25 comments/ 83464 views/ 172 favorites Mountain Magic By: virginiaraine "Jesse, wait!" Kate cried, running out of Barley's Restaurant. "Wait, Jesse! Please!" "Forget it Kate", Jesse yelled angrily over her shoulder. "I have nothing to say to you." Kate caught up, grabbing Jesse's arm, tugging her to a stop. "Look, I'm sorry", she said. "I know what I did was wrong, but..." "I said forget it!" Jesse snapped. She whirled around to face the other woman, sparks shooting from her green eyes. "Kate, I always knew you were somewhat nuts, but this was absolutely crazy! How could you? Are you trying to ruin my life on purpose? Or do you somehow get your kicks from hurting me?" "Jesse...listen. I just went a little overboard. I couldn't stand sitting in there, watching you hit on some other chick." Kate dragged her hand through her short blond hair, sighing in frustration. "She was not just 'some other chick' Kate! She was my date! The first serious date I have had in the past 6 months since we've been apart. And you ruined it! You pissed her off right well and good. I doubt, after that little show you just put on in there that she will ever be interested in seeing me again." Jesse sighed. "Kate, it's been six months. I have moved on. So have you. Or did you think I haven't heard about you and Rachel?" Jesse stabbed her finger back towards the restaurant, where Kate's newest girlfriend could be seen exiting the front door. "What do you care? Why?!" she yelled. Kate flinched. "I know, you're right. I really shouldn't have done that", she muttered. "But please...let me explain. I...well; I guess I still have feelings for you..." Kate let her words fall off; obviously hoping Jesse would pick up her hint. Kate's gray eyes looked at Jesse pleadingly, falling back on her sure-fire poor-puppy-dog look that had always softened Jesse's heart before. But not this time. Suddenly Jesse just didn't care anymore. She and Kate had had a tumultuous rocky relationship to begin with, and it had just gotten uglier over time. What started out as a hot fling had turned into a strange sadistic thing, and 6 months ago Jesse had called it quits. Jesse knew that Kate didn't love her, and while Jesse was never really in love with Kate, she had invested a lot into the relationship emotionally. Kate always seemed to be able to twist Jesse up inside and usually did so with a cruel abandon. Jesse was done. "Whatever", Jesse snarled. "Just stay away from me, okay?" Jesse turned around and stomped off through the parking lot, shaking with anger. She hit the unlock button on her keychain, and slid in behind the wheel of her truck. She breathed deeply a few times, trying to calm her nerves down. Nerves! The nerve of that...that bitch! Jesse looked out the windshield and saw Kate walking back to the restaurant door, where Rachel was waiting with a seriously pissed look on her face. Jesse almost got out of the truck to run Kate down and expose her so-called "feelings" to Rachel, and hopefully causing Kate some of the same grief. Easy girl....breathe slow. Jesse told herself. There was nothing to be gained from a showdown with Kate. Though it was good to know now that she had no feelings left for Kate. Jesse had thought that was the case, but sometimes you just never know. Now Jesse knew for sure that she didn't give a shit about Kate any longer. The bad thing was Kate had just ruined her first shot at some sexual relief since they had called it quits. Jesse was by nature a pretty sexually active woman, but the past six months had been spent nursing her bruised heart, and sex had not been on the top of the priority list. But now that Jesse had moved on, as it were, she was ready to get back on that horse again. Tina was a nice enough girl, pretty, and sweet. This had been their first real date, and Jesse had hoped that it might lead to a few more dates, with the possibility of getting laid sometime in the near future. I need to get out of this town, Jesse thought. I need space. I need...air. The thought of 'air' reminded Jesse of the crisp, clean air of her mountain home. That's it! She thought triumphantly! A short vacation in the mountains seemed like just the ticket, a perfect place to get away from all her problems. Jesse drove home, quickly planning out what she needed to do to get ready to go. She was due some time off of work, and it's not as if there was much of anything going on there anyways. Thanks again to Kate. Jesse turned her mind from that track, knowing she would only get more upset if she allowed herself to think about what Kate had done to her life. Jesse picked up her cell phone and dialed her assistant Heather. "Heather, hi, it's Jess". "Hey Jess, what's up?" Heather chirped. Heather was a great assistant, but one of those overly perky types. Sometimes she tended to rub Jesse the wrong way, but usually Jesse could ignore the worst of the nauseating perkiness. "I'm going to be taking about a week off. I'll be up in my cabin, so I'll be pretty incommunicado. You think you can hold down the fort for me at work?" Jesse asked. "Sure, no problem" Heather piped. "Have a good time. You certainly deserve a vacation". "Thanks Heather. I'll try to touch base once in a while", Jess said. "Talk to you later." "Bye Jess," Heather said. Jesse ended the call, just in time as she was pulling up to the house. She parked her truck and jogged up the steps, opening the front door. Wasting no time, Jesse flew through the house, throwing essential items and clothing in a large suitcase. She had no plans to wait around until tomorrow morning. If she did, she would probably just sit in front of the TV, stewing about Kate and the pot of shit her life had become recently. No, staying home tonight was definitely out. Jesse was going to hit the road tonight. It was only 7pm. With the lighter traffic at night, Jess was sure she could be in her mountain retreat by midnight or so. Barely thirty minutes later, Jesse was ready to hit the road. Only one more thing to check on. Jess dug through the junk drawer in the kitchen until she found the number she was looking for. Picking up her phone once again, Jess dialed. "Rural Retreat Cabin rentals, this is Charlotte, can I help you?" the voice on the other end said slowly. Jesse got the feeling that Charlotte was very bored at her job. "This is Jesse Cunningham. I'm wondering if Mountain Magic is available this week?" "Are you looking for a rental cabin then Miss? For how long do you want to stay?" Jesse sighed. "No ma'am, I'm not looking to rent. I am an owner. I own Mountain Magic, and sub-let to Rural Retreats. I would like to visit my cabin, but need to make sure there are no boarders at this time". Sometimes it got on Jesse's nerves that she had to go through this, but the Rural Retreat folks paid her nicely for letting complete strangers stay in her cabin. The extra money sure helped, and it's not as if Jesse went there frequently. "Mountain Majesty, you said?" Charlotte drawled into the phone. "Let me check". "No wait!" Jesse cried, but Charlotte had placed her on hold already. Jesse fumed silently at the delay. You'd think a huge money-making machine like Rural Retreats could afford some decent help, she thought. Charlotte came back on the line after a minute. "Ma'am, Mountain Majesty is booked for two weeks. I'm sorry." "Well, I need to know about Mountain MAGIC", Jesse sniped, stressing the confused word. "M-A-G-I-C". Probably not the best play to treat this woman like an idiot, but damn Jesse was on edge tonight. "Hmpf...one sec", Charlotte huffed into the phone. Jesse sighed once again. God, sometimes it just wasn't worth it. Jesse waited, impatiently pacing around the room. She caught sight of herself in the mirror, and stopped to look at the image. Light green eyes looked back at her, framed by a sweep of lashes that one ex had called 'sexy as hell'. Creamy soft-looking skin that Jesse considered her best feature, which stretched nicely over the fine bone structure Jess had inherited from her mother. A small straight nose and full lips. Red hair the color of burnished copper framed her face, cut short, but still full and thick. Jesse ran her hand down her side, looking at her tall, athletic body and strong well-developed shoulders. Kate had always said Jesse looked like one of those Olympic volleyball pros. She let her hand drift up her flat abdomen to cup a firm medium sized breast. She turned sideways in the mirror, admiring her narrow hips and long legs with hard muscles. Jesse smiled smugly at herself, knowing that she looked good, and had worked hard for this body. Jesse was overall pleased with her appearance, though vain she was not. Jesse knew she was not a typical "beautiful" woman, as she tended to look more masculine than feminine, but she was aware of the innate sexuality she exuded. It was this particular mix of feminine and masculine that attracted most of the women she had been with. The androgynous part of her appeal went much deeper than clothing and outside appearances however. Her inner strength and grounding gave her girlfriends that comforting protectiveness that they would usually only get from a man. This was one of the reasons Jesse usually found herself with women that were either bisexual, or just entering into the world of lesbianism; she had masculine appeal that other women found familiar. "Mountain Magic", Charlotte said, startling Jesse out of her appraisal of herself, "is currently unoccupied." Jesse could hear the animosity in the woman's voice, but figured it was way too late to play nice now. "Great", Jesse said. "Show it occupied for the next week, please". Jesse didn't bother with the niceties of thank you and goodbye and fuck you so very much. She just hung up and headed out the door. Jesse got in her truck and hit the road, thrilled to be on the way. A good 4 or 5 hour drive would clear her head, help wash the last dregs of anger from her system, and put her in the right frame of mind to enjoy a long week of nothing. No responsibilities, no crazy ex-girlfriends, no harassing phone calls from the bank, no worries. Just her and the mountains. Blessed peace and quiet, clean air, and beautiful vistas from her back deck. Jesse made good time out of the city, but hit some nasty rain as she headed into the countryside. Belatedly, Jesse thought she should have checked the weather before she left. Oh well, she was on her way now, and there was no way she was turning back. As Jesse drove closer to the foothills of the mountains, the rain began changing first to sleet, then to snow. Jesse didn't worry overmuch, as her truck was four-wheel drive, but she chafed at having to slow down and drive carefully around the curving mountain roads. The weather continued to deteriorate as Jesse got higher up into the mountains, until it was damn near a blizzard. Fuck, Jesse thought. Really should've checked on the weather. Jesse made the turn onto the gravel road that wound its way up and around what she had always considered her mountain. Just a few more miles to go m'girl. The road, even on a good clear day was difficult to navigate, and damn near impossible in the driving snow, but Jesse was more than capable. Her truck was a good one, and she knew these roads forwards and backwards. Even so, Jesse was shaking with strain by the time she came up to the last hill before her cabin. Jesse slowed down and looked hard at the road in front of her. After having curved and wound up the mountain at a somewhat steep but easily drivable grade thus far, the road suddenly pitched up a severely steep grade for a good quarter mile before finally leveling off just at the cabin entrance. Jesse could see in the glow of her headlights that the snow and sleet had made this particular hill too icy to drive up, even in her 4x4. "Goddammit!!" Jesse yelled. She was tired by now, and wanted nothing more than a warm fire and her comfy pj's. This last obstacle was almost too much to take. Jesse felt tears of frustration starting to build, but managed to take a breath and keep them at bay. Nothing to it girl, she told herself. Just a half-mile hike. You've done it hundreds of times. This was true. Jesse had grown up in these mountains, and knew the trails and roads like the back of her hand. She had hiked, camped and played along this very road. She knew it wasn't very far up the hill, and she could easily hump her suitcase that far. She could come back tomorrow for the groceries and other items in the truck. For the moment, she just wanted to get to the cabin and crash. Sighing heavily, Jesse pulled her suitcase out of the jump seat and opened her truck door to the blizzard. The icy wind snatched her breath away, stunning her for a moment beside the truck. Catching her breath, and steeling herself for a grueling hike up the side of the mountain, Jesse stomped off through the snow. It was hard going at first, but soon her strong leg muscles warmed up and Jesse made good progress up the mountain. It seemed to take a freezing forever, but finally Jesse could see the porch light of Mountain Magic up ahead. Jesse laughed to herself, thinking of the stupid names all the cabins in these mountains got. Honeymoon Heights, Bear Naked, Panoramic Pleasures, so on and so forth. It seemed like the rental companies attributed sexual personalities to these small rustic structures, hoping folk would be willing to pay the same amount for deprivation as they would for comfort and ease in a pricey hotel. Whatever floats their boats, Jesse shrugged. At least mine doesn't have a stupid idiotic quasi-sexual name. In fact, Jesse had picked out the name herself, referencing the magic and peace she always found when looking out over the gorgeous mountain scenery. Jesse stomped up onto the front porch of the little log cabin, noting with pleasure that the previous tenant had left some firewood by the front door. That was great, since she now did not have to go looking in the dark in a blizzard for wood to burn. But she would need some kindling. Jesse dropped her suitcase off by the front door, shivering with cold, and turned into the heavily wooded side yard to find some twigs and small branches. It took some hard looking, as the snow had covered most of the ground litter, but Jesse was able to find some uncovered patches of ground near the cabin walls and under the back deck. She considered checking the garage to see if any more firewood had been left inside, but passed it by, leaving that chore for in the morning. Cradling her precious kindling to her chest, Jesse worked her way back around the cabin's porch, numb with fatigue and cold, and dropped her collection of twigs by the firewood. Picking up her suitcase, Jesse turned and punched in the lock box code on the front door. Jesse sighed with anticipated pleasure as she swung the front door open, stepping into the little entrance area. She noted with annoyance that the previous occupant had left the lights on, and thought she might call Rural Retreats, so that they might call on the last folk to stay here and give them a good dressing down about wasting resources. Jesse turned back to the front door, letting it swing shut, and she threw the deadbolt home. She pivoted on the spot, thinking of heading into the bathroom for a long hot shower, but froze in place instead. There's something about staring down the barrel of a gun that will do funny things to a person's insides. Jesse felt those slick sensations in her belly now as her mind whirled emptily. "Who the fuck are you, and what the fuck are you doing here", a voice yelled. Jesse managed to lift her eyes past the gun, and saw a small petite brunette holding the gun. The girl was shaking, from fear Jesse thought, though her face looked serious enough. Jesse took a deep breath, trying to calm her system down. The adrenaline was now pumping through her veins, making her jumpy, but Jesse knew she had to stay still and calm to keep this woman from blowing her brains out. Obviously, the woman thought she was an intruder. Jesse was aggravated at the apparent lack of competence of fuck-you-very-much Charlotte, but having just locked herself in with a crazy lady with a gun, flying into a cursing rage about dumb reservation bitches would probably not be the best course of action. Jesse slowly put her suitcase down on the floor. "My name is Jesse", she said quietly. "I am not going to hurt you. Please, put that gun down. " The other woman let the gun drop, so that now it was pointed somewhere in the region of Jesse's thighs, but did not release her grip on it. "Well, that answers only one of my questions", the woman said caustically. "What are you doing here, sneaking around in the middle of the night?" "I own this cabin", Jesse explained with a bit of sarcasm in her voice. "I could ask the same of you. However, I will explain that while I do own the cabin, I don't live here. I lease it out to Rural Retreats, and they pay me for letting other folks rent it. I think we can safely assume that there has been a reservation mix-up. Please, put the gun away, and let's figure out what to do about this". Jesse tried to keep her voice calm and slow, knowing that her throaty southern timbre could have a relaxing calming effect on people. As she spoke, Jesse could see the other woman relaxing, and watched as her chest heaved with a deep breath. The brunette studied Jesse for a second, then shrugged and let the gun drop down to her side. "Well, I would say so", the brunette replied. She took another deep breath, seeming to try and release some tension. Now that Jesse no longer had a gun pointed at her head, she could take a second and really look at the woman in front of her. She was shorter than Jesse; say maybe 5'5" to Jesse's own 5'9". She had long dark brown hair, slightly wavy, that hung down past her shoulders. She was slim, but Jesse could see that she had plenty of curves. In fact, those curves were pretty visible in the thin white t-shirt and short gym shorts the woman was wearing; obviously pajamas of some type. Her body was nice, a perfect blend of slim and curve. But when Jesse allowed her gaze to wander up to the brunette's face, she was arrested by the woman's eyes. Startling blue, framed by long dark lashes, her eyes seemed to capture Jesse's own and not let go. Those bright blue eyes were studying her now. A small smile of amusement curved the woman's lips, and Jesse flushed, embarrassed that she had been caught checking the other woman out. "My name is Cat. Are you alone?" she asked, looking past Jesse out the window. "Yeah, just me. My truck wouldn't make it up the hill and I had to walk the last half mile," Jesse explained. "I'm frozen through, so if it's okay with you, I'm going to go stand by the fire while we hash this out?" "OH!" Cat exclaimed. "Of course, I'm so sorry!" She quickly turned and walked back through the living room, laying the gun down on a side table as she passed. Now that the fear had passed, the surge of adrenaline seemed to be coursing its way out of Cat's body by means of her mouth. "You just really gave me such a scare. If I had heard a car pull up it wouldn't have been so bad, but all I could hear was someone walking around the cabin, and the steps were definitely not from an animal or anything...all I could think of was how far away I was from civilization, and what if I was hurt, or if someone tried to rape me...my friend Susan had told me that I should bring protection with me since I would be so isolated out here, but I had never actually thought I would need it...I never thought I might actually have to shoot anybody....."Cat trailed off as she realized she was babbling. Jesse followed behind her, trying not to see the little half-globes of ass cheek that kept flashing from under Cat's shorts with every step she took. Cat stopped by the fireplace and turned around to look at Jesse with a questioning look on her face. Jesse ripped her eyes up from Cat's backside just in time. Mountain Magic Revisted (Author's Note: After writing the first Mountain Magic, I received several requests to write more about Jesse and Cat. I decided to continue thier story, as there was a lot of unfinished business to see to. For those of you who have read my other stories, you know they are actually small novellas - don't expect a quick sex scene. But the sex, when you do get to it is HOT HOT HOT!! Enjoy!) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Cat applied the final touches to her makeup, then stepped back and looked critically at herself in the mirror. Her small curvy body was tightly encased in a midnight blue velvet sheath, the deep blue of the dress catching the color of her eyes. A pair of strappy silver heels added a few inches to her short 5'5". Her dark hair, usually worn straight and unadorned, was swept up in an elegant yet tousled way, exposing her neck and showing off the diamond choker she had placed there. Cat dabbed a bit of her favorite perfume just above the necklace. Not too shabby, Cat thought, giving herself one last glance. She flipped off the light in the room and headed into the living room of the apartment where Jesse was waiting. As Cat entered the room, she stood still for a moment, giving Jesse time to look and evaluate Cat's appearance. Judging by the dropped jaw and stunned disbelief on Jesse's face, Cat figured that she had done a pretty good job with herself. "Damn Cat! You are gorgeous!" Jesse said, a light of appreciation in her green eyes. Cat smiled, turning a little circle as Jesse strode across the room. "What, this old thing??" She leered provocatively at the tall redhead in front of her. "Witch", Jesse growled, grabbing Cat up in a firm embrace. Cat looked up into Jesse's green eyes, and recognizing the desire in them, firmly pushed her hands against Jesse's chest. "Oh no, you don't", Cat demanded. "I didn't just spend an hour making myself beautiful for you to dishevel me in 30 seconds. You can wait until later for your naughty thoughts!" Jesse made a cute little pouty face. "Awww....c'mon Cat. You're too delicious not to eat up right now! How can you set a 9 nine-course gourmet feast in front of a starving woman, and then tell her she can't even have a nibble?" Cat laughed. "Oh you poor starving baby!! As if you didn't gorge yourself silly just last night on my 'feast'" Jess groaned. "Baby, that was eons ago..." She dipped her head to nibble softly on the side of Cat's neck. "It was less than 24 hours ago, you pig!" Cat said with a laugh, tilting her head to give Jesse better access. "Mmm-hmm...just like I said. A lifetime ago". Jesse was now cruising her lips along Cat's collarbone. Cat knew this had to stop now if they were going to get out of the house anytime in the next 2 hours. "No! We'll be late for the opening. Besides, you know anticipation just makes it better." Cat gave Jesse one of her wicked smiles, stepping back to give Jesse an once-over. "You look pretty appetizing yourself, Miss Cunningham". Jesse stepped back a few feet, holding up her arms to give Cat the full picture. "Oh yeah?" she asked. "I was going for elegant Ellen DeGeneres. How did I do?" "Wonderfully", Cat replied truthfully. Jesse had on a light gray pantsuit made of some material that hung just right on her tall lanky athletic frame. With black men's dress shoes, and minimal jewelry, Cat thought Jesse looked like the most feminine butch possible. Cat rocked up to her toes to give Jesse a light small kiss, careful not to let her dark lipstick rub off onto Jesse's lips. "I love you so much", Cat whispered. "I love you too, beautiful. Now hurry up, we're going to be late!!" Jess ordered. Cat laughed as Jesse unceremoniously dragged her towards the door. "Now who's worried about being on time? A minute ago, you were all ready to be fashionably late!" Jesse grinned. "The sooner we get there and put in an appearance, the sooner I get you back home and all to myself". "Ah-HA! I just knew there was sex behind your motivation!" Cat replied. "You're damn right there is" Jesse replied as they walked down to the car. "You would think in the last year that I would have had enough of you...but I guess not." "A year already?" Cat questioned, thinking back. "Gosh, I guess you're right. Damn, wasn't it just last week that we got back from your cabin?" "I know", Jesse replied. "Mountain Magic seems like yesterday. But it has been almost a year now. And you have a brand new show opening in my gallery, consisting of wonderful mountain snowscapes, just as you said you would". Jesse smiled down at Cat and the redhead helped her into the car, a tender look of love on her face. "You saved me Cat, in more ways than one." Jesse placed a warm kiss on Cat's cheek before closing the door and walking around the car to the driver's side. Cat smiled back, and as Jesse confidently navigated the traffic across the city, Cat sat back in the seat and reminisced, her hand idly drawing random patterns on Jesse's thigh. Her mind turned to the cabin named Mountain Magic, and a night with a blizzard unlike any she'd ever seen... Jesse owned the cabin, but Cat had leased it out for a week through a cabin rental company. There had been a reservations mix-up, and Jesse had arrived at the cabin in the middle of the night, on foot, as the snow and ice had prevented her from driving all the way up the mountain. Cat had mistaken Jess for an intruder, and had damn near shot her. In time, they figured out the mistake, but by morning they were snowed in. For 5 days they stayed in the cabin. Starting out as strangers, they had quickly become friends, and then lovers. Cat had gone to the cabin for introspection, trying to come to terms with her pride and self-esteem following a disastrous marriage to a cold, unfeeling man. Jess had come to the cabin to get away from the problems plaguing her and the gallery, problems that had all been propagated by an ex-girlfriend, Kate. These same problems were threatening to send Jess's gallery in bankruptcy, and ruin her dreams. Cat, being a famous artist of not a little talent, had seen the serendipity of their situation, and had promised Jesse that she would show her artwork at the gallery to help Jesse out. And during that week together, Jesse had shown Cat how beautiful and wonderful love could be between two women, even though Cat had never been intimate with a woman before. Now a year later, they were more in love than ever, and Jess's gallery was once again strong on its feet. For Jesse, finding Cat was like a publisher stumbling across James Patterson in need of a new representative. Exclusive rights to one of the best artists of the current decade had some major perks. While the gallery had been showing a backlog of Cat's work, Cat had been working on some new paintings this last year. Cat now had an entire series of mountain landscapes, most of them showing ethereal snowy scenes. Tonight was the opening of the series Cat had named, appropriately, 'Mountain Magic". As the two women arrived at the gallery, it was obvious that the opening was to be a large society event. There was even a respectable crowd of reporters and paparazzi on hand to ask questions and snap photos of the social elite that descended from on high to attend the opening. Jess handed the keys to the valet, and flashed Cat an encouraging smile. "Ready to brave the masses, my love?" Jess asked in Cat's ear. Cat sighed, and gave Jess a thumbs-up. When you were an artist known all over the country, an opening of this magnitude attracted a lot of attention. Attention that Cat was not very comfortable with. But the publicity would only help Jesse, so Cat resigned herself to the interviews, and posed with Jesse in front of the gallery for the photogs. Eventually, the two women were allowed to enter the gallery proper, where Cat's paintings were placed around the rooms, each canvas spotlighted dramatically. The rest of the lights were dimmed, giving the entire area a soft, intimate feeling. That feeling was echoed in each one of Cat's paintings. Though the paintings were mostly of outdoor mountain scenes and rustic log cabins, Cat had managed to capture some elusive quality in the snow-covered peaks and ice-frosted trees. The pictures were graceful and intimate, almost as if the viewer was intruding upon someone's private fantasy world. They were exactly how Cat had meant for them to be. She had worked tirelessly to depict the emotion and joy she had discovered in the mountains last year. The largest and by far most popular exhibit was a large life-sized canvas near the front of the building. The painting showed the ubiquitous mountains in the background, glowing with the light of sunset blazing on the peaks. The fading light of the sun in its last moment of glory had turned the snow white mountain top into a firestorm of colors. Cat had used colors so bright, yet full of light; it seemed as though an actual spotlight gleamed out of the canvas. However this painting had a figure in the foreground, the actual focus of the viewer; a woman in a dark jacket standing near a single tree. The figure's face was in profile, but the slash of burnt copper and a hint of emerald green around the face would tip off any of those who knew her that the figure was Jesse. Jesse had her face tilted up at the orange and gold mountains, and Cat had managed to somehow convey the wonder and majesty of the scene depicted in Jesse's face. In the corner of the large frame, just below Cat's swooping signature was a small placard that read "Not For Sale". Cat was keeping this one painting, the only one she had done with a person. For obvious reasons, this particular canvas was close to Cat's heart. During the party, Jesse had to leave Cat's side, as Jesse and her assistant Heather had to play host to hundreds of guests. Cat mingled with the crowd, the people around her changing constantly. As the darling of the evening, Cat was in high demand, and it seemed as though every person present wanted a moment of her time. As Cat chatted with everybody, her eyes were intermittently searching for Jesse. Invariably, when Cat found Jesse, the redhead's soft green eyes were on her. Every time their eyes met, Jesse sent Cat a look of such smoldering desire that Cat was surprised she didn't spontaneously combust. Jesse's eyes held a promise of good things to come, and Cat was anxious for the evening to end so she could collect on those promises. The heat and desire continued to pool in Cat's belly, and her needs only mounted higher every time Jesse shot her another dark look. At one point, when their eyes met, the gaze Jesse sent to Cat was full of so much heat that Cat's breath caught in her throat, and she licked her lips nervously. Surely the people around them would notice this seduction, right? As Cat's tongue played with her lips, Jesse suddenly excused herself from the group she was talking to and made her way across the room towards Cat, looking for all the world like a hunter stalking prey. Jesse walked up and stood behind Cat, placing her hands on Cat's shoulders. Cat went very still, sure that any movement on her part would develop quickly into a wanton flinging of her body against Jesse's, shocking all the society dames around them. Leaning over to whisper roughly in Cat's ear, Jess said "Right now, my office. I can't wait any longer." Then, incredibly, Jesse's tongue flicked out and momentarily touched on the delicate shell of Cat's earlobe. Cat shuddered, feeling that light flick throughout her body, and desperately wanting that quick clever tongue on much more intimate parts than just her ear. The quicksilver shiver raced down her spine, around her ribcage and through her breasts, resulting in a tightening and tingling sensation in her breasts. She watched as Jesse walked away, making her way deftly through the crowd towards the rear of the building where her office was located. Cat tried in vain to clue back into the conversation around her. She had a distinct feeling that she was supposed to be answering her companion's question, but she had no idea what the question was. Cat blinked at the older matronly woman in front of her. "Excuse me?" she asked politely. " I asked", the woman said with patience "where you got your inspiration for this series. I had thought you were a city scene, abstract type of artist. What possessed you to do landscapes all of a sudden?" "Oh that", Cat answered. This question was par for the course tonight, her work currently hanging on the walls being an abrupt departure from her norm. "I took a trip into the mountains last year, and was struck by the grace and beauty of them. They are timeless and eternal, having been here since before man, and will be here long after we're gone. I found a sense of peace and tranquility while I was there – I felt the need to transcribe that onto the canvas". This was Cat's standard answer, in fact the same one she had given to the Art Review critic earlier that night. Granted, Cat was borrowing heavily from Jesse's own comments about her beloved mountains, but Cat knew Jesse didn't mind. Cat gave this standard answer with only half her mind, the other half of her mind and all of her blue eyes following Jesse across the room. "How interesting" was the reply from her companion. The tone of the other woman's voice let Cat know that she wasn't fooling anybody. Cat smiled apologetically. The older woman gave Cat a knowing grin, winking one eye. "I do believe I'll have another glass of wine. Can I get you something dearie?" "Oh, no thank you", Cat replied, relieved the woman was giving her a polite way to excuse herself from the crowd around her. She flashed the dame a grateful smile. "I was just about to excuse myself, as I see someone over there I should speak to". Cat waved her hand vaguely towards the rear of the building. "But it was nice talking to you". "Yes, dear, wonderful to meet you as well", the woman said as she toddled off towards the bar. Cat took a deep breath, nodded to the others in her group, and pivoting on one stiletto heel walked towards Jesse's office. Truth be told, she didn't think she could wait until later tonight either. These openings were always such long drawn out affairs, and this one was sure to be no different. Hell, she would be probably be so exhausted by the time she got home that her and Jess wouldn't have the energy for sex. So a quick, hot interlude in Jesse's private office seemed like a great idea. And with the party in full swing on the other side of the door, a little bit of out-of-the-ordinary excitement would be added to their love play. Cat toyed with a smile as she wound her way through the crowd, nearing the closed door to Jesse's office. Cat slowed down as she caught a snippet of something coming from the other side of the door. Another woman's voice, not Jesse's, was muttering something that Cat couldn't quite catch. Hating to eavesdrop, but not wanting to burst in on something important, Cat leaned her head a bit closer to listen. "....and though I appreciate it, as you can see I'm rather busy tonight. Perhaps we can discuss this another time." Cat heard Jesse's smooth voice say. Cat heard the other woman say something in reply, but again couldn't catch it. Picturing the inside of Jesse's office, Cat realized the other person was probably standing on this side of Jesse's desk, facing away from the door, while Jesse was facing the door. Cat turned her attention again to the voices coming from within. As soon as she determined whether or not she could go in, Cat would either open the door or walk away. "...joking, right?" Jesse said. "I thought we'd been through this a long time ago. The answer is no, hell no". Jesse's voice had taken on a strident tone, alerting Cat to the fact that Jesse was getting seriously pissed off. Cat got worried, and chewed her lower lip nervously. Who would Jesse be talking to like that? The other woman said something else that Cat couldn't make out, but the tone of the mystery woman's voice was soft and seductive. Cat's eyes widened. Who the hell was in there? Abruptly, there was a quiet small thumping sound, then silence on the other side. Cat listened harder, and heard Jesse's voice again, but now couldn't make out what she was saying either. That's it, Cat thought to herself. Whatever is going on in there, it is certainly not business. Cat turned the doorknob and stepped into Jesse's office. Only to see Jesse's ex-girlfriend Kate draped over Jesse's lap with her lacquered red lips planted firmly against Jesse's. Cat's breath huffed out of her lungs forcefully. Jesse ripped her mouth away from Kate's. "Cat!" Jesse said. "Wait, it isn't'...don't..." A look of horror crossed Jesse's face as she tried unsuccessfully to untangle herself from Kate's arms. "Kate, get the FUCK off me!" Jesse yelled into the blonde woman's face. Kate was still, neither removing her arms from around Jesse nor getting up off of Jesse's lap. Kate's sharp face held a look of triumph. "Uh-oh" she said in a syrupy sweet voice, batting her eyes at Cat. "Isn't that your new little hottie??" Kate asked Jesse, clinging to the redhead's suit coat. The blonde turned to face Jesse again. "I think you've been busted, honey". Jesse stood up, dumping Kate unceremoniously onto the floor. Kate went sprawling across the carpet, and a very unattractive screech issued from her mouth. Sparing not a look for the outraged blonde at her feet, Jesse stepped over to Cat. "Cat, please, you have to believe me...she just jumped on me". Jesse looked into Cat's eyes, willing her to believe. Cat thought quickly through what she had been able to make out of the muffled conversation. It certainly had sounded as though Jesse had been trying to put Kate out. And Cat was secure in Jesse's love, and trusted her completely. And after everything that Kate had done to Jesse, Cat was absolutely positive Jesse would never touch Kate again. "Of course I believe you, Jess. I trust you no matter what". Cat smiled gently at Jess, touching the woman's arm to reassure her. "That bitch, however is another story". Cat tilted her head towards the other side of the room, her face taking on a look of anger and icy determination. Cat stepped around Jesse to face Kate, who had in the interim picked herself up off the floor and was brushing her hands down her black skirt. Kate glanced up, and must have recognized the look on Cat's face. Kate's gray eyes darted back and forth between Cat and Jesse, obviously trying to calculate her way out of this mess. "Uh, hi...you must be...Cat, right?" Kate stammered. She held out her hand towards Cat. "I'm Kate...Jesse and I were...catching up." Cat looked at Kate's hand like it was a poisonous snake. Her blue eyes flashed up to Kate's face as a sneer twisted on her mouth. "Don't try that shit with me. What are you doing here anyways? I don't remember inviting you." Kate just glared back at Cat unresponsively, a mulish set to her jaw. "I've heard all about you and your little games" Cat continued. "I have a pretty good idea just WHAT you thought you were doing with Jesse. A word of advice..."Cat continued, taking a step closer to the blonde bitch in front of her. Cat's voice was low, raspy, and very threatening. Cat could hear herself, but had no idea how she was making herself sound so...badass. Kate stepped back nervously, bumping into the wall. "Stay away from Jesse. Stay away from me. Stay away from this gallery. You've done enough damage, and I for one would be more than happy to see you rot in hell. And you'd better believe I will send you there myself if I EVER catch you trying to fuck with us again." Kate glared at Cat with a look of pure hatred. Her gray eyes flicked over to Jesse, finding the redhead looking at Cat with amazement. Figuring the little brunette in front of her to be the greater threat, her eyes came back to Cat, sparking with distaste. "I don't know who you think you are little missy..." Kate began, her voice dripping with a haughtiness that spiked Cat's blood pressure through the roof. Mountain Magic Revisted "Listen here Miss High-and-Mighty" Cat cut her off. "I know exactly who I am. I also know that I don't give a shit what you have to say, Kate. Whatever you thought you were doing, or whatever you think you could do – just forget it. Jesse is mine now." Cat's voice was low and steely, if possible even more quiet and threatening than before. Kate blinked. "Leave. Now. Before I decide to stop playing nice". At this, one of Cat's eyebrows raised up, daring Kate to give her a reason not to play nice. Cat took one more step forward, crowding Kate into the wall once again. Rage was rushing through Cat's body, making her tremble with the potency of it. Her blue eyes were narrowed, firing shots at the woman in front of her. "Cat, baby..." Jesse said, stepping up and latching onto Cat's arm, giving her a worried glance as she tried to tug the brunette back a bit from Kate. Not taking her eyes off of Cat's determined face, she said "Kate, I really think you should leave. Right now". Kate looked back and forth between the two women in front of her, anger and hatred naked on her sharp features. She opened her mouth to spew something else, thought better of it, then turned and stalked out the door, fuming. Jesse grabbed Cat's shoulders and turned the woman around to face her. The redhead watched as Cat's face slowly cleared of anger. Jesse's green eyes were filled with worry, and wonder. "Cat, baby – are you all right? You scared the piss out of ME for a minute there. What the fuck was that?" Cat shook herself, mentally and physically, trying to release the tension that had built inside her. "I'm not sure, love. I was so angry, so pissed at her. I knew what she was trying to do...I could almost hear her thoughts. Like a psychic moment or something. And the angrier I got, the more calm I got, inside, you know? I think I really could have hurt her". "You were fearsome!" Jess crowed. "I wish you could have seen yourself! You looked like a panther stalking up to a little rat, about to rip its damn head off. No wonder she ran out of here so fast! Remind me never to really piss you off." Cat chuckled, then took a deep breath and leaned into Jesse's strong body. Jesse slid her arms around Cat. "Maybe I went too far", Cat sighed. Jesse just shrugged. "What did she want in the first place?" Cat asked. "Oh, you know...the usual. 'Show my work again, be my girlfriend again. I miss you, you're the best, etc. etc.' "Jesse sighed. "I gather that her life hasn't been going so well for the past year. Word about how she did me wrong got around, and now nobody will touch her. Heather told me last week that Kate hadn't sold a single piece in almost 8 months. She's contacted me before, begging me to help her out, trying to seduce me into doing what she wanted. But this is the first time she's gone so far. I wonder if she'll ever get tired of fucking my life up?" "Well, she might at least think twice about it now", Cat laughed. Jesse laughed too, tilting Cat's sweet face up for a kiss. Cat deepened the kiss, sliding her tongue slowly into Jesse's mouth. Jesse allowed Cat to explore for a bit, then took her turn and swirled her own tongue into Cat's willing mouth. Cat felt the earlier desire return, stronger now for the adrenaline that had been pulsing through her veins. Her breathing hitched, once, and Cat tightened her arms around Jesse's waist, pulling Jesse towards the desk. "Hang on baby", Jesse said, pulling back. Cat pouted prettily. Jesse laughed. "I know this was my idea and all...but somehow now...well...let's wait 'til we get home, okay?" Cat understood. Having just been kissing Kate in here, Jesse now did not want to taint their own love making with Kate's lingering aura of malice anywhere nearby. Cat grabbed the back of Jesse's head, and pulled the taller woman down until they were nose to nose and eye to eye. "Home. Now." Cat whispered urgently, her words formed against Jesse's lips. "Say good bye to your people, tell Heather to lock it up, and let's go now. I'll be in the car". Cat was beyond aroused. She was demanding. She gave Jesse a look she knew would drive the other woman mad and walked purposefully to the front of the building, avoiding the gazes of the other party-goers, and alerted the valet for their car. The ride home was accomplished in silence. The mutual attraction between them was strong, and no words were needed to ramp that up. While Jesse drove (much faster and recklessly than normal), Cat played finger games on Jesse's thigh. Cat loved the feel of Jesse's muscles flexing and moving under her hand while her leg pushed pedals in the car. Cat kept her ocean blue gaze on Jesse's profile, lapping up the sight of the redhead. Every now and then, Jesse would glance over at Cat, and the heat in that split second gaze was undeniable. Cat now felt as though she was the small helpless animal, and Jesse was the predator coming after her. Cat knew that tonight would be a memorable night for them. Cat purposely walked up the steps to their apartment in front of Jesse. She knew Jesse liked her ass, so took this opportunity to shake it enticingly in Jesse's face. Jesse's hand cupped Cat's ass the entire flight of steps. The two women bust through the door like a tornado, the flung door banging against the opposite wall and then slamming closed. Jesse fumbled with the lock, unable to see the deadbolt since her face was currently attached to Cat's. Cat was all over Jesse, her mouth and tongue insistent and demanding, her hands frantic to find bare skin. Cat groaned deeply, knowing that there would not be any slow soft love making this night, no sweet whispered nothings and gentle caresses. Long-denied needs were pounding through both of their veins. This was going to be brutal. Jesse began walking Cat backwards towards the bedroom. Cat stepped backwards, keeping pace, refusing to release Jesse's mouth. Jesse lifted Cat's dress and breaking contact for just a moment, ripped it off over the smaller woman's head, and then swooped her mouth back down to claim Cat's once again. Meanwhile, Cat was busy untucking and unbuttoning Jesse's shirt. As Cat felt the edge of the bed bump up behind her knees, Jesse gave Cat a little push, and Cat went flying backwards onto the bed. Laying across the bed in nothing but her lacy black bra and panties, her stilettos and her diamonds, Cat knew she made a striking figure. But Cat was too wound up to lay still and wait for Jesse's move. Cat bounded up to her knees, pulling Jesse to the edge of the bed and roughly pushing the shirt off Jesse's shoulders while Cat's mouth made trails of hot flame around the redhead's neck. Jesse grabbed a handful of Cat's thick brown hair, pulling back none too gently until Cat's head was arched back as far as it would go, exposing her slim neck to Jesse's teeth. As Jesse bit and suckled on the tendons down Cat's neck, Cat scratched her nails deeply down Jesse's back, leaving red trails down the skin. Jesse sucked in a hard breath, raising her head to look at Cat with a steely gaze. "Put your claws away, Cat" Jesse said roughly, tugging harder on the brown hair. "I'll get around to fucking you soon enough." "Ohhhh...Jesse wants to play big bad Dom, tonight hmm?" Cat said, a gleam of mischief in her eyes and a sneer on her delicate lips. "And what if I want to be on top?" Jesse quirked an eyebrow at Cat, daring her to try. "Tell you what," Cat continued. "Wrestle you for it!" Jesse smiled wickedly and raised her hands up in the classic wrestler's pose. Cat laughed in delight, spreading her knees further apart on the mattress for better balance. Cat was ready for Jesse when the athletic woman launched herself towards Cat. They grappled, they tangled, and they pinned, bucked and threw. They bit, they slapped, they pulled hair. "Bitch" and "fucking slut" were yelled. Rolling all across the bed, an outsider would have sworn they were really going at it. But Cat and Jesse had that kind of relationship. They could voice their inner darkest fantasies, and often role-played some of their favorites. One they played often was the Fight for Dominance. Cat knew that Jesse wouldn't really hurt her, and Jesse knew the same of Cat. Despite the snarling, growling and nasty words that flew from their mouths, they both knew it was all in fun, no matter how well either one of them may act their part. Finally, Jesse managed to pin Cat under her on the mattress. Cat struggled, but knew she wasn't going to get free this time. "Submit, Kitty Cat" Jesse growled, using the name that Cat loved to hear during rough dirty sex. Cat bucked her hips again, struggling one more time in a last bid for freedom. Jesse tightened her grip on Cat's wrists, thrusting her muscled thigh brutally up between Cat's legs. "SUBMIT, bitch!" Jesse yelled. Cat went limp, breathing heavily. "I surrender", she said demurely, closing her eyes. Jesse stood up at the edge of the bed in victory, flipping Cat over on her back, grabbing one of Cat's ankles and hauling her roughly across the bed until Cat's ass was right on the edge. Jesse reached down and grabbed a hold of the flimsy scrap of Cat's panties, ripping them completely off of the woman's hips. Cat grunted in pleasure at the brutal act. She laid still in her submission, her hands and arms still splayed over her head. Jesse grabbed onto Cat's silver heels, lifting her legs up high, and then spreading them wide. Jesse looked down at Cat's wet pussy, and then back up at Cat's flushed face. "Should I tame the she-Cat now, then?" Jesse asked cruelly. "Yes", Cat answered. Knowing that wouldn't be enough, she added "please." Jesse dropped to her knees at the edge of the bed, still holding onto Cat's feet and without any further foreplay rammed her tongue hard into Cat's pussy. Cat cried out in pleasure, her hips twisting with the spasms of lust rocketing through her. Jesse licked Cat's slit brutal and fast, bringing Cat close to orgasm within minutes. With her feet held wide open by Jesse's hands, Cat wasn't able to move hardly at all, only lay there and take the tongue lashing Jesse was intent on giving her. Just as Cat was reaching her peak, her moans rising higher and higher, Jesse abruptly stood up and walked away, leaving Cat trembling on the edge of coming. "What?" Cat screeched. "What the hell? Jesse!! God Jesse, you bitch! You can't stop!" Cat scrambled up to her knees again, gaping in disbelief at her lover's back. Cat was prepared to beg if that was what Jesse wanted her to do. Jesse walked over to the dresser on the other side of the bedroom. "I told you I would get around to fucking you. I did not say I would let you cum." As she spoke, Cat saw Jesse pulling the leather harness and large strap on cock out of one of her drawers. "Jesse!" Cat cried. "You can't...please." Jesse ignored her pleading, intent on taking off the rest of her clothes and strapping on her thick cock. "Fine!" Cat snapped, reaching down to run the fingers of her right hand over her clit. Cat would get herself off. Cat worked her fingers frantically over her throbbing clit, her blue eyes closing as she quickly starting building up again to orgasm. Jesse stalked back across the room, fully prepared now, and slapped Cat's hand away. "Hey! Cat screeched, her eyes flying open to glare at Jesse. "Tsk, tsk....naughty little kitty Cat. That is MY pussy to play with, not yours!" Jesse said. Cat groaned. "God, Jesse. You can't really mean this...please..." She fell back on the bed, lying provocatively to entice her lover into bed. Jesse just laughed. "All in good time, my little she-Cat." Cat pouted, and then with out warning, hooked the toes of her shoes on either side of Jesse's hips, and with a quick movement, Cat jerked her knees towards her own head. This caused Jesse to fall forward in the bed, falling on top of Cat. Cat tried to use Jesse's surprise to her advantage, but the muscular redhead was too quick and strong for her. In due time, Jesse had Cat lying flat on her stomach, with Jesse's hips wedged firmly between her thighs. The thick latex cock was nudging enticingly at the entrance to Cat's pussy. Jesse wedged her hands under Cat's hips, lifting them up to prepare for sliding the cock inside the hot little brunette. "Now..." Jesse began with a threat in her husky voice close to Cat's ear. "What is it that you want?" Cat gave in. "Fuck me", she said softly. That was what she wanted anyways. "What was that, slut?" Jesse said with a little flex of her hips. "I didn't quite hear you." "Fuck me!" Cat yelled, beyond caring who was dominant and who was submissive. She just wanted to get off. "Fuck me hard!" "Why should I?" Jesse said evilly, once again teasing Cat's wet hole with the head of the cock. "Christ! Because I want you to...oh god... because I'm a slut. Fuck...Jesse....god....I'm a slut for your cock....more!" Her eyes were closed with anticipation, the air hitching in and out of her lungs with each ragged breath she took. Each sentence Cat uttered won her another centimeter of cock nudging inside her tight pussy. "I want you inside me...oh yes...god give me more please...I want all of it...yes please fuck me like the whore I am", Cat said, lifting her hips in desperation. Jesse reared up fully onto her knees, and grasping Cat's ass in her hands, thrust forward hard enough to push the entire 9"of the dildo into Cat's slick wet channel. Cat groaned loudly, tossing her long dark hair to one side and looking back over her shoulder at the powerful redhead behind her. Jesse continued to fuck Cat from behind, pulling the cock out slowly and then pushing it back in hard. Each thrust from Jesse's hips had Cat grunting with pleasure. "Harder" Cat growled, her hands fisting in the sheets. "Fuck me faster." Jesse complied, slamming the cock into Cat as hard as she could. Cat pushed her hips back and up to meet each thrust, taking the cock as deep as possible. Jesse lifted one hand and brought it back down sharply, smacking one of Cat's firm ass cheeks with a loud slap. "Yes...you are a little fucking slut, aren't you Kitty Cat?" Jesse growled. "God yes....fuck me...oh god..." Cat agreed, thrusting her hips back to meet each incoming attack on her cunt. Jesse slapped Cat's ass again, then digging her fingers into the soft flesh, spread Cat's cheeks apart to expose her pink puckered asshole. Jesse continued fucking Cat smoothly, and now brought her thumb into play, rimming it firmly around Cat's ring. "Oh fuck....Jesse....shit....ooooohhhhh god....JESSE!!" Cat screamed into the mattress, her body bucking with the monstrous orgasm that rocketed through her body. Her pussy clenched tightly around the cock, so tightly Jesse had trouble moving it back and forth. Her ass throbbed in time to the orgasm in her pussy, pushing against the pad of Jesse's thumb. "fuckfuckfuckmegodfuck me...oh yes" Cat moaned over and over again. Finally Jesse allowed Cat to fall forward onto her stomach, Cat crying out as the cock slipped out of her abused pussy. Jesse laid down on her back next to Cat, stroking one hand lazily up and down the brunette's back, letting the dazed woman catch her breath. Cat lifted her head to look over at Jesse. A slow smile curved her mouth. "mmmmm" was all Cat could say. A look of empowered victory and smugness was on Jesse's face. "Did I satisfy your poor little pussy?" Jesse asked with a grin. "Oh hell yeah baby", Cat answered. Though Cat would never want to really be in an S & M relationship, she really loved the role-play. It was Cat's deepest darkest fantasy, and she loved sharing it with Jesse. "Good. Cause now you have some work to do, my little whore." Jesse laid back on the bed, the wet slippery cock rising like a flagpole above her hips. Obviously, Jesse wasn't done with their little porn scene. Cat scooted over, and started kissing Jesse, working her way over the redhead's face and down her neck. Jesse once again grabbed a fistful of Cat's hair, pushing the brunette further down her body. "I meant right now, Kitty Cat" Jesse said roughly. "You left quite a mess down there." Cat slid all the way down until she way eye-level with Jesse's cock. It glistened wetly with the abundance of Cat's own cum. "Clean it up", Jesse ordered. Cat took the cock into her mouth, groaning at her own taste mingled with the sharp flavor of latex. Jesse lifted up onto her elbows to better see Cat's blow job. Even though Cat knew Jesse couldn't feel a thing, she knew Jesse enjoyed the visual of Cat sucking her off. Raising her blue eyes to meet Jesse's half-lidded gaze, she dutifully licked and sucked every bit of cum and wetness off of Jesse's cock. Cat could only get about half of the long thick shank into her mouth, but she swirled her tongue around the entire length of the shaft, keeping her eyes locked on Jesse's face. Jesse grunted with satisfaction. Cat reached up with one hand, and undid the buckles on either side of Jesse's hips, releasing the harness. Cat tossed the now-clean cock off to one side, and looked down at Jesse's pussy. Jesse obligingly spread her knees. "You should clean that up too", Jesse said. "Of course", Cat replied, snuggling down between Jesse's thighs. First, Cat cleaned the surrounding areas, as quite a bit of her own juices had mixed with Jesse's fluids, and slid around Jesse's upper thighs. Cat licked and sucked every bit of wet skin her tongue could find without actually touching Jesse's pussy. Jesse allowed this stalling tactic for only a very short time. Again, her hand grabbed Cat's hair, forcing the woman's face into her hot pussy. "Stop playing around get your hot little mouth on me!" Jesse demanded. Cat buried her tongue as deep as she could inside Jesse. Jesse moaned, and Cat continued to lave Jesse's warm slit. After taking her time dipping the tip of her tongue in and out of Jesse's sweet hole, Cat swirled her tongue up to the hard little clit. Wrapping her lips tightly around it Cat suckled, using the flat of her tongue to work the nub in small circles. Jesse's breathing got rougher, and the redhead's hips began thrusting, pushing her slick pussy lips harder against Cat's face. Cat moaned in her throat, loving the taste of Jesse mingled with her own flavor. Cat latched her arms around Jesse's thighs, hanging on and feeding off of Jesse's wet juices. Looking up, Cat caught and held Jesse's eyes, dark lust and deep desire flashing between them. Jesse was still propped up on her elbows, watching the brunette work her pussy. Cat knew that even as they played at games of dominance, at this moment she held Jesse's world in her mouth. Cat watched as Jesse's eyes went blind, still open but hazy with the building ecstasy inside. Cat was rapt on the emotions flicking across Jesse's face: lust, need, love, wonder, ultimate release. Jesse dropped her head back, arching her back and thrusting her firm breasts into the air. Cat watched those breasts quivering with each shuddering breath Jesse took, and each exhale became harsher and faster, until finally every breath was ending with a moan, a cry of deep pleasure. Jesse pushed her hips one last time hard into Cat's face, then froze as the first peak of orgasm crashed over her. A deep primal groan issued from Jesse's chest as Cat felt the hot flood enter her mouth. At the same time, Jesse's clit began throbbing incessantly against Cat's tongue, and Cat knew the triumph of bringing her woman pleasure. The sweet juice continued to flow, and Cat dropped her mouth lower, leaving the pulsing clit for the river of cum seeping from inside Jesse. Cat lapped and slurped all she could get, loving the deep taste, the heady feeling, the absolute connection with Jesse's innermost private being. Cat slowly licked Jesse clean of every last drop, gentle and sweet with her tongue. Jesse's loud cries had subsided into soft grunts as the orgasm slowly ebbed away. Cat kissed and licked her way back up Jesse's body, tasting salty perspiration on the woman's skin. As she came face to face with Jesse, they looked into each other's eyes. All games were over, and they were left with just each other, their mutual ecstasy, and their love. They kissed deeply, softly; flavors of one another mingling until they were one. This was the best part of rough nasty sex: the soft beautiful scene of reaffirming their wonderful love for each other. Mountain Magic Revisted "Cat, god you're amazing. So beautiful", Jesse whispered between soft kisses. "I love you with all my soul", Cat responded. "All my heart", Jesse echoed. Cat reached behind her back and undid the clasp of the bra that had never made it off her body. She reached down and pulled of the silver stilettos one by one, letting them fall to the floor. Then Cat curled up beside Jesse, her arm flung across Jesse's abdomen, her thigh tucked between Jesse's long legs. Jesse curled her arm around Cat's shoulder, and they both fell asleep, secure in the love of a woman. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The buzzing noise roused Cat from a deep dreamless sleep. She fluttered her hand against Jesse's leg."Mmmm" Cat muttered. "Jess...Jess...it's Saturday. Turn off the alarm." Cat said sleepily. Jess sat up, blinking groggily. "It's not the alarm. It's my phone." "Well turn it off." Cat said grumbling. Jess got up out of bed, and Cat moaned a protest at the loss of the woman's body heat. A quick glance at the bedside table revealed what Cat's internal clock already knew. It was early. Pre-dawn early. She flopped back down into the bed, snuggling into the warm spot Jesse had left behind. "Yeah?" Jesse snapped into the phone. "Yes, this is Jesse Cunningham. Who's this? Who?! What...?" Jesse's voice trailed off as she listened to the other end. Cat glanced up, concerned about the alarmed tone in Jesse's voice. She saw the color drain out of the woman's face. "How? When? How?" Jesse yelled. Cat sat up in the bed. Bad news, for sure. She watched the emotions play across Jesse's face, terrified at what was being said on the other end. "Yes, yes...I'll be right there". Jesse hung up the phone, and turned empty eyes to Cat. 'Jess....Jesse", Cat said with alarm. "What is it? Who was that?" Jesse didn't answer, just stared at Cat with a dawning horror spreading across her face. "Jesse!! What happened?!?" Cat yelled, scrambling across the bed to grab the taller woman by the shoulders. "Tell me!" "The gallery...." Jesse whispered, so low that Cat had to lean in closer to catch it. "The gallery..." "The gallery? What about the gallery?" Cat asked. "Gone", was all Jesse said, her green eyes closing over a private hell. "Jesse! C'mon tell me!! Snap out of it!" Cat shook Jesse's shoulders. "JESSE!" Finally the panic in Cat's voice must have gotten through, because Jesse opened her eyes and stared bleakly at Cat. "Oh my god. Cat....There's been a fire. The gallery is gone. It's all gone." Jesse said in a dead voice. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It was like a nightmare. The flashing lights, the smell of wet smoke and sodden ash, the firefighters walking back and forth, to and fro on unknown firefighter duties. Cat and Jesse stood on the other side of the street, clinging to one another, looking at the heap of burnt wood and charred cinder that was all that was left of the gallery. Cat felt numb, and looked over at Jesse to see tears silently coursing down the woman's face. For the rest of her life, Cat knew she would be haunted by the sight of the sun rising on the smoldering ashes of their dreams. "Miss Cunningham?" Cat looked over to see a middle-aged man walking across the street. He looked tired, and saddened by the destruction around him. Cat tilted her head towards Jesse, indicating that she was the one to talk to. Simultaneously, she jogged Jesse's elbow to bring her attention to the man in front of them. "Miss Cunningham?" the man asked again. Jesse nodded. "Hello there. I'm Detective Larson. I'm sorry to meet you under these circumstances." He held out a smudged sooty hand, and Jesse shook it numbly. "And you are?" Detective Landers asked, opening up his notebook as he looked at Cat. "Caterina Richardson", Cat replied. "I'm the artist that shows here". "I've heard of you", he said. "Great work. Was all your stuff inside?" Cat nodded gravely. "So sorry." Cat just accepted that with another nod. "Wait a sec", Jesse interrupted. "Detective?? Shouldn't I be talking to a Fire Chief or something?" "Normally yes", Larson agreed. "However, in cases of suspected arson, the police get involved." "ARSON!?!" Cat and Jesse yelled together. "What do you mean, arson?" Cat demanded, while Jesse was saying "Who the hell wants to burn down my gallery?" "Yes arson. I'm sorry to be the one to have to break it to you, but we suspect foul play at work here. We found traces of an accelerant in the remains of the building. We think the fire was set deliberately." Detective Larson's words fell on disbelieving ears. Cat's mind raced, while Jesse just shook her head from side to side. Detective Larson continued "Do either of you have any idea who might have done this?" "YES!" Cat cried. Jesse turned to Cat with a raised eyebrow. "Cat, really? I honestly don't think Kate would be capable of this" Jesse said. "Kate who?" asked the detective. Cat ignored him, looking at Jesse intently. "Oh yes she is Jess. Trust me. I know I don't know her, and I only met her last night, but that bitch is evil. And pissed off at you. And royally pissed off at me. I know she did this. Your gallery, a year's worth of my work...think about it! Kate got us both in one fell swoop!" "C'mon Cat, how can you know that?" Jess scoffed. "Kate WHO?" the detective asked a bit more urgently. Cat sighed. She hated explaining these gut feelings she had. "Jess...remember when we first met?" Jesse nodded. "Remember how well I pegged your personality, your thoughts, your...self?" Again, Jesse nodded. "I pegged Kate last night too. I'm not psychic or anything, but trust me, Kate is more than capable of going this far". "Cat..." Jess began, then stopped. Finally she nodded. "I believe you. You have a clearer picture of Kate, since my head is all muddled with the past, and Kate and I have too much history for me to be partial." "KATE WHO?!?!, Larson yelled. Cat jumped, finally remembering the detective beside them. "Look, I'm gonna walk down the street and grab us some coffee. Jesse, you tell Mr. Larson here all about Kate". Jesse gave Cat a quick, fierce kiss. "Hurry right back, you hear?" Jesse said urgently. Cat nodded, and walked up the street to the coffee shop. Hours later, they were both back home, flaked out on the couch and staring blankly at the wall. They had showered to removed the smell of smoke from their bodies and hair, and now neither one of them had the energy to do much else than talk. Jesse received a phone call from the insurance company, and made an appointment to meet with the adjuster. Then another call from Detective Larson to confirm the arson, asking a few follow up questions about Kate, and informing them that he had been unable to locate the suspect so far. Afterwards, they drank too much wine, discussed Kate, and argued over whether she did or did not do it. They worried over the future, and kept obsessing over the fire and their ruined dreams again and again until they were too tired to do anything but sleep. The next morning, feeling clearer of head and lighter of spirit, Cat made breakfast for her and Jesse. They sat on the balcony and enjoyed the pancakes in the watery light of an uncertain sunrise. They didn't talk too much, but constantly exchanged soft loving glances throughout the meal. Afterwards, they went to the living room to stretch out on the couch and cuddle. They sat side by side, Jesse's arm snug around Cat's shoulder. Cat leaned deeper into Jesse's arms, loving the strength and comfort she found there. "Cat...I can't believe all your beautiful paintings are gone." Jesse said sadly. "Those are irreplaceable!" Cat shook her head. "No, I can always paint more. I've still got the pictures in my mind. I will be able to produce if not exact copies, at least more paintings in the same vein and just as good." Jesse shrugged. "I suppose the insurance will cover the gallery, and I can always build again, or take that money and buy a new bigger building." Suddenly, Cat laughed. Jesse looked at her like she was crazy. "I know you don't like pessimism and all, but I fail to see the humor in this, Cat". "Oh god, Jesse, don't you see?" Cat said, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "Kate has accomplished nothing but to give us some minor headaches. Sure, my paintings are gone and that sucks. Your building is gone, and that sucks. But we can get it all back! However Kate has gotten herself into so much fucking hot water!!! I can repaint, you can rebuild, and she gets to be somebody's bitch in prison!!" Cat doubled over with mirth, picturing the hoity-toity Miss Kate on her hands and knees in jail servicing the Prison Mamas one after the other. Jesse burst out laughing, her green eyes wide with the realization that Kate has fucked herself more than anything. The two lovers clung to each other on the couch, howling with glee, tears of laughter and relief streaming down their faces. Jesse sobered, and holding Cat's face between her palms said "What would I do without your wonderful optimism and positivity in my life?" Cat pondered the question seriously. "Curl up in a little ball and die??" "Oh!" Jesse screeched. She reached over and began tickling Cat in the sensitive crease of the hip, making Cat scream with the sensations. "Apologize!!" "Never!" Cat hollered between yelps of laughter, twisting her body to get away from Jesse's poking fingers. Cat fell back on the sofa, still trying to get away, her hips bucking and bouncing on the cushions. Jesse fell over on top of her, managing to manacle both of Cat's hands in one of her larger ones, keeping one hand free to torture the brunette mercilessly. "Uncle! Uncle!" Cat cried breathlessly, unable to take any more. Jesse stilled her hand, splaying it over Cat's abdomen as she looked down at Cat's flushed face. Cat's chest was heaving as she tried to catch her breath. She looked up at Jesse, and felt the mood change between them like quicksilver. What had been lighthearted and fun a moment ago had morphed into deep desire. Jesse was still holding Cat's hands above her head, and though before it was nothing more than an expedient to help Jesse's tickle attack, now it was reminiscent of bondage for quite another reason. Cat watched as the look of merriment slid off of Jesse's face, and an expression of craving dawned in her green eyes. Cat returned the smoky gaze, pressing her body up more firmly into Jesse's. Jesse responded by slowly sliding her hand lower down Cat's belly, until she encountered Cat's warm center. Holding Cat's eyes with her own, Jesse cupped her hand, holding Cat intimately through her thin pajama pants. Cat moaned softly. Jesse stood up, and helping Cat up with one hand, led the smaller woman back into the bedroom. The sunlight streamed softly through the curtains, giving the room a golden glow. They undressed, watching each other through eyes full of love. Cat lowered herself gently onto the bed, opening her arms to invite her lover to join her. Jesse did so, laying the full length of her long body against Cat's soft skin. Slowly Jesse began kissing Cat, her lips pressing softly to push Cat's apart. Jesse then slid her tongue into Cat's mouth silkily, stroking the length of her tongue. Cat stroked back in return, entering Jesse's mouth fully. Their tongues tangled back and forth, a slow dance of twists and thrusts. Cat fingers were dancing across the skin of Jesse's back, and she felt the shivers and goose bumps raising on the redhead's skin. Cat slid her hands up under Jesse's shoulders, holding the red hair in her fists and pulling Jesse even closer. Jesse shifted her weight off to the side, allowing her to slide her hand up to Cat's face. She stroked the brunette's soft cheek while kissing her, opening her eyes to look into Cat's. They kissed deeply, looking into one another's eyes while their tongues and hands explored. Cat lost herself in Jesse's eyes, watching them darken with desire; changing from a soft moss to a deeper forest green. The love and wonder was evident in Jesse's face, and Cat was amazed that they had found each other, had found such a beautiful resonance together. Jesse lifted her mouth off of Cat's lips, kissing a path across her face and down to her neck. Cat kissed Jesse's neck as well, licking and suckling at any spot that caught her interest. Jesse slid both hands up into Cat's thick hair, whispering softly in the woman's ear "god Cat...do you have any idea how much I love you? Can you feel how much I need you?" "Yes, my love. I feel everything in you." Cat responded on a sigh. "All that I am is yours, my love. I ask only for all of you in return." "I am all yours, my beauty. Heart and soul", Jesse said. Jesse continued kissing Cat's neck, sliding down lower until she could reach the brunette's full breasts. She paid homage to each one, hefting their weight in her hands, her green eyes closed in pleasure as she suckled gently on Cat's nipples. Cat clasped Jesse's head to her chest, allowing the lean woman free reign over her body. Jesse sat up on her knees, and with one last soft kiss, pivoted and faced Cat's feet. Cat, understanding what Jesse wanted, scooted over slightly and spread her legs apart, bending her knees up and apart. Jesse swung one leg over Cat, settling her face down into the juncture of Cat's thighs. At the same time, the redhead lowered her own hips directly over Cat's face. Cat reached up and slid her arms around Jesse hips, guiding the woman down into the correct position. As the two women settled into a slow 69, Cat moaned in perfect ecstasy. Sixty-nine with Jesse was unlike anything Cat had ever felt before. This was one of their favorite positions. As much as both of them loved eating out the other, and getting pleasure from giving pleasure, 69 allowed them to feel both sides of the same coin simultaneously. Cat moaned as Jesse's tongue swirled and licked at her pussy. Cat imitated Jesse's motions with her own tongue, feeling and hearing Jesse's groans of pleasure. The women sucked and licked, their slick bodies moving slow and languid. Hands slid over the back of trembling thighs, over smooth asses. If Cat increased her speed or pressure, Jesse did the same. If Cat switched from sucking Jesse's clit to licking, or back again, she quickly felt the same sensations on her own clit. Their needs and desires were so closely linked that Jesse knew what Cat wanted and vice versa; Jesse followed Cat's lead so quickly that it seemed at times that Cat's tongue was connected to her own pussy. The sublime ecstasy of giving and receiving the most delectable pussy-licking took both women to a state of ultimate pleasure. Lost in an erotic haze, they spent a long time enjoying each other's sweet snatch. Getting to the finish line was not the goal; the point became total and complete enjoyment and pleasure. Inarticulate moans and soft words mumbled against wet slick lips. Gentle thrusts and soft circles. Swirling tongues on throbbing, pulsing clits. As Cat began to fly apart with an orgasm, she felt Jesse beginning to come as well. The women hung onto to their partners' thighs, anchoring themselves in the flight of ecstasy, as well as holding the other down to ensure maximum pleasure. Orgasm after orgasm flowed between the two women, their individual pleasure fed fully by the other. Like a see-saw they tottered back and forth, up and down, first one then other, again and again. The waves went on and on, crashing against them like a slow current. As their simultaneous multiple orgasms subsided, they continued to lap at one another's hot pussy, licking up all the come they could find. Cat suckled softly on Jesse's outer lips, even as Jesse was sucking hers. Oh god, how Cat loved a good 69. Jesse finally lifted her head and swung her trembling body off of Cat. They lay facing one another, the smell of sex and woman deep in their noses. Cat draped her arm over Jesse's waist, sliding in as close as possible to the redhead, swinging her leg up over Jesse's thigh. Jesse pulled Cat in, kissing her soft once again; flavors of their pleasure mixing in their mouths again. Cat closed her eyes, letting her body and mind drift off in the afterglow. Jesse's eyes closed as well, though she kept her lips lightly against Cat's. Within minutes, Jesse was asleep; her mouth still softly pressed against Cat's warm lips. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Cat couldn't fall asleep after the glorious love-making, though her body was languid and heavy with satisfaction. The problem was in her mind. It seemed like too much emotion was running around in her head, like a hamster on a wheel. Cat decided that perhaps painting would settle her nerves. Cat set her easel up in the spare room she used as her studio, and addressed the blank canvas in front of her. Images of the mountains swirled in her inner eye, and Cat began sorting through the images, trying to select which one to capture. But the images wouldn't coalesce right. Instead they morphed into images of mountains on fire. Cat shook her head, knowing that there was just too much inside right now to quiet down and paint correctly. She left a note for Jesse, telling her that she had gone for a walk. Grabbing her coat on the way out the door, Cat set off down the street towards the small park at the end of the road. As she walked, she tried to sort through the mass of emotion inside to make some sense of it all. Anger. Okay, Cat was angry. That was natural. Kate had certainly done enough to deserve Cat's anger. Sadness for the loss of her paintings. Grief for Jesse's pain. Love for Jesse. Pride for Jesse, knowing that her new-and-improved gallery would be the best ever; knowing the woman would work her people hard, and herself even harder to prove to the world that you couldn't stop Jesse Cunningham. Pride for herself, knowing she wouldn't let anything get her down; nor would she let Jesse work hard alone. Determination for both of them, knowing they could survive this and be stronger for it. Like a phoenix from the ashes. How apropos. Unease...Caution. Unease? Where had that come from? Cat tried to grasp a hold of the faint feeling of wrongness in her mind. Though Cat would insist to everyone that she had no latent psychic ability, Cat secretly thought perhaps she did. Actual mind-reading psychic-ness, no; but for sure a certain emotional empathy for those she was close to physically and emotionally. Cat had the ability to pick up on emotion, strong emotions. Perhaps she just read people very well. Whatever it was, it had never served Cat wrong before. And now it was telling her something was very...off. Cat turned around to look behind her, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. It was the middle of the day, on a not-quite-busy not-quite-deserted street. There were a few people here and there, but no crowds, and no suspicious guys stalking her, waiting to mug her. Looking ahead of her again, Cat saw nothing worth the alarm in mind. But that alarm was there nonetheless. About 50 yards ahead of Cat, a car door opened. Cat's gaze zeroed in on that door, knowing this was where the feeling of wrongness was coming from. Kate climbed out of the gray sedan, and stood there shooting daggers at Cat. Cat felt sure if looks could kill, she'd be six feet under by now. Kate began stalking up the road towards Cat, leaving the car door hanging open. Cat could hear the car bonging at Kate, a gentle reminder to shut the door. Righteous wrath surged through Cat. This woman had tried to burn her and Jesse's life to the ground. Kate was guilty of that arson, and Cat was suddenly mad enough to spit nails. Cat began striding faster towards the blonde woman with the light of revenge in her eyes. In Cat's mind's eye, she saw this as the Clash of the Titans...two wildly enraged women coming to crashing blows over the love of the century. Mountain Magic "So", Cat began matter-of-factly, "you own this cabin." Jesse nodded, meanwhile holding her numb fingers out to the warm blaze in the fireplace. "And I have paid very good money to stay here for the next week. We definitely have a problem". As she said this, Cat was smiling at Jesse, obviously trying to find humor in the situation. Her smile was really pretty. "I suppose the thing to do would be to call the rental office in the morning and see about getting me moved into some other cabin in the area. " Jesse agreed, again just nodding. "And, seeing as how it's The Blizzard of Armageddon outside, we are obviously going to have to share tonight, right?" Cat smiled again, showing by her manner that she was okay with the situation. "I suppose so", Jesse replied, smiling back at Cat. "For tonight, I think we're stuck here together. We'll call Rural in the morning. There are a lot of other nice cabins and such around here. I mean, I hate to kick you out and all, but it really is my cabin..." "Oh, no please," Cat said. "I understand. It is what it is. Though I expect a hefty discount on my next cabin!" Cat smiled again, and Jesse noticed how her smile changed her face from merely pretty to stunning. "I'll go and get my stuff out of the bedroom. You should at least get to sleep in your own bed". As she said this, Cat began to turn towards the bedroom door. "No, no", Jesse said. Cat turned back to her with a questioning look. "Really, it's okay. If you're already all set up and everything....I mean, look: it's really late, I'm completely bushed. I'll just crash here on the sofa; it's no big deal at all. Really. I insist." Jesse wasn't really sure why she was giving up her bed. She wanted that bed, immensely. And she really was tired, and that damn sofa was a back's nightmare. But it just seemed like the nice, chivalrous thing to do. Sometimes Jesse cursed her innate unselfishness. Cat smiled again. "Are you sure?" she asked. Jesse took one look at Cat's radiant smile, and nodded. "I'm positive". "Okay then", Cat said. "If you're sure...I guess I'll go back to bed then". Their eyes met for a moment, and once again Jesse found herself glued to the blue gaze. Cat smiled at Jesse, a warm friendly smile, then walked across the room to the bedroom door. "Goodnight, Jesse", she called. "Nite Cat", Jesse said. "And thanks for not shooting me!" Cat's sexy laugh followed Jesse down into sleep that night. Jesse woke at the crack of dawn, groggy from the few hours of sleep she had gotten. And it wasn't even good sleep at that. Besides the uncomfortable sofa that left knots in her back and shoulders, Jesse had been plagued by frustrating sexual dreams involving her erstwhile roommate. The dreams, on top of the long dry spell she'd been going through pushed Jesse into a state of frustration that she was not very familiar with. Quietly and slowly, Jesse let her hand slide down inside her pajama pants. Over the past few months, Jesse had gotten to be a pro at relieving her own sexual needs. She closed her eyes and rubbed her clit in little fast circles. Usually during a session of masturbation, Jesse's mind was mostly empty, just concentrating on the sensations of her body. But this morning, she found herself thinking of Cat in those tiny little shorts. The little fantasy developed quickly, Jesse seeing Cat in her minds' eye, watching as her ass became more and more exposed as the little brunette bent over, calling Jesse's name over her shoulder, those blue eyes full of lust and seduction. The orgasm hit quickly, and Jesse bit her lip, trying not to make a sound as she came fast and hard. When the throbbing in her pussy had slowed to a manageable level, Jesse felt the utter relaxation that only comes upon sexual release. Even the little knots in her back were better, and Jesse let herself drift back off to sleep. It was a couple of hours later, judging by the light streaming in the windows, when Jesse woke again to the sound of the shower turning on in the bathroom. Obviously, Cat was awake. Jesse sat up on the sofa, cursing the knots and aches that were in her back muscles again. She stood up and stretched, moaning with the pleasure and pain of it. Jesse made her way into the kitchen, which was really just the living room area separated by a high bar top counter. In fact, the whole cabin was laid out as one large open room, with the exception of the bedroom. From the kitchen, Jesse could see the entryway, the living room, as well as the loft area where a pool table and a dartboard were kept. Jesse made a cup of coffee, and walked out of the kitchen, straight through the living room onto to the back deck, stepping into her shoes as she walked past them by the sofa. On the back deck, Jesse looked around and her breath caught in her throat. Apparently, the blizzard had raged all night long. From this cabin deck, perched on top of a mountain, Jesse could see for miles, over several valleys and smaller hills, almost to the edge of the mountain range. And the damn snow covered everything. Even now, there were still some thick wet flakes drifting down. The entire landscape was covered with several feet of white shit. Jesse started to curse under her breath, knowing there was no way in hell she was leaving this cabin for the next several days at least. As Jesse sipped her steaming coffee, she enjoyed the sensation of the cold brisk air across her skin. She walked around the deck which had been protected from the snow by the deep roofline and overhang above it. She looked out again at the winter wonderland before her. She took a deep breath and let it out forcefully, accepting whatever was to be. At least if she was going to be snowed in, she would be stuck here in this beautiful place, and not her tiny apartment in the city. Jesse frowned, realizing that she would not be stuck here alone, but with a total stranger. As this thought crossed her mind, she turned unconsciously toward the bedroom of the cabin, thinking of Cat. Jesse caught her breath once again, and tried unsuccessfully to pry her eyes away from the scene before her. The deck side of the cabin was all windows. There were sliding glass doors leading from the living room and the bedroom out onto the deck, but the floor to ceiling windows ran the whole length of the side of the cabin. Jesse had a straight view into the master bedroom. The bedroom itself was a good sized room, but had zero privacy inside the room proper. There were no walls separating the bathing area from the bed area, with the exception of a short divider that blocked the view of the toilet. But the large double-occupancy tub and shower combo were almost part of the bedroom, and had no walls or doors or curtains to block it in. Due to the large elegant size of the tub, and the placement of the showerhead, no shower curtain was necessary. Jesse had designed this cabin herself, and she loved the idea of showering in the open, with the wild rugged mountains visible. It was sort of like showering outside. It was one of the things that Jesse had splurged on when building the cabin. And now, due to her splurging, Jesse was getting a show. Cat was in the shower. And unaware of Jesse's presence out on the deck. Jesse watched, mesmerized by the soapy water sluicing down Cat's naked body. Cat had her eyes closed and her head arched back, obviously enjoying the hot water as a small smile played across her mouth. She ran her hands down from her dark hair, down her sides, across her stomach, up over her large breasts, then back up into her hair again. Cat continued to stand under the spray, stroking her body and innocently driving Jesse mad with desire. After her fantasy episode this morning, seeing the real thing was almost too much to take. Jesse wanted nothing more than to step through the door into the room and join that luscious woman in the shower. Really put a smile on her face. Jesse knew she should turn away, but found herself unable to stop looking. Cat turned away, revealing her tight round ass to Jesse's view, and grabbing a shower loofah lifted one leg up onto the rim. She bent over slightly to rub the soap into her legs and between them, and the backside view of Cat's ass and her perfectly shaved and bare lips catapulted Jesse towards the door. Jesse's hand was on the door when she came to her senses and whirled away in the other direction. What the fuck am I thinking?! She screamed at herself. She must be really bad off if watching a woman shower could take over her brain like that. Jesse did not know this woman, knew nothing about her. Absolutely no way was there going to be anything sexual between them. Jesse rationalized her feelings away, deciding that she was just sexually frustrated and ready to fuck anything that looked good and had a heartbeat. Though to be honest with herself, Jesse had to admit that she was very attracted to Cat. Jesse had her emotions under strict control and was sitting at the kitchen bar by the time Cat emerged from the bedroom, looking fresh and clean and smelling of lilacs. The scent of warm clean skin and flowers insidiously found its way up Jesse's nose as Cat came around the bar and took the seat next to her. Jesse firmly turned her mind to the matter at hand. "Good morning", she said to Cat, handing the brunette a cup of coffee. "Morning", Cat replied. "Mmmm...Thanks. Did you sleep okay last night?". Jesse shrugged. "Well enough I suppose. But I'm afraid we have a problem". Cat made a grimace, and then grinned. "I bet I can guess what it is. I can see out the window just fine!" Jesse almost choked on her coffee, thinking that Cat was making a reference to her earlier Peeping Tom episode. But then Jesse realized that Cat was of course talking about the snow. Cat looked at Jesse questioningly, concerned as Jesse coughed and hacked up the hot beverage. "Sorry, wrong pipe", Jesse rasped out. She cleared her throat a couple of times, wiping the tears from her eyes. "The snow, that's right", Jesse replied evenly. "We surely can't get out of here anytime today, and probably not tomorrow either. You and I are going to have to hunker down here together until some of this snow goes away. Might be a few days." "Well, at least we'll have company!" Cat quipped, turning a big blinding smile on the redhead. Jesse grinned and nodded, admiring how sturdily Cat seemed to be taking the news, and was almost jealous of Cat's apparent ability to find the positive in the situation. Seriously, the woman had been intruded on, feared a rape, nearly shot a stranger, was being kicked out of her expensive cabin retreat, and now faced an indeterminate amount of time stuck in said cabin with a sexually frustrated lesbian that wanted to rip her clothes off. It was really just too much! Jesse burst out laughing. "Uh, Jesse, are you all right?" Cat asked. She was looking at Jesse like maybe the redhead had gone round the bend. Jesse hooted a bit more, giggling at the absurdity of it all. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine, sorry. Just this whole situation struck me as fucking hilarious." Jesse tried in vain to get control of herself. She looked up and caught Cat's eye, and something passed between them; acknowledgment of the humor and absurdity of life's little foibles, and suddenly they were both laughing like lunatics. Every time one of them managed to get it under control, they would look askance at the other and it would send them both into renewed fits of hilarity. Cat would say "You should've seen your face!!" while making a gun shaped hand and pointing it at Jesse. Jesse would said "Surprise! You have company!" Soon, Jesse was kneeling on the floor, holding her stomach while tears streamed down her face. Cat was lying on her back on the floor, shaking her head back and forth while screaming with laughter. It was a long while before they had both settled down enough to even talk intelligibly again. "Wooooo, okay...." Jesse began. "First thing...we need supplies. I'm assuming you have more groceries and things with you, yes?" Cat nodded. "Good. I have some groceries in my truck, but I won't be able to carry it all back up here by myself in the snow. Can you help me?" "Absolutely", Cat said. "Just let me go get my boots on. How far away is your truck, Jesse?" "About a half-mile. It'll be easy to get to; since it's down hill, but coming back up will be a bitch." Cat paused, looking thoughtful. "Would it help if we had a sled to haul the stuff back up the hill?" "Cat, you're brilliant", Jesse cried. "That'll work perfect! Only..." Jesse bit her lip thoughtfully. "We don't have a sled. I wonder what we could use?" "We DO have a sled!" Cat cried triumphantly. "There's one in the garage, right next to my car. I guess a previous renter left it here." "Excellent", Jesse said. "Is there anything else useful in there?" "I put all the firewood in there as well." Cat replied. "there should be plenty of wood for the next few days, so we won't have to worry about staying warm." Jesse admired Cat's ability to think ahead. That would go a long way towards helping them out in this crazy situation. "Okay great", Jesse said. "Let's get dressed and head out to my truck". It took a while, but soon enough they both had trekked down to Jesse's truck, and back up again, hauling the rest of Jesse's supplies behind them on the sled. On the way down and back, they chatted a bit about themselves, polite chit chat that strangers will do in the getting-to-know-you dance. Jesse learned that Cat was from Virginia, had a college degree in fine arts, had been married and divorced, had no children, and was currently unemployed. Jesse wondered how Cat could afford a week in an expensive secluded cabin, but didn't ask. Jesse told Cat about herself, starting with the fact that she had grown up on this mountain. Cat had exclaimed about that, telling Jesse how lucky she was. Jesse had agreed, and filled her in on some more of her history with the area. Her old house was no longer standing, as the developers that her parents had sold out to took down the houses and built in a bunch of cabins for the mountain retreat. Jesse had used her savings to buy this side of the mountain, put in her own cabin, and leased it out when she wasn't using it (which was most of the time). She spoke about her job, telling Cat she ran a gallery in the city. Jesse refrained from mentioning the financial difficulties she had had recently, and quickly moved on to other personal items about herself. Jesse told her that she had never been married, but had had a few serious relationships, but was single at the moment. It was at this point that Cat interrupted her with a question. "Jesse, I don't mean to be rude, but I'm just curious...you're gay, right?" Cat asked quietly. "Yes, I am. How about you?" Jesse grinned. "No...no I can't say that I am", Cat replied. "I mean, sure; a friend of mine and I kissed some in high school on a dare. But no, I've never been with a woman. I don't have anything against it, but I myself just never saw the attraction there. I guess I am just more comfortable with a man". "And I," Jesse quipped, "will never be comfortable with a man." Cat chuckled in response. "No really, you have no idea what you're missing," Jesse said. "But since you're straight and all, I promise not to make you uncomfortable." Jesse replied. "And all?" Cat laughed. "What the hell does that mean, and all?" Jesse laughed too. "Yeah okay, that sounded dumb. Ha-ha. What I mean is, please don't think that just because I'm gay that means I'm going to make any moves on you or drool over your body or anything." Jesse flushed a bit, remembering that despite what she was saying now, that was exactly what she had done this morning during Cat's shower. Cat made a little hurt face. "What, isn't my body drool-worthy?" Jesse laughed out loud, blushing at the same time. "Um...well, as a matter of fact it is very drool-worthy. You have an excellent body, very sexy. You have just the right curves in all the right places." A slow knowing smile began to cross Cat's face. Jesse realized that she was going too far, and tried to balance that. "But you know, just because I appreciate a fine body doesn't mean I can't control myself or anything...." Jesse let her words drift off, realizing she was making an idiot of herself. "Would you like a shovel to help you dig that hole?" Cat asked sweetly, giving Jesse a cute little grin. Jesse laughed. "Evil, evil! You knew what you were doing! I'll get you for that!" Jesse stooped down to pick up a handful of snow. Cat mock-screamed and a short snowball fight ensued, effectively ending the conversation. By the time their energy for the snow fight had dissipated, they were very close to the cabin and began to talk of other things. They spent a very pleasant day together, talking of this and that. Cat made sandwiches for lunch, while Jesse watched her quick graceful motions in the kitchen. They ate them together while playing card games to pass the time. At one point Jesse thought how strange it was, that though they had just met yesterday under stressful circumstances, today they were hanging out like good friends. It seemed that Cat was a very friendly outgoing person, the type of personality that Jesse gravitated towards. Jesse began to think that perhaps this snow-in wouldn't be so awful. As long as Jesse kept her libido under wraps and Cat didn't bend over in front of her. As the day passed into evening, they both agreed that they had sat around as much as they could take, and decided after dinner to head up to the loft and shoot some pool together. Jesse made sure to keep the pool table between her and Cat, so Jesse was never in a position to see Cat's ass as the smaller woman bent over to make her shots. Jesse was an accomplished player, and was pleased to find that Cat was competent enough to make the game interesting. They played several games in a camaraderie of trash-talking. Their conversation turned serious again during a short time out for snacks and a trip to the bathroom. Cat asked Jesse what had brought her to the cabin so late at night, so abruptly, so Jesse had explained the incident with Kate. When Cat asked why the episode was so awful, Jesse spilled the whole story to Cat. "Kate and I were a pretty hot and heavy item for a long time. About 2 years I guess. But Kate is, well, to put it bluntly a bitch. Everything was always drama, drama, drama with her, and I never wanted to play those games with her. We became this on again, off again relationship, you know? One of those things were you know it's better to not do it, but for some reason you keep on with it?" Cat had nodded knowingly. "We were together constantly anyways because of work. You see, I run a gallery, and Kate is one the best artists in the city. I showed her work, set up publicity for her, and got a percentage of every work she sold. But Kate was not really capable of keeping work separate from personal business. She constantly was airing our dirty laundry in front of my employees, customers...it got to be embarrassing. When I finally called it off, and I meant it; she went a little crazy." Jesse paused, embarrassed to go on. "What happened?" Cat asked quietly, the pool game forgotten. Jesse looked over at Cat, and wondered why she was telling her all of this personal stuff. Jesse wasn't sure, but Cat was very easy to talk to, and seemed to empathize with Jesse's problems. Jesse decided to let it all out. "Kate decided to go on a personal revenge vendetta against me. But she dragged my business into it as well. She smeared my name in the artistic community, and I have not been able to book another artist of any caliber for the last 6 months. My gallery is on the brink of bankruptcy, and I will probably end up having to sell this cabin and my property here to keep it afloat. Or I could pack it all in, move somewhere else, and start all over...but DAMN I don't want to do that! It was so hard the first time, and I worked my ass off! I'm damn good at what I do, and I reckon Kate was jealous that I might be able to have success without her, I don't know. And now, well now it seems like she's really sorry about it all. But it's too late! God, I don't know what I'm going to do". Mountain Magic Jesse looked over at Cat, and the sympathy in her blue eyes shattered the last of Jesse's reserve. Tears began to spill out of her eyes. Jesse looked away, mortified at herself, and began to move out of the room. Cat stepped around the pool table and pulled Jesse into a hug. "Hey, hey...it's okay. Shhhhh". Cat continued to whisper quiet comforting things while Jesse cried out her heartbreak into Cat's shoulder. Cat hugged Jesse tenderly, rocking back and forth a bit and stroking her hand up and down Jesse's back. Slowly, the feel of Cat's petting and the realization that she was hanging on to Cat for dear life began to sink in. "God, I'm so sorry", Jesse sniffed. "I really do usually have it all together better than this, you know. I promise I'm not really a basket case." "Stop it Jesse, it's okay", Cat said. Though they had moved apart, Cat kept a hold of Jesse's hand. "Sometimes it really does help to cry it out. I'm glad I could be here for you to cry on, rather than you being all alone. Heartache this heavy is hard to face on your own." There was a hitch in Cat's voice that made Jesse look at her quizzically, but Cat just shook her head. "I know what we need", Cat said with determination. "We need wine!!" Jesse smiled at Cat, allowing her the evasion. "That sounds perfect." Cat turned and led the way back downstairs. Jesse found herself wishing that Cat would have let her go down first, so Jesse wouldn't be distracted yet again by the firm backside bouncing down the steps in front of her. She sighed inwardly, reminding herself yet again that Cat was straight and not interested. But damn, that woman had a tempting body. As Cat poured the wine, Jesse lit the fireplace. They both settled down on the sofa, watching the flames in quiet companionship for awhile. "Jesse", Cat began a bit later, "if you DID find another artist, a good artist to show in your gallery, would it still be too late?" "Well," Jesse replied, "I'm not sure. If it was a very good artist, maybe one with some renown...perhaps I could pull it off. But Kate has already poisoned all of those eligible artists against me, and though I could set the record straight with some of them, it would take too much time and the gallery will be lost". "But you could still try, right", Cat asked, putting her hand on Jesse's thigh. Jesse just shrugged non-commitedly. "Seriously Jess, you have to try! You don't seem like the type to just pack it in and give up Jesse. You are not a quitter. You are strong, and determined, and focused, and you will not let a little bitch like Kate ruin your life." Cat's voice had taken on a strident tone of determination as she squeezed Jesse's thigh for emphasis. Jesse looked at Cat with shock. "How do you know that? I mean, what makes you think that I have that kind of personality?" she asked. "I just do", Cat said. "Call it a feeling, empathy, what have you. I understand you, and I know that you will survive this." Cat was looking into Jesse's eyes with intensity, and Jesse could almost feel Cat's strength and positive determination leaping from her. Jesse began to lean towards Cat, captivated by her gaze. Suddenly, Jesse realized what she was doing; she was going in for a kiss! Smoothly, Jesse changed her lean towards Cat into a lean towards the coffee table and the wine bottle, filing up both of their glasses. "Thanks", Cat said. Jesse breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Cat didn't notice the slip. Damn, she was going to have to be more careful! "No, thank you, "Jesse said. "I really do feel better now, just having talked about this whole mess." Cat smiled, and Jesse marveled at how easily that smile came to the woman's face. Jesse sat back and sipped some more wine, her mind wandering back over the day she had just spent with Cat. Amazingly, Jesse realized she had had fun, and that laughter was the stand out emotion of the day. Jesse thought she hadn't laughed this much in a long time. Cat yawned, and Jesse realized what time it was. "Wow, it's pretty late", Jesse said. Cat nodded. "Yes, but I wanted to talk about the sleeping arrangements first", Cat began. Jesse interrupted her. "I told you I wasn't kicking you out of the bed". "I know," Cat replied. "But it's a huge bed. I don't mind sharing it with you. I really hate to think of you on this damn uncomfortable sofa two nights in a row. Really...it'll be fine". Jesse hesitated. Part of her leaped at the idea of sharing a bed with this gorgeous woman, but her brain knew that was a bad idea. But then again, the sofa really did suck. Slowly, Jesse nodded. "Okay, we can share it. Thanks a bunch. My back especially thanks you". Cat laughed, and they headed off into the bedroom. Jesse obliging turned her back while Cat undressed and changed into her top and shorts, and Cat did the same for Jesse. They crawled into opposite sides of the bed, said good night, and Cat hit the switch to turn out the lights. Jesse had a hard time falling asleep, as her sexual mind began playing scenarios in her head of Cat turning over and reaching out, softly calling Jesse's name as she pressed her soft warm body against Jesse's. It was good while before Jesse could tune out the sexual urgency that seemed to pulse in the empty space between the two of them, so that she could drop off to sleep. It was still dark when Jesse roused from a deep sleep, unsure of what had woken her. She figured it was some night noise outside or the cabin settling, mentally shrugged and sleepily pulled the warm body next to her in closer. Jesse spooned up behind the soft warm body, mumbling quietly in pleasure as her arm came around and grasped a firm full breast. She lay still a moment, reveling in the close intimacy of a good spoon, and then drifted back off to sleep. Hours later, Jesse awoke again. This time there was no doubt about what had woken her up. Cat was waking up, and stretching fully under Jesse's arm. Cat's stretch fit her name perfectly. Extremely feline, it was all-encompassing, seeming to start at her core and snake its way through her entire body, culminating in a full deep moan, at which point Cat's body slowly collapsed back in on itself, curling up around Jesse's arm and settling back into the spoon. Jesse bent her head down, and got her lips right on a warm section of skin at Cat's neck. Cat let out a little whimper of pleasure, snuggling her ass back into Jesse's groin. A hard slug of desire hit Jesse at this point, and it was then that Jesse realized who she was holding. Jesse froze, and then quickly tried to untangle her body from Cat's. It seemed that Cat had just realized who was spooning her, and quickly moved away as well. They both sat up, looked at each other awkwardly. "Umm...I'm sorry about that" Jesse began to say. "No, no...don't apologize. It's completely normal. I guess we can't help what we do when we're asleep. It was kind of nice anyways. Don't worry about it". Cat smiled one of the blinding beautiful smiles, and Jesse knew all was forgiven. After showering (during which Jesse stayed firmly in the kitchen while Cat was in the bath), they ate breakfast, and then set about their day trying to keep each other from going stir crazy. They both talked about life in general, the political climate of the day, world issues, whatever happened to cross their minds. Jesse found that Cat was smart, educated, easy to talk to, funny as hell with a quirky wry sense of humor, and a touching heart full of compassion. As the day wore on, Jesse found herself becoming more and more attracted to Cat, catching herself staring at her while Cat talked of this or that, not really hearing what she said, but just watching those full soft lips make beautiful shapes while she talked. If Cat had any clue as to what things were running through Jesse's mind during this day, Cat would have run screaming down the side of the mountain, begging the first person she came upon to save her from the lesbian monster that was threatening to eat her. Literally. Jesse spent the entire day in a maelstrom of whirling sexual desire, frustration, and want. It just so happened that sex seemed to be on Cat's mind that evening as well. As they sat once again in front of the fire with glasses of Pinot Noir, Cat turned to Jesse with a serious look on her face. "Jess, why do you like sex with women?" she asked. "What?!" Jesse sputtered. "Damn, Cat...what a change in subject!" Cat laughed. "True. Sorry. It's just that I've been wondering why you're gay. Or why anybody is. When did you know?" Jesse considered her question seriously. "Just after high school. I found that I much rather preferred women over men." "How?" Cat questioned. "You really want to know?" Jesse queried back. Cat nodded, leaning forward and looking at Jesse intently. "Okay then...let's see. Well, I had had a couple of boyfriends through high school, but only because it just seemed the thing to do, you know? I wasn't really into any of them. And yeah, I had sex with some of them, but it just didn't feel right. It wasn't very pleasurable; it didn't do anything for me. Not like the fireworks and passion that I had always thought sex was supposed to be. I found the whole thing to be rather...awkward and gross. I figured it was just something wrong with me, I was frigid, or whatever."Jesse paused to take another sip of wine, gathering her thoughts together. Cat nodded encouragingly, wanting Jesse to continue. "So then it was, I guess about a year into college when I met Stacy. She was in one of my classes, and we just hit it off. After a few months of really great friendship, she revealed to me that she was gay. It kind of caught me by surprise; especially when she went on to explain that she wanted to be with me. Like with me. I wasn't quite sure how to handle that. But over the next couple of days, I realized that what I had thought was simple friendship was a lot more, and that I was attracted to her as well." Jesse paused again, thinking back fondly over her first sexual experience with a woman. "Soooo", Cat prompted when Jesse had been quiet too long, rolling her hand in that get-on-with-it gesture. Jesse laughed. "Soooo, she introduced me to the pleasures of lesbianism. And I have never looked back. I realized that the lack of passion I had felt for my earlier boyfriends wasn't that there was something wrong with me, but that there was something wrong with them. They had penises!" Cat burst out laughing. "Seriously? It was that easy?" "Yeah", Jesse said. "It was right. I'm not sure how else to explain it. It just felt like I had finally figured out who I was, what I was supposed to be doing. Before, it had seemed like I was an actress, just going through the motions, but now I felt like me." Jesse looked over at Cat, noticing an introspective look on the smaller woman's face. "So what happened to Stacy?" Cat asked. "Oh, we just went our separate ways after awhile. At the time of course I was devastated, sure to never love again, etc. etc." Jess snorted. "You know how young love is. Eventually I did move on to other relationships, but never again with a man. " "What's it like? Sex with another woman, I mean", Cat asked. As she asked, she looked away shyly. Jesse looked at Cat sharply. Was she interested? Curious? Well, that was natural. Almost every woman Jesse knew, straight or not, had played around with a friend once or twice. Jesse decided to be perfectly honest and pondered her own intimate feelings about why she loved women. "Hmmm...it's just better, I think. With a woman, you just know what feels good, because all women's bodies are similar in most respects. You know if it feels good to you, it'll probably feel good to your partner as well." "Well, why is it better?" Cat pushed. "A man can be really good in bed too. What is it about a woman that makes it better?" Cat pushed. "What is it about a woman that YOU like so much? I really want to understand it." This seemed to be really important to Cat, and Jesse thought that maybe the woman had some latent bi-sexuality, or strong curiosity at least. Jesse hesitated, knowing where the conversation could lead, and then though fuck it. She asked for it. If it turns her on, that'll be her fault. Jesse looked off into the flames, twirling her wine glass between her fingers, and then began talking softly. "I love the way a woman feels. Her skin, soft and warm, it usually feels like satin, or maybe velvet. So soft, so smooth. I love long thick hair, running my hands through it, pulling her head back, and exposing her throat, with the warm pulse in the hollow there. I love the way a woman sounds as I pleasure her, the sweet moans, the fast breathing. I love how a woman is responsive to my touch, the way her body moves and flexes when I stroke her body. I love the curve of her hip, the length of her leg, the softness of her breath. When a woman kisses you, you can feel that kiss all the way through you. Two women together can make beautiful love together. Trust me; it's nothing like they show in the pornos." Jesse paused for a breath, looking over at Cat. Cat was sitting very still, listening raptly to Jesse's voice. Her mouth was slightly open, and her face was flushed. Jesse could see by the darkening of the blue eyes that Cat was indeed turned on by Jesse's description. And Jesse wanted very much to kiss her, to show her what she meant. Oh boy, this could get interesting, Jesse thought. "What is your favorite thing?" Cat asked quietly. She seemed intense, reckless, almost as if she knew how she was pushing Jesse's buttons. She leaned a little closer to Jesse, elevating the intimate moment so that Jesse's heart began race in her chest. Oh god, how I want her. Should I? Shouldn't I? Jesse's inner voice vacillated back and forth. Tell her, Jesse's heart insisted. Tell her what you want... Jesse looked Cat straight in the eye. "I love the taste of a woman", Jesse said intensely. "Taste? As in...?" Cat asked in a whisper. A flush starting creeping across Cat's chest, up her neck. "Come on now, surely you've tasted at least yourself?" Jesse asked. Cat just shook her head. Jesse could see that Cat was interested, embarrassed, turned on, and nervous at the same time. "Yes, the taste. Her woman's taste, her own unique flavor. Deep and musky, or sometimes clean and sweet, it doesn't matter to me. There is something about the intimacy of tasting a woman's deepest flesh, of savoring her private essence. I feel as if I know her inside and out. The absolute power I feel when I make her cum, and the overwhelming sensation of her flooding my mouth. I can make love to a woman's sweet wet pussy with my mouth and tongue for hours it seems. I just never get tired of it." Jess stopped, realizing that she had gone way beyond her intentions, and had managed to turn herself on right nicely. "God Jess...you make it sound...wonderful", Cat breathed. "It is wonderful", Jesse replied. "To me it is the most wonderful thing that we could do together." Jesse hurried to cover her slipup. "We as women, I mean. It's beautiful, it's...sharing. It's intimacy at its closest most open stage." "And you can't find that with a man?" Cat asked. "Not me. Maybe straight women can. But it's been my understanding that men are pretty selfish in bed anyways, so I would guess no for most of them as well." Something shined in Cat's blue eyes, some memory that put a look of pain there. Jesse started to ask what was wrong, but Cat spoke first. "Jesse, do you know your eyes change color when you're turned on?" "And what makes you think I'm turned on?" Jess asked. "I can just tell, from your voice, the way you were talking...and your eyes. I think I can read your face pretty well, and your eyes give away a lot. Especially just now. They got to be this really deep emerald color, really beautiful". As she spoke, Cat leaned in even closer, placing a hand on Jesse's leg. Jesse turned those emerald eyes to Cat now. "You know Cat, this is a bad idea." IDIOT! Shouted her inner demon. "What is?" Cat asked innocently. Too innocently. "You know exactly what I mean!" Jesse accused. "Cat look; you're straight. I'm gay. We are stuck here together for what may be several days. I do NOT want to take advantage of you, or have you do something that you are not comfortable with. I will not be the big, bad lesbian that seduced her captive woman. I know that's what you're thinking about – you think you want to sleep with me. You want to try it. You're curious, you're excited...but trust me; you and I sleeping together would not be the best idea." Jesse's libido was screaming at her, telling her shut up and now! But her head stilled reigned supreme, and Jesse just couldn't lead Cat blindly into something she might regret. Cat sighed, sitting back on the couch looking hurt and rejected for a moment. Jesse took a breath to try and explain further, but it seemed as though Cat was "thinking it through" so she held her tongue. Finally, Cat seemed to come to some conclusion. "I guess you're right. It's just that...well, I suppose it's been a long time since I've had any kind of sex at all, and it just sounded so damn hot. I guess I got carried away." "Cat, I'm sorry...really. I'm not rejecting you or anything. I just don't think it would be so smart. I don't do quick casual one-night things, and this is just...." Jesse waved her hand, encompassing the whole of the cabin and the snow outside. "I understand," Cat said, smiling softly. "It was just a moment". Jesse was relieved, since it seemed as though Cat really did understand. "Let's watch a movie, shall we?" Cat suggested, and Jesse agreed eagerly, anything to get off the subject of her and Cat and sex. During the movie, Jesse had a hard time concentrating. Though she had successfully held Cat off, it was dubious success. She was also kicking herself for having done so. Cat had looked so inviting, so...hot. Jesse knew she had done the right thing, but for pity's sake the woman was just too sexy for comfort. And Cat didn't even seem to be aware of how sexy she was, which made it all the more enticing. Jesse knew she was in a bad state, and silently cursed Cat for causing the whole thing with her innocent questions. Jesse was hyperaware of Cat and every move the brunette made, but the damned woman didn't seem to be affected by the earlier atmosphere of sex and desire at all. Cat laughed easily at the antics in the stupid movie. Meanwhile, all Jesse could wonder about was how good Cat would taste. She wasn't quite sure what she was going to do when it came time for bed. Jesse began consuming large quantities of wine, encouraging Cat to drink up as well. When they finally called it a night, Jesse was drunk enough to fall right asleep, and saved herself the frustration of lying next to Cat without touching her. As it was, the night followed the same routine as the previous night. After falling asleep on separate sides of the bed, they awoke to find themselves intimately entangled. This time however, Jesse and Cat were lying together facing one another, Jesse's arm and leg pinning Cat to the bed. Jesse opened her eyes to see Cat's brilliant blue ones looking up at her. The smaller woman smiled sweetly. "Good morning Jess", Cat said softly. Panicked, Jesse tried to remember just how drunk she had been last night. She did manage not to sleep with Cat, right? The previous evening came back, and Jesse was relieved. "I'm sorry Cat, "Jesse said, removing her limbs from Cat's body. "you should have woken me up!" "No big deal", Cat said, stretching like a cat once again while Jesse watched appreciatively. "I was comfortable, and you seemed like you needed some good sleep. I just woke up about 30 minutes ago or so myself, and decided not to bother you."