Shopping for dinner together was a new experience for both of them. Phoebe pushed the trolley into the huge Tesco’s Supermarket on the outskirts of Shoreham with some trepidation. The last time she’d been shopping like this was at the end of her first year as an undergraduate. She and Lana had raided the last of their budget for an end of year party. Sky had invited almost everyman, woman and their dogs. To Phoebe, it had been like feeding the five thousand.

This was very different. For one thing is was not just throwing lots of things into a trolley and hoping for the best.

While they wandered the aisles of the store, they planned their first meal together and to Phoebe’s surprise they liked much the same things and there were almost no arguments over any of their suggestions for the meal. Phoebe even approved of the bottle of wine that Samantha picked up and showed to her.

As they loaded their shopping into Samantha’s car, Phoebe smiled. She was starting to imagine this sort of event happening every week.

The couple even worked well together in Phoebe’s cramped but functional kitchen. As they prepared the ingredients, Phoebe outlined her plan to Samantha. The regular bouts of laughter and clinking of wine glasses would have told any onlooker that Phoebe’s plan while pretty ‘far out’ was actually workable or at least both of them thought so.

Working together like that was a bit nerve wracking at first but after a glass or three of wine, they just worked as a team. Both of them enjoyed the experience.

Eating the meal proved to be a bit of an anti-climax after the events of the day. With the plates cleared away, the two of them snuggled together on the couch.

“This is rather nice,” said Samantha.

“It most certainly is. Are you going to stay the night?” asked Phoebe.

Samantha didn’t answer straight away.

“Are you sure that you want me to?”

“I am and I’m very sure.”

“Then I’ll stay. Thank you.”

Phoebe hugged Samantha a bit tighter.

---

Neither of them wanted to get out of bed the next morning. They just felt nice and cozy beneath the duvet, wrapped in each other’s arms.

“Come on sleepy,” said Phoebe after a glance at her bedside clock.
“It is after eight already.”

“Go away. I’m sleeping,” came a voice from under the duvet.

Phoebe slid out of bed just before Samantha tried to grab hold of her and bring her back.

She failed but only just.

Phoebe dashed to the bathroom and answered the call of nature. It was only then that she began to feel slightly guilty but also very happy.

The smile on the face of the person that she saw looking back at her in the mirror made it very clear that it had been very nice to have someone to cuddle up with in bed. They hadn’t done anything more than that but to be together with Samantha who just felt and smelled so nice was more than enough for her.

She gave a visible shudder as she remembered one episode while at University where she’d gotten quite friendly with another student, Rob Green. Rob had been or so she thought at the time, a great catch but his body odour was horrible once you got past the cologne or whatever it was that men put on their bodies. One serious date with him was more than enough. Since then there had been no one until… Samantha had burst into her life and taken a chance on kissing her totally out of the blue.

Samantha was altogether different from any person she’d ever met. Phoebe had drifted off to sleep with Samantha’s hand gently massaging her left breast. As she visualised the experience in her mind, Goosebumps appeared on her arms.

Once Phoebe was done in the bathroom, she looked in on Samantha. Her guest was sprawled over most of the bed and once again, fast asleep. With a huge smile on her face, Phoebe left her alone and went into the kitchen. The sun was shining through the window. It felt nice and warm on her naked body. This again was a new experience for her. She had never slept naked before but it had just felt right when the two of them went to bed.

Walking around her flat naked was also something that she’d never done before. Thankfully, her windows had net curtains over them so she felt safe from prying eyes.

Phoebe put the coffee on to brew and did the washing up from the previous night as quietly as possible.

She’d just about done all the dishes when two hands covered her eyes.

“Guess who?” said a voice from behind her.

“Mother Christmas?”

“Right first time.”

Phoebe turned around and was met by a pair of lips on hers.

When they broke apart, Samantha said,

“I really enjoyed last night.”

“Me to. It was one that I’ll never ever forget.”

“Don’t you want to do it again?”

“Oh yes I do but you were the first person who has ever shared my bed so that memory will stay with me forever.”

“It was nice because we didn’t try too hard.”

“Or perhaps we didn’t know what to do?”

Samantha laughed and kissed Phoebe once more.

“That’s what I love about you. When you are truly you, you are the nicest person I’ve ever known.”

Phoebe looked concerned.

“When you go all legal on me, I really would not want to tangle with you in a courtroom. It is almost as if there is a totally different person living inside that beautiful body of yours.”

It was Phoebe’s turn to laugh.

“Beautiful? Now who is telling a porkie then? But… yes, it is as if some inner demon takes over when I ‘go all legal’ as you so eloquently put it. That’s the bit of me that I felt was starting to take over my whole life and why I knew deep down that I had to change. One of the other Barristers in Chambers was always in that mode. He didn’t or couldn’t switch off. Working with him on my last case taught me a lot. Mostly that while I admired his skill, I saw myself becoming him and frankly that scared me shitless if you know what I mean.”

Samantha smiled.

“And then you met me who really screwed up your life then?”

“Yes, I met you and you did mess my life up and for that I’m truly thankful.”

“Glad to hear it. It is nice to be appreciated.”

“Then Marry me?” blurted Phoebe.

The smile on Samantha’s face disappeared in an instant.

“Are you serious?”

Without thinking, Phoebe got down on one knee and took hold of Samantha’s left hand.

“Samantha Mason, will you marry me?”

Samantha froze solid for several seconds.

If a painter could have captured the scene of two naked women in a kitchen with one of them down on one knee and proposing, it would sell for millions.

Then Samantha knelt down and touched her nose on the tip of Phoebe’s. Phoebe momentarily shivered.

“Yes, I will marry you but it isn’t as simple as that as you well know.”

Before Samantha could elaborate, Phoebe kissed her lover.

“I know it isn’t as simple but didn’t my cunning plan from last night show a way to make life a lot easier for both of us?”

“I don’t know. You don’t know my father like I do.”

“You must mean that he’s only interested in money. Well, Money and Sex like most men.”

Samantha laughed.

“Yes, you are right. Money is everything to him. Then some bit of stuff on his arm looking good and hoping for him to become their sugar daddy only to be discarded for another one in a few months.”

Phoebe stood up and lifted Samantha after her.

“Getting back to us, we have the little matter of Tuesday evening to get past first.”

“Ah yes, the Spanish inquisition by your friends.”

“And I still don’t have anything to wear.”

Samantha stopped Phoebe from complaining by giving her another kiss.

---

“Come on darling, we haven’t been in this shop yet,” said Samantha as she dragged an unwilling Phoebe around the shops in Croydon.

“Do I have to? So far I’ve seen nothing that even comes close to what you have in your collection.”

“Humph!”

“Not Humph!”

Their first shopping expedition together had so far not gone very well. Apart from some new and decidedly more risqué underwear they’d not bought anything other than the cost of the car park for Samantha’s car and two coffees more than an hour earlier.

“What about this?” asked Samantha picking a dress from the rack.

Phoebe looked at it and sighed.

“In case you have not noticed, I don’t have what it takes up here to wear that.”
She cupped her breasts.

The dress was a sort of ivory with a red tint with a black flower pattern printed onto the fabric. It was also strapless. Phoebe had never worn a dress like before.

“Don’t worry about that. I have some inserts that will give you a little extra. Why not go try it on?”

Phoebe gave Samantha a look that said ‘do I really, really have to?’.

“Yes, you do. Don’t give me that look!”

Reluctantly, Phoebe took the dress and headed for the changing room.

When she appeared a minute or so later, Samantha’s heart skipped a beat. To her it was perfect.

“That is very you!” she exclaimed.

“Really?”

“Yes, it is. Add a pashmina and some decent shoes and some nearly nude or black tights and you are there. Well, apart from your makeup and bling.”

“Are you sure about that? And what’s this about ‘bling’?”

Samantha grinned.
“I certainly am. Nothing you have tried on today even comes close.”

“If you are certain about it?”

“Yes. Go and get changed. We need to get you some shoes next. Don’t worry about a little ‘bling’, I have something that will suit you very nicely.”

Samantha’s idea of shoes and Phoebe’s were very different.

“These are so high. I could never walk in them,” complained Phoebe as she wore a pair of shoes that in colour matched her dress perfectly. The heels were at least four but more likely five inches high. A one-inch platform helped as did stacked heel that was not too narrow at the bottom which helped with the wobble factor. They were also coloured black which matched the flowers on the dress.

“They are great and you have until Tuesday evening to break them in.”

“Or cripple me in the process?”

Once again Samantha gave Phoebe a kiss to stop her moaning. It was proving a very effective method of stopping her complaining indeed.

Phoebe paid for the shoes and arm in arm, they walked out of the shop mission accomplished.

---

On the journey back to Brighton, Phoebe said,

“Are you sure you want to meet Sky and Lana?”

“After all what you have told me about them? Of course, I do. Having second thoughts?”

Phoebe hesitated a bit.

“Don’t worry darling. Think of it as bringing your latest beau to meet the parents.”

“That is one thing I really don’t want to think about. They’d have a fit if they saw you. That hair of yours would give them a heart attack. If they survived that then finding out that we are a couple would give them the final push to leave this world…”

“You sound as if you would like that to happen?”

“Oh, believe me, there have been times when I wished it would come true. As they say, ‘absence makes the heart grow fonder’, in my case it is ‘absence makes forgetting a lot easier’ so no I don’t. I’ve gotten over them.”

“What’s wrong with my hair anyway?”

Phoebe laughed.

“I thought it a bit odd at first but it grows on you.”

As soon as she said it, she realised what she’d said.

“I meant to say, I’ve gotten used to it.”

Samantha gave her a dirty look but it turned into a grin.

---

[the following Tuesday evening at an hotel in London]

“Are you sure that this isn’t a bit much?” complained Phoebe when she saw how Samantha had done her makeup.

“I think you look very good. And with that dress being fairly muted in colour, a bit of red lippy never did anyone any harm.”

Samantha was still nervous about meeting Sky and Lana that evening. This was to be their first outing as an engaged couple. Things had really moved on since the evening they’d met.

Phoebe’s breasts seemed to be at least three sizes larger thanks to the inserts that Samantha had given her but deep down, she knew that they were just the perfect size for her. Much of her unwillingness to dress up in the past had been down to her tiny breasts. As she preened herself in the mirror, she knew that those dark days were in the past. She smiled at her finally being able to walk around in those devil shoes without a wobble at every step. The shoes that Samantha was wearing made them equal in lip height once more which made her even happier.

Phoebe stood back and looked at herself in the mirror. She had to admit that what she saw was not the usual image of Phoebe, the lawyer but much more of the young woman about town. In some ways that was good and some bad. Every day that passed made her less and less keen to return to a full-time career in the law. Somehow, she would hoebave to find a way to get some gainful employment without letting all that training go to waste.

What Phoebe could not stop looking at was the way that Samantha had done her eyeliner. She’d extended it well beyond the eye and then tapered it off in a dash dot sort of pattern. Then she’d glued a small rhinestone right at the outer edge and another larger on right on the inside of her eye. The final thing was that Phoebe was now wearing rose pink contact lenses that matched the colours on her dress perfectly.

Samantha was wearing vivid blue lenses that matched her hair. He makeup was also done to perfection.

Phoebe knew that she’d attract a lot more male attention. Both of them would, given the amount of cleavage that was on show but they were a couple and no one was going to take that away from them.

“Time to go?” said Samantha softly.

Slightly reluctantly, Phoebe agreed.

“I texted the others to say that I’d be a little late.”

Samantha smiled.

“Good. Are you all clear on the plan?”

Phoebe sighed.

“Yes, I go into the restaurant and sit down with the others. Then I’ll give you the signal to come in and make the introductions. I can’t wait to see their faces.”

“Great. Here’s your coat.”

Phoebe was glad of her jacket. It would cover up her cleavage. She was not used to having any on display so tonight was a big step for her in so many ways. She knew that over time, she’d get used to looking like this almost every day.

Together, they left their Hotel room and walked to the lift. Samantha squeezed Phoebe’s hand. It felt cold but clammy. She smiled at Phoebe. She knew that her lover was nervous. She was as well. Things had happened between them so fast that they’d really not had time to take stock. Theirs was truly a whirlwind romance but Samantha felt that first night in the pub after the speed dating that Phoebe was the one for her. There was just something about her that made Samantha go all funny inside. She knew that tonight was the first big test of their relationship.

The bell dinged signifying the arrival of the lift. They stepped forward together and smiled at each other. Phoebe hesitated for half a second before pressing the button for the ground floor but overcame her nerves and pressed it. The doors slid shut and she got that sinking feeling in her stomach. She hoped that it was not a foretaste of the evening ahead.

---

They took a taxi to the Restaurant in Borough Market. The couple had almost had their first argument over where they should meet. Phoebe wanted to meet in their usual pub but it could get a bit noisy at times with city people. Samantha eventually agreed to this place even though she’d never been there before but the reviews were pretty good and it didn’t cost the earth.

Lana and Sky had questioned the change in venue but all Phoebe would say was that she didn’t fancy the pub that week. She guessed that her friends had been speculating about the real reason why there was a change in venue but as Phoebe said that she’d be footing the bill, they were not going to argue.

Phoebe and Samantha stood in the shadows outside the restaurant. Both of them were nervous about the meeting but they were here now.

“Time to go in then,” said Samantha after Phoebe had confirmed that both Sky and Lana were already inside.

“Into the breach then?” joked Phoebe.

Samantha squeezed her lover’s hand before letting it go.

Phoebe stepped up to the door of the restaurant and hesitated for half a second. Then after a fleeting glance back at Samantha, she pushed the door open and stepped inside.

Samantha watched as the three friends greeted each other. She afforded herself a slight smile as Phoebe showed off her outfit for the evening. Both friends pointed at her shoes and laughed. There were numerous comments about her hair and makeup. Neither Lana nor Sky had seen Phoebe looking so good.

After Phoebe did a final twirl, the trio sat down. That was the signal for Samantha to move.

With a deep breath, she went inside the Restaurant to join the trio.

Phoebe saw Samantha enter and smiled.

“There is someone I want you to meet,” she said nervously to Sky and Lana.

All three of them turned towards the door and saw Samantha heading in their direction. Both Sky and Lana gasped.

“Phoebe?” they said together.

“Sky, Lana,” said Phoebe as she stood up and gave Samantha a brief peck on the lips,
“This is Samantha.”

“Samantha, meet Sky and Lana.”

Samantha have them both a peck on the cheek and took off her coat and sat down. Lana’s mouth was wide open. Sky was smiling.

“Ok Pheebs, what’s the story? How did you go over to the dark side and not tell us?” asked Sky.

Phoebe smiled.

“Didn’t I tell you darling that Sky was the joker of the pack?”

Samantha relaxed as she took Phoebe’s hand in hers.

“We met at a Speed Dating event,” said Samantha.

“Yeah, the men were crap so we left at half time and went for a drink,” said Phoebe.

“At the end of the evening, I gave Phoebe, a kiss and she responded.”

“It was nice,” said Phoebe slightly sheepishly.
“So, I kissed her back.”

“Then my life went all to pot because I could not get her out of my mind.”

“A few days ago, I popped the question and Samantha said yes!”

The two looked each other in the eye and smiled lovingly at each other.

“Bugger me, I have never expected that from our Pheebs!” said Sky.
“Shit. If I wasn’t sitting down, I’d probably fall down,” said Lana.

“It is really nice to meet you at last,” said Samantha.
“Phoebe has told me so much about both of you.”

“Not all bad I hope,” joked Sky.

“Not at all. I hope you won’t think of me as taking Phoebe away from you. I want us all to be friends for the long term. I know just how much Phoebe thinks of both of you.”

Before anyone could respond, a waiter who had been hovering stepped up and took their drink orders.

Once everyone had relaxed a bit, Samantha made sure that the conversation was not all about her and Phoebe. She’d seen far too many cases where a new fiancé had caused a lot of strain or worse on long term friendships. She’d discussed this with Phoebe over the weekend and Phoebe was happy that Sky and Lana were going to be in her life for as long as she wanted them to be there.

Samantha let the three friends chatter amongst themselves for much of the evening. This was Phoebe’s evening and had no wish to take over their conversations even when Phoebe felt a bit guilty and deliberately involved her.

At the end of the evening Phoebe and Lana disappeared to off the toilet Sky said to Samantha,

“If the new Phoebe is anything to go by, I very much approve. She’s been a plain-jane for far too long.”

Samantha smiled.
“She is still a work in progress but I’ve already got her thinking about her own style.”

Sky laughed.
“We have tried many times to get her to do that. If you can manage it then well done,”

“Thanks Sky, your vote of confidence is much appreciated.”

“But what is she going to do for a job? She deliberately sidestepped our questions.”

“I noticed that. Don’t worry, she is going to do some legal work for me that could turn out to be very lucrative indeed. Once that is over, we can try to sort ourselves out. It might be that we move out of where we are currently living and get a place together.”

Sky smiled.
“From what I’ve seen tonight, you two are a good fit for each other but I’d have put good money on our Pheebs not being a Lesbian. That knocked both of us for six.”

Samantha smiled. She and Phoebe had debated at length about telling her friends about Samantha’s past but had decided that it was neither the right time or place for that at the moment.

“I didn’t think so either but as we got talking, I just felt so attracted to her that I had to try to see if she was interested in me. Thankfully, she was and still is.”

“Well, I’ve never seen her so happy and it looks like you are having some success with her on the dress front. That lawyer drab she always wore hid a pretty good-looking person.”

“Thanks. I knew that with a bit of work, she could turn heads. She’s done that tonight.”

Sky had to agree about that.

“But Sky, please believe me, while it has been a real rollercoaster ride up to now, I know that there is a lot of hard work ahead for both of us to make us a really good couple. Rome wasn’t built in a night and all that!”

“Thanks Samantha. The last thing we want is for Pheebs to get hurt.”

“I know. I know only too well and I promise you that I’ll do everything I can not to hurt her. She and I have a connection… here,” said Samantha putting her hand over her heart.

Before Samantha could continue, Phoebe and Lana arrived back from ‘powdering their noses’.

---

Once back in their Hotel room, Phoebe sank onto the bed. She had a huge grin on her face.

“Thank you darling, you were fantastic tonight. You got the thumbs up from both of them!”

Samantha sat down next to her.

“They seemed to like me which was the object of the evening and I like them.”

She took Phoebe’s hand.

“If you want to carry on with your dates with them don’t worry about me. They are your only real friends and I don’t want to come between you.”

Phoebe sat up and kissed Samantha.
“You don’t have to keep telling me that. I know and that’s part of why I love you so much.”

“Only part?” said Samantha grinning.

“Well…?”

Samantha crowned the evening off by producing a double ended dildo. Much merriment ensued as they worked out how to use it to both their satisfaction.

[to be continued]