Karen’s hair in this 1960s look — “the Gypsy”.
The curls created a style all of their own, without any intervention from Jenny. Karen adored to look just as it was. All springy. Jenny, however, knew better.
She began the careful and at times forceful back-combing of the curls on Karen’s crown. She then turned to the curls around the sides and back of Karen’s head, where Karen couldn’t see. Jenny swept the sides in an upward direction — just as the Gypsy look demanded. She stretched the curls around the nape of Karen’s neck. The job was done. Clouds of hairspray finished the job. This was a “set” SET!
Jenny smiled. She was delighted.
Karen was looking at Jenny more than herself. She was in love. For sure.
“We’re going home to get changed, then I’m taking you to a wonderful little place that does great food but also has jazz evenings to entertain couples like us…….. Does that sound like a good idea???” Jenny asked.
“Oh! YESSSSS, please!!” Karen replied………….. correctly!
“DINNER, JAZZ, SEX……. What more could a girl ask for!?” she went on, smiling seductively at Jenny in the mirror.
Andy was, however, soon overcome with other thoughts…….. As Karen, she faced a CONUNDRUM ..What was going to happen on SUNDAY????!!!! Andy knew he faced a choice…. To meet his wife as himself, as her husband, like before, or would he break the news with the surprise of his being Karen?
TOTAL RECALL
CHAPTER 19
(Reprised above, slightly adapted, but the scene is now set to continue……)
Jenny was thoughtful… She knew what the weekend would bring and she still had doubts that Andy would take the momentous step of disclosing his new identity to his wife….. She was at the same time hopeful but fearful. She was falling in love with this sensitive and girly man.
Did that mean she was bisexual….? Well of course she was… her love life previously reminded her of Dusty Springfield’s famous musing that she “could be moved by a woman equally as a man.” She adored the feel of a cock inside her…….. But, equally, she loved that ecstasy that a woman could drive her to, just by kissing her pussy.
“It’s very kind of you to take me out for dinner, honey” said Karen as they drove home.
“You can pay me back in all sorts of ways when we get home, my darling.” Jenny replied
“I can’t think what you mean!...” Karen answered in a way that could define the word coquettish! She was almost acting like a schoolgirl, despite her age and mature looks.
Jenny was 50-something and looked across at her lover. He didn’t look 60-anything, but rather the same age as herself, dressed as he was, with his make-up faultlessly and professionally applied, and his hair done as perfectly as only she knew how. Jenny thought again, “how lucky I am to have the two “you’s” that sit beside me…..”
Karen laughed out loud. Jenny had said the words she was thinking!
Jenny turned the car into the lane that led to her little cottage. Andy reflected …. Ten whole days which had quickly led to his dressing and taking the role of a female lover to this beautiful woman. Could this last? Could the fantasy go on???
After dressing, and fixing make-up and hair, the girls had a flirtatious hour before leaving for the restaurant. The Champagne needed to be chilled and the glasses too! Karen had little to do to make herself ready for the evening. Her make-up was perfect. Her hair was exquisite. She applied moisturizer to her hands and perfume to her neck and where her tits should be. She put on a fresh pair of stockings, luxuriating in the clinginess of the nylon against her ankles, calves and thighs. Fixing the stocking tops to the suspender belt always gave Karen a “zing!” to her heart-strings. She then slipped her feet into the court shoes with the 2” heels that Jenny had suggested she wear tonight. Lastly, she stepped into the stylish heavy silk dress that Jenny had laid out for her. A brilliant purple, with lashings of folds to accentuate her figure!
….Bring on the Dancing Girls! …... She was ready!!
Karen twirled in front of the bedroom mirror, full length across the bedroom. She was delighted with the swirl of the dress that Jenny had selected for her to wear on their night out a deux. Andy knew the restaurant that Jenny had chosen. Intimate, but buzzing with atmosphere. Just on the quayside…… where people in St Ives went to see and be seen! Karen knew she would be on display. Everything had to be right. No give-aways. Dress, make-up, hair, behaviour, actions,,, everything had to be so totally feminine…. This would be a challenge!.
“Get up and do me a twirly-shirl, so’s I can see how attractive you are!” No messing,
Jenny knew that Karen’s confidence would benefit from a boost.
“You’re gorgeous…” Jenny enthused. “I’ll be dining with the prettiest girl in town!”
Karen smiled and wiped away the last of her tears. “You’re very kind.”
“Let me dress for you now, while you lay back on the bed….. You can help me choose what to wear…..” Jenny glanced a sideways glance towards Karen….. Her therapy was working!
The alternative story pauses with Jenny and Karen preparing for the” dinner, “jazz and much more” evening..! You’ll notice that Christine has different feelings to those disclosed in ch.18!
Time to introduce Andy’s wife, Christine…………
Christine was the successful part of their marriage. Without the encumbrance of children, which she like Andy had wanted, but was unable to conceive, she had concentrated on her career as a top management consultant. Always second best to staying at home and making Andy’s babies, this was! They no longer talked about it, each sad that there had been a distance put between them.
She traveled, while he stayed at home. She earned salaries and bonuses while he made what he could in self-employment. She was beautiful, and spent a lot of money staying so. Nothing but the best for her in dresses, underwear, separates, cosmetics, hair care and the like. She’d have given all of that up for a home life and a family.
Her travels had increasingly taken her abroad, most recently to the U.S. where she had several high profile clients. Her firm was delighted with her results and rewarded her appropriately.
Her most private thoughts always transcended what the job required of her. This time, returning home, she might make things different — well, if Andy responded to her advances, she would!
Andy’s wife… Christine.
It was more than a week earlier that this whole saga had begun. With a parting. Andy had said farewell to his wife on the doorstep of their Cornish cottage. She had a long drive to London’s Heathrow airport where she would take a flight to the USA.
Christine waved goodbye to Andy and watched him in the car’s rear-view mirror as he disappeared into the house. She sighed, ……her work was taking her away from home more and more and she knew she and her husband were drifting apart. But her income was so important and her role so challenging, ever since Christine had thrown herself into management consulting, a business that she was good at.
The hysterectomy had been a turning point, she had kept up the pills for a while as the doctors and counsellors had made it clear that an early menopause could mean their sex life would suffer. But the hormones had messed her up, and Andy for some reason hadn't seemed very interested, so she just kept up the calcium for her bones and their sex life slowly drifted away. She was sad. He lacked confidence and she wanted just to be fucked.
Christine knew in her heart that Andy was getting his kicks some other way.
She could tell. Earlier in their relationship, he had started to try to pep up their love-making by buying sex toys and — a few times — by his wearing her underwear. It never got as far as wearing her outerwear, everything being confined to the bedroom. Dildos, light S&M, and dressing, seemed to give Andy a kick and he was able to sustain longer sessions in the sack. The dressing bit didn't do much for Christine, but he enjoyed it and she wanted to keep him happy. It helped that he was always willing to care for her pussy in very special ways. He had become an expert in bringing her to marvelous climaxes, time and time again. ….. like another girl might. He was confident in his ability to do that much! At least she loved that side of their sex life.
She loved him… really!
More recently, she was convinced Andy had a lover, but she never saw anything to suspect him and, whenever she had 'phoned when she was away, he was always there.
The answer came to her one weekend when she came home early, Andy was clearly flustered when she walked in and later she found signs of her wardrobe being messed up. Andy had acted really strangely when they went to bed that evening. He was evasive until she noticed that his legs and body were recently shaved and, “shock, horror!”, her husband had painted toenails!
They had shouted and rowed, and it came out that he dressed up in women's clothes, just on the occasions that Christine was away on business. “You’re telling me you’re not queer?!” jibed Christine. Why DID he let me find out that way???!! She thought, again!
Obviously deeply hurt, he countered “I get stir-crazy round the house on my own…. This working from home idea brings temptations…”, he had explained. Christine very much didn't understand but got some comfort from his promises that it was no more than just dressing up, no sex, and he did not fancy men. She believed that now…….
That had been her real concern. There are plenty of stories in the tabloid newspapers of men “living double lives”, “discovering their true sexuality” or “coming out of the closet” in later life. She didn’t much fancy that situation in her own relationship. So… he cross-dressed….. was it just as simple as that?
Now, driving to Heathrow to catch her flight to Washington, she regretted how she had reacted. It had all got out of hand…… After all, there WAS no other woman, There WAS a harmless explanation, there WAS no need to bring things to the state they had reached since.
Christine knew Andy would be spending the time she was in Washington dressed, they had reached a sort of understanding — she did not ask and he did not volunteer. But she had spent months being resentful and argumentative when they were together. It had ruined many of the brief moments they had together. She always regretted it when she left. Times like now.
Her work took her away a lot and it meant a lot to her, but not enough to risk her marriage….. after this trip, even if she could get her onto the Board if she could land the consulting contract she was going to Washington for, she would quit.
The deal was hers to win. Her mind moved on to work and she did not think any more until,
guiltily, she 'phoned home from the U.S.A, two days later, to talk to Andy, just to say all was well.
The trouble was, Andy wasn’t there…… (This was two days into his time with Jenny.)
By the time Christine phoned him, Andy was staying at Jenny’s house.
By the time she called, he was playing the part of Karen……
Christine cried herself to sleep in a lonely central Washington 44th-Floor apartment.
(Now, it’s time to get back to the lovers who are finishing getting ready for a night on the Town…)
Getting ready for dinner….
Jenny dressed while Karen laid on the bed, where she was nursing her feelings from the mirror. They had plenty of time…….. There was the Champagne to open and drink, there was the gift — of some delicious nightwear for Karen — and there was the short drive to St. Ives. All of which would take up the near- three hours’ interval they had.
Jenny prepared her face after washing thoroughly; with lots of moisturizer, bronzing and blusher. She used more than usual in mascara, eyeliner and lipstick…. This was an “evening out”, after all! So what if the look was a little tarty… it might make Karen feel more at ease if they were both “glammed up”….. They were not “out on the pull” trying to attract the other sex, but they might as well feel that they could!
She pulled up her waist cincher that gave her a nice curvy figure and slipped into her sexiest black, lacy bra and panties. Over the top, she chose to wear a classic “LBN” — the little back cocktail dress that left little to the imagination!
“You look stunning!” Karen murmured as Jenny finished her preparations by combing through her hair and back-brushing for volume and height.
“It’s all for you, my love!” purred Jenny in reply. “Come down stairs and close your eyes, because I have a surprise or two for you….”
She led Karen to the landing and down the steep stairs in the little house. She held Karen’s hand and didn’t release her when the pair reached the living room.
Jenny made a mental note…… Karen needed her fingernails doing before they left for the restaurant! Time wouldn’t allow her toenails to be done as well, but the court shoes she was wearing had hidden her toes in any case!
Within a minute, Karen had been plied with Champagne and was opening a beautifully-wrapped box — a present from her lover. Jenny had spent a long time choosing what proved to be, for Karen, a breathtaking surprise. THE most adorable matching nightdress and dressing gown set, in china blue silk with white lace surrounds. “For you to wear when we get home tonight!” exclaimed Jenny.
“Oh, you little beauty!” Karen shouted as she leapt across the room to gather Jenny in her arms and engage in the longest kiss and deepest that they had ever enjoyed.
**********
As they left the car in the Porthgwidden car park, at the far end of the quayside, there was a five minute walk to the restaurant. Cobbled pathways were not the easiest for Karen to walk on in her, albeit low, heels. Nevertheless, she made her best efforts to walk in as feminine a way as she could. It was a ‘balmy’ evening, meaning that it was warm for the time of year. Karen therefore didn’t need a coat. The warm breeze rustled her dress and gave pleasure between her thighs. It made her feel all the more girly……. She began to hum the tune of “I enjoy being a girl…” Every word was true and applied to her perfectly.
Hearing her lover humming a song quietly, Jenny said “Happy?.... I do hope you are…. because I’ve probably never been happier!” Karen smiled at her girlfriend and squeezed her hand more tightly, her freshly lacquered fingernails digging in to the soft flesh of Jenny’s hand.
They reached the doors of the chosen restaurant, Alba, just as Karen first felt the eyes of a male passer-by focus on her. Yes, indeed, she was being ‘ogled’ as the Cornish say…… lecherous man!!
SOME DIFFERENCES ALREADY — HOPE YOU LIKE THEM — FROM THIS POINT, MY STORY, “TOTAL RECALL”, IS GOING INTERACTIVE, WITH YOU, DEAR READER, BEING ASKED TO GIVE ME FEEDBACK ON TWO ALTERNATIVE ENDINGS FOR THE WHOLE SAGA…
YOU’LL LEARN MORE ABOUT KAREN’S WIFE…… AND THERE WILL BE TWO QUITE DIFFERENT ENDINGS.
PLEASE TELL ME WHICH YOU PREFER…. AND WHY!... WHEN YOU HAVE READ BOTH!
LOTS OF LOVE, GINGER xxxx
Let’s resume the story with the first of two alternative endings……(Your choice between this ending and what YOU MAY HAVE READ as Chapter 18, begins here, dear Reader).
(Thank you in advance for your feedback!)
Andy had planned a surprise of his own for Jenny. The Champagne was swimming around his head and the joy of the night to come filled his thoughts with their return to Jenny’s cottage. But he had rehearsed a flirtation which comprised the lyrics of the song Karen was humming as the pair of girls walked along the quayside.
They entered the restaurant though the floor-to-ceiling glazed doors and were directed upstairs, through a throng of early diners who were finishing their meals. Jenny and Karen were among the first of the later group who would be there until the restaurant closed. A more romantic group, it was sure to be. The Jazz musicians were just tuning their instruments as the girls passed by to the foot of the stairs.
Karen was conscious of her heels ‘clacking’ on the wooden staircase. It was warm in the place, so not wearing a coat had been a good decision. As she climbed the stairs, Karen felt “All Girl”, her confidence restored.
As they sat, the little waitress, a pretty Italian girl with long curly hair and bright sparkling eyes, asked if they wanted to order drinks before the music started.
“Great idea…” said Jenny immediately. Indicating her role as the decision-maker for the two ladies, she went on to say “…… a bottle of PureBlu Sparkling water to start with, and the wine list please.” PureBlu is a local Cornish brand of mineral water. Karen didn’t know it and was taken by the design of the bottle when it arrived; screen printed with a picture of blue and white surf . Free spirits… perfect for the night, this special night!
The Wine list lay unexplored while the girls exchanged small talk, about the surroundings, the décor and the staff…… a perfect beginning…. The other tables upstairs were largely unoccupied, so the room was relatively quiet. The Jazz was more sublte phrasings now not the tuning of instruments. It created a wonderful atmosphere. Jenny poured two glasses of water…..
Karen felt the time was right to bring his surprise forward. Andy unfolded a card with writing upon it, then took Jenny’s hand and said, “I have something to say to you…..”
She went on to read the following words (not sing them!)……
(with apologies to Miss Peggy Lee and the writers of the lyrics….)
(You know the other verses….!)
“When I have a brand new hairdo
With my eyelashes all in curl,
I float as the clouds on air do,
I enjoy being a girl!”
and so on, and so on……….
“When you have eyes that smoulder
That say you love ev'ry silken curl
That falls on my iv'ry shoulder,
I enjoy being a girl!”
By now, Jenny was squeezing Karen’s hand and had a tear in her eye.
“I'm strictly a female female
And my future I hope will be
In the home of a beautiful female
Who'll enjoy being a gal having a girl... like... me.”
Karen finished reading, Jenny was overwhelmed and just stared into Karen’s eyes, unable to speak. She traced her own burgundy-coloured fingernails over Karen’s….
“You do know I’ve not felt love like this for anyone, ever… don’t you?” Jenny confessed. Her thoughts were, however, getting confused, with the back-drop of ‘the Wife’ returning and what the consequences would be…… Yes, she loved Karen; yes, she loved Andy when he was Andy……
But was that the basis of a future that they could share……… Jenny was having second thoughts — even as this romantic evening unfolded………
“No, I really didn’t…. not until now.” Karen answered. Andy was always the one to say he loved Jenny… it would be lovely if she would tell him she felt the same way more often.. but this was a joy….. ‘not felt love like this for anyone….’ WOW!
Conscious that hand-holding wasn’t the done thing for two girls — this early in the night! — Jenny broke the spell for a moment (knowing it would return). She had seen the waitress arriving at the top of the stairs….. heading in their direction.
She turned to look out of the window against which their table was placed — the best table in the place! A beautiful view was to be found, as the rays of the setting sun bathed the seascape. Her second thoughts were troubling her as she looked out over the sea, towards the Lighthouse that was immortalized 70 years ago by Virginia Woolf…… easily visible from the restaurant gallery window!
Where now was Andy’s wife…?
Christine had cried herself to sleep in her lonely central Washington 44th-Floor apartment after arriving for her business meeting. Her lapse in confidence behind her, she strode the streets of the U.S. capital determined to succeed in the negotiations with this new client. Nevertheless, she knew she would be crying the morning before she would depart on her return to England. Today, she was going ‘for the kill’, seeking to clinch the deal that would bring sky-high fees to her firm, and a Board directorship to herself! No tears, no fears!
The meeting went as well as it could possibly have done. The clients were like little pussy-cats and agreed to almost everything that Christine had proposed to them. The signatures were written on the contracts that she had pre-prepared. This was business of the highest calibre and would secure the future for all involved. She smiled to herself.
Because of her skills and experience — and her killer instincts. She reflected before the ink was dry on the Contract Note.
Delivery would be easy. She thought as she closed her lap-top and valise.
If I’m with my firm any longer, that is! She thought.
On the return taxi trip to her hotel, where she would remain this evening after a concluding, celebratory, dinner, Christine reflected on the life she would be returning to.
If she stayed with the firm, as the client would expect, this contract would take up a lot of her time. It would mean regular travel to the U.S. It would mean much more time away from home. It would mean leaving Andy alone much more — at the mercy of his own instincts and desires………
It was a great risk and one to be assessed very carefully. The contract was won. It would be as it would be. Did she still love him? Did she still love him enough to work out a way to accommodate her career? Answers; Yes! She loved him, Yes! She loved him enough whether or not her career could continue………
Did she love him enough to accommodate his, er… ‘special interests’ when she was away? Could she accommodate his ‘interests’ when they were together. She somehow - whilst she once doubted it — now, she felt certain she could.
Christine had reached Andy by phone later in the week — on just two of the few occasions that he had been home. She had asked him where he’d been — without exerting pressure — and his answers were matter-of-fact and didn’t enflame her suspicions. Well, Andy, you have to live how you wanna live, she thought. Maybe I just wanna live with you more now than before…..
She slept very badly in her hotel room, after fending off the efforts of a colleague to seduce her — the same one that always tried when they were away on business. Her thoughts kept returning to her resentment that Andy had let her find out his ‘secret’ instead of being open and ‘up front’ with her. She cried again, partly in confusion, and partly wishing her love would survive. Sleep was difficult to find, but she would sleep on the flight.
Her transfer to the airport, Saturday, was trouble-free; no colleagues, no seducers, no clients still to be entertained. Just Christine, on her own. A confident, attractive mature business person…… who had a husband she was going home to who dressed in her clothes from time-to-time.
Standing in line to check herself onto the flight, Christine’s thoughts again returned to her husband…… This has to stop, she thought, …..either I’ve got to stop hating him for his dressing, or “wham-bam, thank you Mam… it’s over”.
At check-in, she nearly confided exactly that to the Checking Clerk. It wouldn’t have been so bad if, in those early days, he’d found a way to involve her more in his party games…… She might have found she liked it more…… He was obviously unable to handle the emotions involved…… She wasn’t so difficult to talk to, WAS SHE?! Walking to the Gate, she went further…. She enjoyed fucking, hugely, she enjoyed it. She was one sexy woman…… It was just that his girly side was too much competition…… She wanted to be fucked like a girl… by a man…… Never mind that he didn’t have a huge cock that was always available…. Maybe, if she had a girlfriend who was…… always available?!
Christine settled down in her seat and ordered a large Champagne — “Because I’m worth it!”, she said to the Business Class hostess who served her.
The more she thought about the whole situation on the flight back home to England, the more she felt that way. There was a show-down coming and, though he may not know it, Andy’s future was going to be very different. She would be calling him from the airport after arrival, before checking in to an airport hotel at Heathrow. She would be driving all that way the following day — Sunday — 300 miles — to get home. That way, if he was dressed, he could be sat down and have it explained to him…. That she expected to be ASKED if it was ok… before he dressed. That she EXPECTED to be involved in dressing him…….
She took out the laptop which had accompanied her all through the visit, including the presentation and the negotiations. She had let her Boss know the success. Now she was going to write him an e-mail that would put ‘the cat among the pigeons’….
It was her untimatum…. "My way — or no way”
The details need not concern you, dear reader, but Christine finished as follows:
This is the biggest contract we, as a firm, have ever won. I will be pleased to lead on its delivery, but I shall only do this on a part-time basis, including time spent working from home. A maximum of two weeks in four, with no more than one-in-four away from home. I trust that this is acceptable. Sincerely, Christine.
PS: …And for the same salary!
She knew it would make sense. It was she that had won the contract. It was she who the Client would want to run the project. It was her expertise that would deliver the pproject goals on time, within budget…….. The firm had no option… her boss had to accede to her requirements…….. And she would spend more time with Andy.
She pulled down the window blind, sat back in her sleeper seat and closed her eyes. At last, she found peace that Saturday night …..enough to sleep for four hours or more. She woke to a fresh orange juice…… and a yearning in her thighs for a wonderful re-awakening of her and Andy’s sex life, as soon as she got home to Cornwall.
Back to the Lovers in St. Ives.
Jenny and Karen ordered their food and a couple of glasses of New Zealand sauvignon blanc to start with. That would follow nicely from the Champagne. Jenny also selected a special bottle of wine — a rich Australian shiraz that would give a heady alcoholic background to the fucking that was to come. Her assertiveness made her feel very comfortable. Karen was hers to do what she wished.
This Friday evening was going so well, helped by the Champagne, the glasses of white wine and the promise of the meaty red wine to come ……. Both girls were very much in the mood for love. They were also, words unspoken, both looking forward to a night of wonderful fucking.
Over the main course, their conversation, having started so lyrically with Karen’s words of the song, led to outright suggestions at every pause. Suggestions, very quietly voiced, about sex.
“You really must show me what you can do like you did on Tuesday…” said Jenny.
“Only if you’ll return the compliment at the same time……”, said her lover.
“Will you wear your new nightgown tonight? I do hope you will”, asked Jenny.
“If you’ll show me how to wear it to its best advantage, I will”, was Karen’s reply.
“Does my lipstick look OK?” Karen asked in the next breath….
“Good enough to kiss right now….” whispered Jenny, her eyes twinkling.
“Dare you!”, said Karen, teasingly licking her lips.
“Shhhhh!.....” Jenny replied, thinking what attention that would bring!
Jenny’s secret concerns were about to surface. She really found herself getting more and more pre-occupied as the evening unfolded. The sexier their conversation became, the more Jenny’s concerns became worries. She felt that, maybe, just maybe, this whole thing was spinning out of control……..
“We have to make the most of tonight and tomorrow night……. You do know that, don’t you? Sunday’s going to change things……” Jenny said, risking ruining the evening.. but it had to be talked about……. “I mean, we’ll have to think…..” She hesitated for the right words. “….well, about what to do……. I’ve discovered a very special kind of love with you in these past few days, darling…. And I really don’t want it to stop …….. But we have to slow down just a little, I think, and I have to know if that’s the way you’re feeling too……..
I’m not ready to live together with you, even if you are already. I mean, I don’t know if you’ve ever thought of living as “the other woman” with someone, I just don’t know……”
There! She’d jumped in with both feet now! Where would it lead?!!
Jenny had known that a discussion like this was inevitable…
Karen began to think, resisting the temptation to blurt out a reply……. Maybe not here and not now, she dreamed, but she could see Jenny’s rationale…. There was bedtime to get to. There was a night of delirious fucking to enjoy…… It could’ve waited until tomorrow, Saturday, which was when she would have broached the subject with Jenny if they hadn’t reached that point before.
So, now it was Friday and they had two nights to take in the importance of whatever was the outcome…… She, herself, didn’t truly know her innermost feelings. Andy realized that a crucial cross-roads was approaching and that this needed careful handling.
“Darling, I’m just enjoying being here with you, tonight, as we are, as I’ve loved all of the last few days. What we’ve done together. How close we’ve grown in such a short time….
There’s been no other experiences in my life like these. I really do feel we could be a couple… a pair….. indivisible…… meant for eachother……… The special relationship we’ve built needs time to settle, otherwise it could be everso fragile — that’s the only thing that worries me. There’s so much at stake…….”
Jenny smiled her sweetest smile, her lipstick-laden mouth inviting attention.
Her uncertainty was genuine. They both had much to gain, but much to lose — Karen more than herself perhaps. After all, she wasn’t married, whereas Karen, or Andy, was….
Jenny had no steady boyfriend or partner to speak of. Her past relationships had ended mainly in great hurt for herself. That didn’t make her distrustful of men… or in this case, a woman with “added benefits”! She hadn’t stopped to think about it all, but she knew she was right, it had to be thought about. Now was probably not a bad time, depending on the outcome, and there was always the fucking tonight that would cover up their tracks!
Thankfully neither she nor Karen had a history of abuse by others. All of their intimate secrets were happy ones, albeit her partings from previous boyfriends had not all been easy. That should make it easy. They agreed to talk about “Sunday” when they got home.
They had talked in very quiet tones so that those surrounding them in the tiny restaurant would not gain insights into their relationship. They avoided, almost, any ‘touchy-feely’ contact such as hand-holding; that would come as they left. Their suggestive motions, like lip-licking, fingernail-tracing along lip-lines, twisting hair tendrils, or prolonged eye-to-eye contact were kept to a minimum, at least as little of a minimum as they could bear.
Casual observers would see two pretty women dining together — a ‘girl’s night out’. More assiduous observers would have been able to tell that there was more to their relationship than met the eye.
“So what! Who cares?!” Karen would say as they left the restaurant, hand-in-hand, at
around eleven thirty p.m. They walked back along the quayside towards the car park and, as it was later, naturally attracted some attention from the pub-goers who lined their walk.
They chose to ignore any ‘cat-calls’ and, instead, paused under a streetlamp to engage in a full mouth-on-mouth, deep throated kiss, that lingered as long as they both felt comfortable. This was the kind of place where guys would have been kissing eachother all evening. Lesbians, being fewer in number would be more of an object of interest….. “So, let ‘em call!” Karen laughed.
Jenny, reaching the car first, unlocked the vehicle and then came round to open the door for Karen to enter — a very assertive motion, to which Karen responded with a cocquetish “Why, thank you honey!”, fluttering her eyelashes as she said this.
Now sitting in the car, she smoothed the skirt across her lap, leaving the knees exposed with their nylon stockings clearly seen. Her suspender belt tugged beautifully, reminding her of those pretty undies! She remembered to open her purse and take out her lipstick, preparing to freshen the look.
Before she could do so, Karen felt Jenny’s hand come around her neck as her lover’s face came close to her own. Jenny kissed her again, fulsomely on the lips, whispering, “Let me take you home.” Jenny’s concerns abated for the time being. There was tomorrow to talk. Tonight was for fucking……!!
“Oh, yessss. ……Please!!!!!”, said Karen, giving exactly the right answer once more!
Of course, when they got home, the last thing on their minds was “Sunday”……..!!
**********
It’s now Saturday morning……… Dear Reader, if you wish, you have the opportunity to write your own paragraphs about the time that the girls enjoyed when they returned to Jenny’s little house, and all the wonderful pleasures they gave, again, to eachother. Just………Imagine!!!
It’s sufficient to tell you that they both slept well, however briefly, afterwards, and both woke long after the sun had risen, casting sunbeams over their bed.
The morning aroused some continuing passions, meaning that — apart from coffee and light breakfast which Jenny served to Karen — it was nearly lunchtime before they left the bedroom.
Both knew that the need to talk about “Sunday” and its consequences was increasingly urgent.
Both knew that it had to be done in a relaxed way…… Well, there was all day for that…. But it shouldn’t be left until evening…. Because there was more sex to be had!!
Jenny was first to take steps out into the garden where, alone for half an hour while Karen showered herself, it was possible to get her thoughts in a semblance of order. They loved eachother, that was undisputable. They shared lots of similar interests, most notably in bed! They had very different lives to lead, Jenny’s was much less complicated than Andy’s.
(Yes, for this purpose, he was Andy, not Karen) They were financially independent. They both had homes, except Andy’s was shared with a Wife — a ‘complication!’. Jenny was answerable to nobody — apart from her horse! Andy was answerable to his Wife.
What would the woman be like? Would Jenny ever meet her? SHOULD Jenny ever meet her?!
What they had both found in eachother was wonderful, but was it for keeps? Jenny herself was 50-something. Andy had just turned 60. Where would their futures lie. Could he stand the stress of divorce? Jenny herself could, she was sure…. But could Andy? A crucial question. Sex conquers most things, for a time…. But it’s LOVE that conquers all! Jenny planned how to say what she wanted to say.
Could they exist as lovers, meeting clandestinely, keeping secrets to avoid ‘complications’, or would it all be found out eventually? The more she thought, the more Jenny couldn’t face the whole “great eruption, blood on the stairs, divorce or die” situation that open confession to the Wife would provoke. It had to be kept secret, this relationship. If it was to continue.
Jenny felt that it was her responsibility to broach the subject. How to do it? Her mind was torn between something formal, when they were doing nothing else in particular and, on the other hand, when they were huddled-up close, maybe watching an old movie on the television. She opted for the latter. There were two or three movies on that afternoon.
It didn’t really matter which… but maybe the most romantic? Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant… their “Notting Hill” film was light and happy enough……. That was on (again!) just after lunchtime….. It would make a nice back-drop to a maybe quite serious discussion.
Karen’s thinking was less ordered — in fact, it was totally muddled…….. she just knew it had to be done sometime…. Maybe in the garden after lunch, as the sun was shining? She finished her shower and put on some of Jenny’s light, white cotton trousers that were cut at mid-calf level, exposing painted toe-nails on her bare feet. Her top was covered with a lacy summer bra under an equally light blouse that showed the bra off to good effect.
I’ll have to buy some silicone insets soon! thought Karen as she admired her outfit in the mirror She spritzed herself with perfume, applied light pink lipstick and brushed her “Gypsy” style hair before going into the garden.
Neither of them was hungry — except for more sex — so they agreed to make do with another bottle of red wine. This time, Jenny chose a lovely New Zealand Pinot Noir, light and suitable for flirting on a summer’s day.
The weather proved to be the deciding factor…… The sky was blue and there was a gentle breeze. It would be the garden for the afternoon! What better place for two women, falling in love as they were, to talk about how they would sort out “issues”.
They both knew what those “issues” were…..
Jenny had found a second swimsuit — a one-piece figure-forming one with small breast cups that she thought would suit Karen. She passed it to Karen on her way out, having dressed in her own bikini. “Go on, you just try it… another different experience…. You have to wear your heeled shoes and you have to freshen your make-up, and I’ll see you in the garden.” , Jenny said as she left the room.
Jenny knew that Karen wouldn’t need to be told twice.
“Oh, yesssss! You look wonderful!”, said Jenny as Karen made her entrance into the garden.
They lay together on sunbeds in the garden, enjoying the silence that surrounded them. There was only the distant noise of the sea breaking on the rocks around their nearest beach.
“Isn’t it lovely, just being here….?”, mused Jenny, preparing her “Keep it Secret” thoughts….
“Mmmm, just the sound of the waves so far away, it’s fabulous….”, replied Karen, her eyes closed in the sunlight, still not knowing how to start their “discussion”.
“We have to talk, you and me, my darling…. There’s things you need to know about me,
before I ask you something………”, Andy began, hesitatingly, unsure where this would end…..
Jenny smiled and just said, “I know…. We do…. But I don’t want anything to change….”
“But it has to, at least a bit….can you handle that? It’ll be for the best, I’m sure….” Karen began.
“Oh, there be things you need to know about me too, moi lover” said Jenny in her exaggerated Cornish dialect, laughing at herself. “Oi can ‘andle it quoit well, Oi thinks!” ……joking.
“Well, I’ll tell you mine after you tell me yours!”, joked Karen.
“Only if you promises to show me thine soon!” was Jenny’s reply.
Undeterred, Jenny went on, speaking in his softest “Cornish-speak” that she was exaggerating when they spoke together as lovers. “You see, to start with Oi knows you has a woife, but what Oi don’t know is how much she’s aware of yours enjoyment of women’s clothes. Oi’ve guessed that she knows, not everything boi any means, but she knows, ‘cos she b’ain’t be stupid!”
“Well, no, I might have said she knew….” Karen murmured.
“Oh yes, but there’s a trouble……She refuses to play the game and indulge your passion, tha’ss clear to me, even though she knows you’s w’d do anything for her if she had other interests. I mean…. You would, wouldn’t you?” Jenny pressed home the fact that all was not well at home….
“You mean, like sexy things she likes….?” Karen played for time.
“So what do you do to find out what she likes?” Jenny questioned. “Have you really tried to please her, the way SHE wants to be pleased.
“Have I hell?!!.... it’s reached the stage where we fuck hardly ever and I go down on her pussy every time, just to get her in the mood. And if it’s not that, I’m helping her with a dildo which I usually end up licking round….. I don’t mind doing that — in fact, I love it… but not every time…. She doesn’t do anything for me and my passions….” Karen was opening the ‘honesty box’ for sure…..
“Why do I do those things…? Because I’ve been in love with her — probably more than she has been with me — for years. I’m not difficult to satisfy… and I know I’m not masterful in bed, so doing these things isn’t a problem for me…… I know she’s grown away from loving me and, now with her job taking her away more, we may be losing it for good……”
“But you’re really feeling that you’re praying it’s not over between the two of you?” Jenny asked, her concern showing. “……that you’d get back with her if she’d be around more, and if she’d play your games a little?” This is the crux of the matter, thought Jenny. If this woman comes back, he’ll do anything to keep her…..
“Well, maybe….but I want you to know that’s not why I’ve fallen in love with Jenny, my hairdresser…. You are unique… You’re just the best! The best lover I could ever wish for and, even if you said I had to stop dressing tomorrow, I’d agree and I’d want to stay with
you and live with you for always….”
There, he’d said what he wanted to say… that he loved Jenny and would do anything to stay with her. He had to go on…. What would this mean?
“I know this means I have to face up to Christine and what her feelings are. I don’t think she really wants to stay with me for much longer…. But she might. I have to find out. She has her career and a separate, ‘business’ life to live. I realize that I may lose her and not find something permanent with you. I’m frightened that I might lose you, Jenny….”
“Am I the best just because I like you dressing?”, asked Jenny cautiously…….. If that’s all it is….
“No, no, no…. it’s for much more than that…. Honestly! That’s almost incidental, even though you know I love it… being like this…..” Karen answered, stroking her swimsuit as she lay in the sun….. “You feel closer to me than Christine ever did… I just love being with you…. And you’re beautiful…. And you make other women beautiful every day of your life! I’d love to be part of your life, for always.”
“So what does this mean, for you and for her?” Jenny was keeping her thoughts to herself. It was possible that Andy was making much of this devotion up to suit the situation they were in, here and now, this afternoon, before this Christine woman arrives home….. Sunday!
“It means I should tell her there’s a real problem, as soon as she comes home on Sunday… see how she is, of course, but not lose sight of what’s a decision in my mind. We’re not going to live together again. She doesn’t need me and, though I loved her, it’s all too much hassle when we’re together now…..
It means that it would take me time to get things sorted, but it also means I’d love for you to be there for me…. For “us” …… in a few weeks time probably…… We could continue as we are for that time, but maybe I could move in with you — or you with me — before autumn’s over……”
Andy realized that Jenny had said very little in the midst of all his ramblings……..
“It’s a big ask, I know, but would you take me…….. as your wife?”
“But what if your woifey comes home feeling different… as well she moight…. And what if she loves you all over again. Where does this leave lil’ me?????? Jenny just didn’t know….
MORE ABOUT CHRISTINE AND MORE ABOUT JENNY’S FEELINGS WILL BE FOUND, AS THE ORIGINAL STORY CONTINUES IN CHAPTER 20…….. AND ENDS THERE.
THIS ALTERNATIVE ENDING CONTINUES IN CHAPTER 21…….. YOUR CHOICE WHICH TO READ FIRST!...... DON’T FORGET………FEEDBACK PLEASE!!!!!!!!!
Comments
Another twin comment
I've read both the original and the alternate versions by now, and the differences are as following:
The original version makes Christine more domineering and self-serving, Andy/Karen is more open/assertive and Jenny is more certain in her feelings to Karen/Andy. The story itself takes on a more conflictive angle, seeing as all the triangle 'angles' have more powerful personalities. The way I see it is this will be more likely a scenario where everyone decides to cut their losses and settle for a certain place in life. Overall, it is the rational scenario.
The alternate version makes Christine more gentle and considerate, Andy/Karen is more aloof/prone to holding a grudge and Jenny is having second thoughts about her relationship with Karen/Andy. The story itself takes on a more tragic angle, seeing as all the triangle 'angles' have personalities that make them less self-dependant than in the original. The way I see it is this will be more likely a scenario where everyone could ultimately end up unhappy, with lives shattered due to misunderstandings and doubts. However, it also has a capacity for a happier ending than the original could offer. Overall, it is the right-brain-hemisphere scenario.
I hope this helps. The comment is present both at Chapter 18 and Chapter 19, because I see it as an essential overview.
Faraway
Big Closet Top Shelf
Where you can fool around like you want to and most you get is some bemused good ribbing!
Faraway
Big Closet Top Shelf
Where you can fool around like you want to and most you get is some bemused good ribbing!
I don't like either ending, but that's me I like clean endings.
Having read the whole story from the beginning in in the last 2 days, I found many things that don’t ring true in the last 2 parts. Like Jenny being 50 something, when in earlier parts she says she is 44 but that isn’t relevant. Instead, why not have Christine die in a horrible car crash on the way back from the airport then everyone lives happily ever after. I know it is simplistic but what the heck Christine is the 3rd wheel here and seems to have her own agenda that doesn’t give Karen any choice in either ending.
As always, so much to read, so little time and only one of me :)
The English Teacher
PS. You might want to revisit all of the previous parts to make them agree with each other.
An example is the issue about children at one point Karen had told Jenny that they had kids. Then in the last 2 ending parts there aren’t any kids.
It was in chapter 10:
“And how! Yes, you’re right….. She found out – if that’s the right phrase. That was years ago. *We had children by then* and her reaction was wild…… Threatened to have me banned from the house… Said I must be queer……… Assumed I was a child molester……. I mean, how could she? Really, I do love."
Sorry, that's why I'm The English Teacher
The story is still very good, has a great plot, just the overall continuity that is lacking.
Hugs
Carrie
So much to read, so little time and only one of me :)
The English Teacher