6 comments/ 50137 views/ 25 favorites The Last Word By: Phoenix74 Dana rushed into the bookstore as she glanced at her watch, groaning as she realized she had a little less than two hours to buy the book she needed, go home and change, then meet her date. She didn't dare be late tonight. She'd finally scored a date with Rita, this incredibly hot woman who hung out at the same lesbian nightclub that she did. Dana would swear that, every night she was at the club, women were at least three deep at the bar trying to get Rita's attention. And Rita knew it. Dana's date tonight stood about 5' 10", had a slim, athletic build, long, straight silky black hair and a light olive complexion. Rita was a classic Italian beauty and just oozed sex appeal. Dana was still in shock that Rita had even noticed her the other night. Oh, Dana knew she was pretty, but not a knock out, not like Rita. She was average height with thick, dark brown hair and brown eyes. Dana wasn't model thin, but considered herself slim and curvy. She'd sat at the bar for hours the other night, watching Rita flick off potential dates like she was flicking lint off her sleeve. When Rita had turned her way, then offered to buy her a drink, Dana damn near fell of the bar stool. Seizing the opportunity of a lifetime, she started flirting with Rita, who seemed happy to flirt back, and Dana had scored tonight's date. Now, her big problem was what would happen when the date wound its way back to one of their apartments. Dana was no novice, but she wasn't the Don Juan of the lesbian world, either. Deep down, she was terrified of not being able to keep Rita's attention in bed tonight, and then this would end up being their one and only date. Sitting in rush hour traffic, her mind had created ever worse case scenario known to man. Panicking, she'd decided to seek help from the one thing that never let her down, books. So she'd made a last minute dash to her favorite bookstore, The Written Word. Luckily, the store was only ten minutes from her apartment. Now she tore through the store, making a beeline for the adult books section. Once there, she started skimming the titles, plucking books off the shelf as she spotted those that seemed to meet her needs. Within minutes, she had an armful of books and started flipping through them, speed-reading the back covers where they always printed the summaries. Juggling books, flipping them at an increasingly fast speed, it wasn't long before she lost control and they went tumbling to the floor. Dana winced at the sound of books crashing, and quickly bent to pick them up. Suddenly, a hand appeared in her line of vision and Dana's head whipped up, her cheeks beginning to burn with embarrassment. Fear quickly added itself to the mix when she saw who was helping her. Karen began gathering books, and didn't notice the look of horror that was spreading across Dana's face. The Written Word was her store, and she made a habit of getting to know her regulars. About ten minutes ago, she had been stocking books on the far side of the store, when she looked up to see Dana rushing in. Dana was one of her best customers, frequenting Karen's store at least once a week. Sometimes she bought just one book, other times she'd leave with bags bulging full. Karen would sometimes stop to chat with her whenever Dana came in. Karen believed that adding a personal touch was one of the things that kept her regulars returning to her store. She'd noticed that Dana seemed to be in quite a rush, so she had hesitated from walking over to say hi, but when she heard the books fall, she hurried over to offer her assistance. Scooping up books, Karen's mind began to register some of the titles: "100 Ways to Drive a Woman Wild in Bed" and "The Lesbian's Guide to Better Sex". Looking up, Karen saw Dana's face was tight with embarrassment and tension. Not wanting to upset one of her best customers, Karen quickly handed the books back to Dana, careful to act as if she hadn't noticed the titles. Dana accepted the books Karen handed her, returned Karen's smile with a weak one of her own, then muttered a "thank you" as Karen backed out of the aisle. God, she wanted to die! Karen was the storeowner and always went out of her way to say hello, or to talk for a few minutes. That's one of the things Dana always appreciated about the little store. It was about a quarter of the size of the big chains, but Dana enjoyed the cozy atmosphere and thought their selection was very well rounded. Dana didn't advertise, though, that she was a lesbian. People never guessed that about her unless she came straight out and admitted it. Karen had just played things very cool, pretending she hadn't noticed what kind of books Dana had, but Dana had caught her eyes skimming the titles. Dana was in her early thirties and judged Karen to be about ten years older. Because she was older, Dana wasn't sure how open-minded Karen was about sexuality, so she'd always been careful not to say, or do, anything that would tip Karen off about her. But now the cat was out of the bag, and Dana felt like sinking right into the carpet and disappearing. Picking out two books that seemed to fit her needs, Dana headed to the cash register, silently hoping that today's events wouldn't effect how Karen treated her in the future. Karen watched the slim brunette pay for her books, then rush back out the door, and noticed that Dana had kept her head down the whole way to the register and on her way out. She felt like kicking herself. She always thought of Dana as incredibly sweet and very intelligent. Karen often found herself wishing Dana would stop in, just so she could talk to her for a bit. Dana had a fantastic sense of humor, and was quick with a joke, or sarcastic quip that never failed to make her laugh. She never would have guessed that Dana was gay, but it really didn't bother her that she was. Besides, Karen knew she had no room to talk, since she'd spent the majority of her college years involved with another woman. Her senior year, the girl had dumped her cold, and she'd sworn never to get involved with another woman again. Instead, she had started dating several guys from the fraternities and eventually had ended up marrying one of them. Twenty years later, she was divorced, her son and daughter both away at college, and a small business owner. Karen had received a very nice divorce settlement, and she and her ex-husband had agreed to put enough money in a separate account specifically to pay for their children's education, but Karen wasn't well off enough to be able to afford scaring away customers, especially ones as loyal as Dana. Not to mention she truly liked the woman. Karen sighed and returned to her stock work. Silently she vowed, next time Dana came in, to apologize and make clear to Dana that she wasn't one to judge others. Satisfied with her plan, Karen went back to work. ## Three weeks later, Dana sat in her car in the bookstore's parking lot. Thanks to her books, and her own experience, that first night with Rita had gone quite well. The problem turned out to be that, out of bed, Rita was a diva and a complete bore. It had taken a week for Dana to figure that out, another week trying to ignore those facts because she really enjoyed the sex, then a third week to work her way around to breaking things off, which she had finally done last night. She'd avoided the store this entire time, partly because she was embarrassed about the other day, and partly because she'd been too busy getting laid. This morning she'd gone looking for a good book to read, and realized she didn't have anything. She'd driven to the small bookstore automatically. Now that she was here, she suddenly felt unsure about going in. Dana was afraid that things were going to be awkward now. Well, she'd never know for sure if she didn't get out of the car. Sucking up some courage, Dana climbed out of her new G6 and headed for the store. Saturday was always her busiest day, and Karen stood at the register, she and Chelsea passing each other every few minutes as they bustled around, checking out customers and bagging books. Karen only had two employees, Tim and Chelsea, who were both local college students. They both worked part-time, and Karen usually staggered their days, but on Saturday she always brought both of them in to work the registers. Tim was taking his break, so Karen was covering the counter until he returned. Hearing the tinkling of bells that signaled the arrival of a new customer, Karen looked up just in time to see Dana walk in, and wished Tim would hurry back. Dana took a few steps inside and stopped, scanning the store for Karen. She'd almost turned in a complete 180, when she saw Karen working the register. She thought she saw Karen flash her a quick smile, but wasn't sure, because Karen had already turned her attention to the next person in line. Feeling slightly disappointed, Dana decided to go hunt for a good book. Fifteen minutes later, Tim reappeared at the counter, and Karen hastily turned the register back over to him, in a hurry to catch Dana before she checked out, or just left. She'd kept one eye on Dana while she worked, tracking her as she wandered around the store. Dana had worked her way to the far, back corner, and Karen felt relief wash through her. She might have a chance to talk to her with a relative amount of privacy. Dana was so engrossed in searching for a book, that it took a moment for her to realize that Karen was quietly standing only an arm's length away. Taken by surprise, she felt herself jump just a little. Karen frowned at Dana's reaction, becoming upset with herself because she was the cause of Dana's skittishness. "Listen, I'm so very sorry about the other day," she blurted out. When Dana just stared at her, she rushed on. "I'm the last person who would ever judge you, and I'm not just trying to hold on to a customer. I think you're a wonderful, intelligent young woman and I feel horrible thinking you don't feel comfortable around me anymore. I'd love to see you continue shopping here, for obvious reasons, but also because I really enjoy our chats." Karen stopped to take a breath, everything she'd just said having come out all in one breath. Dana found herself releasing the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding, and found her heart melting a little at Karen's sincere, and desperate, speech. She never knew that Karen enjoyed talking to her so much, and felt herself warming up to the older woman. Actually, she'd always enjoyed checking Karen out from a respectful distance. Dana never knew exactly what it was, but she always found older women kind of sexy. To her, many of them seemed to have a kind of innate grace and inner confidence to them that she found very appealing. It was Dana's impression that Karen had those qualities in spades. Studying her, Dana finally noticed that Karen had cut her hair. Before, she'd worn it in a shoulder length bob, which Dana thought did nothing for her. Now, though, Karen's auburn hair was cut short, in a classic style, and Dana noticed that Karen looked so much better with it. It seemed to make her high cheekbones and hazel eyes more obvious. "Stop," Dana ordered herself. Now was not the time to be checking her out, and Dana forced her eyes to meet Karen's, instead of working their way down Karen's impressive figure. She found Karen nervously watching her, and Dana berated herself for forcing Karen to wait on pins and needles for her response. "It's ok, Karen. I really love your store and was afraid I wouldn't be welcomed here after the other day. After you…" "Oh, no. It's ok. Really, you're one of my favorite customers, Dana. Your personal choices are none of my business, but I don't judge people that way, anyway." Dana nodded, feeling much better that she had when she first walked in. "So, we're ok, then?" Dana watched Karen's smile light up her face. "Yes, honey, we're fine. Really, fine…" Karen's voice trailed off as she caught herself laying a hand on Dana's arm. It really wasn't like her to be touchy feely with people, at least not with anyone outside of family. Goosebumps rose up on her arm where Karen's fingers skimmed over her as she quickly retracted her hand. Dana felt her body growing warm from the brief physical contact. Karen clenched and unclenched her hand, wondering why her fingertips were tingling. She hoped she hadn't injured herself; pinched a nerve, or something. "At my age, you just never know," she thought with a rueful, inward chuckle. Catching Dana watching her shaking her hand, she suddenly felt uncomfortably warm, and pointed to the poster pinned to the wall above Dana's head, eager to change the subject. "It's a good thing you ordered so far in advance," Karen commented. Dana followed to where Karen was pointing, and her eyes rested on a poster advertising the upcoming release of the next book in a vastly popular children's series. The books were breaking every record known to man in the publishing world and was an international phenomenon. Many believed one of the reasons the books always sold so well was because they were as popular with adults as they were with children. Dana was one of those adults. "Why? Is there a limit as to how many books you can purchase, or something?" "No. It's just that I had to sign an agreement promising to keep tight security on the shipment I receive. Because of my limited storage space, I can only manage to hold a certain number of books and still keep them under lock and key. I wasn't worried about it initially, but I wasn't expecting all the pre-orders I've received. I had to pull the order forms a couple of weeks ago because I've hit my limit." Karen gave a little laugh, and then continued. "Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled, just a little surprised, that's all." "Good for you," was Dana's enthusiastic reply. She was truly happy to hear that Karen's business was doing so well. "Are you throwing a book release party?" She could tell buy the mystified look on Karen's face that she hadn't considered it. Laughing, Dana explained to Karen about how many of the big chain stores always held these huge book release parties that coincided with the midnight release of each new book in the series, and how having one would help Karen generate new sales, but Dana's voice started to trail off as she remembered Karen's remark about having run out of storage space. Karen remained silent as Dana's last words petered out, thoughtfully chewing on her lower lip. Her mine was already starting to lay out plans for a party, but knew it'd be pointless without the ability to purchase more books. She wasn't even sure if she could do so at this late date. Dana had attempted to speak again. For some reason, words failed her, as she stared transfixed, at Karen's mouth while her pearly white teeth tortured her bottom lip. Feeling a familiar heat slip threw her body and settle between her legs, she gave herself a mental shake, trying to figure out why the hell she was suddenly so attracted to Karen. "What was the point, anyway?" she thought. She knew for a fact Karen was married with two children, albeit they were grown and away at college. Still, becoming infatuated with a straight woman was a lesson in hopelessness, and she forced herself to concentrate on what Karen was saying, who was now thinking out loud. Picking up the thread, Dana joined in, tossing her own ideas into the pot. Karen listened intently as Dana began brainstorming. Liking very much what she heard, Karen stepped over to stand beside Dana, threading her arm under Dana's, linking them together. A bolt of electricity shot threw her as Karen's arm snaked under her own, essentially capturing her, and holding her to Karen's side. Staring at the arm that was wrapped around her own, Dana realized Karen was waiting for some kind of response. "Huh? Uh, sorry, Karen, I sort of drifted off for a minute," Dana muttered. Karen just flashed her a brilliant smile. "That's ok, honey. What I was saying, asking, actually, was whether or not you'd mine going to dinner with me. It's almost five, closing time, but we both seem to be on a roll here, and I don't want to stop." Karen leaned over so they were eye to eye, watching Dana's face expectantly. "What do you say? Dinner ok with you? If you don't already have plans, that is." Karen wondered over the butterflies in her stomach as she awaited Dana's answer. Dinner? Did she want to go to dinner? Did she like breathing air? Of course she wanted to go to dinner. A little shocked at her own eagerness, Dana shook her head yes, feeling that internal warmth increase as she watched Karen's face light up upon hearing Dana accept her invitation. Karen began tugging her towards her office, shouting out to Tim and Chelsea that it was ok for them to go ahead and start locking up for the night. Drifting along beside her, Dana was starting to question her own sanity. ## Karen couldn't remember the last time she'd had this much fun at dinner, or the last time she'd had this much fun, period. Dana had always hit her as a very well rounded person, and their dinner conversation was only proving how right Karen's initial impression had been. Dana seemed very knowledgeable on a variety of subjects, ranging from the arts, to politics, and everything in between. She also had a very wry, sarcastic sense of humor that Karen found extremely entertaining. She found herself secretly wishing Dana were a man, then her mine jumped to the relationship she'd had with another woman while in college. Remembering how that woman had broken her heart, she gave herself a mental shake. She'd learned her lesson on that one. "Still, wouldn't it be nice," she thought. Dana couldn't believe how much fun she was having with Karen, how comfortable it felt to spend an evening with this woman, sharing food, laughter and ideas, almost as if they'd been friends forever. She found her eyes straying to the v-neck of Karen's blouse, her heart picking up speed as she briefly studied the milky white top of Karen's breasts. Inwardly moaning, Dana almost missed what it was that Karen was saying. She'd caught herself doing that a lot tonight, enjoying the conversation, but still finding herself distracted over things she noticed about Karen's physical appearance. Like the little gleam in Karen's eyes when she'd whispered a dirty joke earlier, or the way her hair looked in the restaurant's lighting. But what was really driving her crazy, almost completely insane, was Karen's habit of giving her these light little touches all night. Karen would lay her hand on Dana's arm as she said things like, "Oh, that reminds me…" or "Did you know…" and the little jolts from where their skin touched was pushing Dana to the limits of her control. Probably the only thing that was keeping her from dragging Karen out of here, and straight to her apartment, was the fact that she knew Karen to be straight. She shuddered a little at the thought of Karen's reaction if she acted on her thoughts. Truly enjoying this budding relationship with the storeowner, Dana decided she didn't want to jeopardize it buy pushing her homosexuality in Karen's face. Karen hid behind a hand as she stifled a yawn, reluctant to admit that she was slowly fading out for the evening. She glanced at Dana, realized that she'd been caught in the act, saw Dana's eyes lock on hers, and felt a moments thrill before both of them burst out laughing when they saw they'd caught each other. They paid the tab, then walked out to the parking lot together. Dana inhaled the gentle breeze that drifted across the lot, and Karen couldn't help but watch the rise and fall of Dana's chest. Dana spotted Karen's eyes drifting down to her breasts, and thought she'd seen them gleam. Was she having the same effect on Karen that the older woman was having on her? Dana felt hope flare up inside her. Right at that moment is when she finally noticed that Karen wasn't wearing a wedding wing. The feeling of hope increased, then Dana stopped herself. For all she knew, Karen just didn't wear it to the store, for whatever reason. But this little voice told her she'd regret it if she didn't pry, just a bit. Trying to sound casual, Dana voiced a carefully worded comment. The Last Word "I hope your husband isn't angry that I kept you out so late." Dana found herself holding her breath, waiting for Karen's answer. Karen laughed. "It really isn't any of his business, how late I'm out, since we're divorced." "Yes!" was Dana's only thought, picturing herself raising a fist into the air in triumph. Again, Dana was careful with her next words. "Oh! I'm sorry. It's just that I've seen the pictures you keep in your office, the ones of you with your family, and thought you were still married." At Karen's quizzical look, Dana rushed on, "You know sometimes you leave your office door wide open and anyone walking through the book section there can look right in." "Oh God," Karen groaned. "My sister is always yelling at for me for that. She keeps warning me how dangerous it is, but I keep forgetting, especially if I'm in a rush. Any way, no, George and I divorced a few years ago. That's where I got the money to open the store, from my divorce settlement." Dana quietly wondered who would be stupid enough to walk away from someone as amazing as Karen, then quickly acknowledged that it was to her advantage that Karen's ex had, indeed, been that stupid. They now stood in front of their cars, parked side-by-side, and stood there staring at each other. Neither woman seemed to want to call an end to the evening, both racking their brains for an excuse to extend things, but both were unable to do so. Dana knew exactly how she'd like to end the evening, but didn't dare. Not this soon. Inside her mind, a devious plan began to bloom. Dana took the initiative and wished Karen good night and climbed into her car. Driving home, Dana began mapping out how, exactly, she would seduce and tease Karen, until the older woman was practically begging Dana to bed her. Parking, she smiled all the way up to her apartment, smiled the entire time until she finally climbed into bed and drifted off to sleep. ## Karen lay in bed, staring at her ceiling, images of Dana from this evening spinning around inside her head. She knew she was tired, but some other part of her seemed wide-awake, and she couldn't figure out why. The longer she was awake, the more her mind drifted back to the Susan, her lover for several years during college. She wasn't thinking so much about Susan, as remembering the times they'd made love, how it felt to have a another woman stroke her, kiss her, bring to climax. Soon those memories were replaying in her mind with Dana taking Susan's place, and Karen groaned into the darkness. Was that really what she wanted? Was she ready to go back to that life? Had she really given up on it? Maybe her marriage to George had just been an act of rebounding from Susan's desertion? Had she just been hurt so badly that she'd convinced herself she was really straight, just to avoid having to take a chance on another woman? Karen flipped over to her side, now staring at her dresser, as all these questions rolled around inside her head. But she kept going to back to those images of Dana making love to her. Frustrated, confused, she closed her eyes and forced herself to settle down, to try to fall asleep. It took quite a bit longer before she finally did. ## Dana spent the next month in a kind of frustrated euphoria. Every free minute was spent with Karen, helping her figure out how to acquire additional books, store them properly, and plan for a book release party. She very thankful she had a simple, 9 to 5 job, that almost never required any overtime. It would have killed her to have to trade the time she was spending with Karen to sit at work. Step by step, she was implementing her seduction plans. She thought she showed great restraint in how slowly she was moving things along. Every time the opportunity presented itself, she'd gently bump into Karen, or just barely brush against her. Even though all this was intended to heighten Karen's interest in her, it was also pure torture for Dana. Those brief touches, the smooth, soft feel of Karen's skin against hers, would send agonizing bolts of electricity through her. Then at night, those feeling would resurface, causing some of the most vivid, erotic dreams Dana had ever had. Which, of course, added to her frustration, because she'd then see Karen the next day, those dreams replaying in her head, and she had to force herself not to act on them. Sometimes she worried that, if she ever did get Karen into bed, she'd be too rough and blow everything, she was that desperate for the older woman. Dana wasn't the only one feeling the heat. It had taken Karen nearly a full week before it dawned on her what Dana was doing, on purpose. When she'd finally figured it out, she was both thrilled and terrified. Thrilled that Dana wanted her, and terrified because she'd yet to work out a lot of her own questions. After the second week, though, Karen was ready to throw caution to the wind and take Dana right there in her office. Towards the end of the third week, Karen was starting to wonder just what the hell it was Dana was waiting for, but hadn't worked up the nerve to flirt back, or just flat out tell Dana that she wanted her just as much. As the day of the book release loomed closer and closer, Karen reluctantly had to push thoughts of she and Dana aside, she was so busy with last minute plans and chores, and she made sure Dana was just as busy. ## Finally, the night of the book release had arrived. Dana pulled into the store parking lot at a quarter past five, chuckling as she thought of how many traffic laws she'd probably just broken in her rush to get here. The rush wasn't just because of tonight's big event. Dana had decided that tonight, after the release party, was when she'd make her move, and silently prayed that Karen didn't freak out, and turn her away. Hurrying across the lot, she yanked open the door, speed reading a sign taped there that announced that the store would close at 5:30 p.m., then reopen tonight at 10 p.m., which was the start time for the party. Advancing inside, she bumped into Chelsea who was rushing towards her. "Sorry, Dana, but Karen told me to hurry up and lock the doors. Kids have been trying to sneak in here all day and hide, so they could get in on the ground floor of the party. We just ushered a little group out the door, and Karen wants to go ahead and lock up before anymore show up." Dana laughed as Chelsea filled her in on the day's activities; delighted to hear that word of tonight's party had obviously sparked some interest. Turning back to face the interior of the store, she saw Karen and her sister hustling around, playfully arguing about where to set up the refreshment tables. Dana studied Karen for a few minutes. All of their plans had been meet with quite a bit of enthusiasm from customers, and Dana predicted that Karen's store would do quite well tonight, and not just from sales of the new children's book, because Karen was also offering sales and special coupons to adults, hoping that some of the kids' parents would do a little shopping for themselves while they were here. Her heart swelled with pride at the thought of how hard Karen had worked to make the bookstore such a success. Then slowly it hit her, she was feeling a lot more than just lust for the older woman. Actually, she admitted to herself, she was in love with her. And what would happen tonight, if Karen said no? Quite possibly, she'd loose Karen forever, and the thought had her deflating like a balloon someone had just taken a stickpin to. At that exact moment, Karen had finally spotted Dana standing just inside the front door, just in time to see the glow disappear from her face, like watching water drain away. A moment of fear spiked through her, wondering at what had caused the sudden change, as she rushed over to greet her. "Hi, honey. How has your day?" Karen asked, her eyes darting over Dana's face as she watched Dana force it into a happy expression. "Great!" she answered with just a little too much force. "Chelsea tells me yours has been very eventful." Karen chuckled as she thought of the small group of ten year olds she scooted out the door just a few minutes ago. "Yes. It seems like news of tonight's party has spread through the neighborhood. I'm hoping for a nice turn out this evening." Dana linked arms with Karen and starting inquiring what it was that she still needed help with, all the while thinking that maybe she shouldn't go through with her plans, and felt a tightening in her chest. Lord, what was she going to do!? She wasn't sure she could be around Karen much longer without completely snapping, but at the same time, the thought of Karen rejecting her had her scared to death. As they neared Karen's office, Dana shook off her sour mood. If nothing else, she wanted to make sure Karen had a wonderful, and successful, night tonight, so she focused her attention on that. ## It was almost two in the morning, and Dana sat in Karen's office, watching her gleefully count tonight's earnings for the fourth time. To say the evening had been a success would be an understatement. The store had brought in more in a few short hours, than it had made all month. Karen's sister and two employees had already left for the night, leaving them alone in the store. Karen had already locked up, and besides the lights in the little office, there were only a few back up lights on in the store, giving it a slightly eerie feeling, but also one of being secreted away somewhere. She laughed as Karen danced a little jig around her office, wincing a bit when Karen engulfed her in a huge hug, beside herself with happiness at how well the night had gone. Dana, however, was still struggling with how to end the evening, and wasn't quite sharing Karen's joy. Karen studied Dana out of the corner of her eye, as she locked up the money in her office safe. Dana had seemed very subdued tonight, forcing a cheerful façade every time Karen came near her. She wondered if Dana was thinking of ending their friendship, and the thought left her cold. She'd spent weeks deciding want to do about her budding attraction to Dana, had finally made a decision, and now it would all of been for nothing, if Dana decided to walk away. Well, she'd be damned if she'd let that happen. She was having too good of a night, and thought it was time to push her luck a little further. Locking the safe, she purposefully stood only inches from Dana as she stood and stretched, enjoying the way Dana's gaze drifted over her body. Yes, it was time to take the bull by the horns, so to speak. Grabbing Dana's hand, she pulled her out of the chair and out of the office, turning off lights as she went. "Come on sleepy head, time to head home." "Sleepy? I'm not sleepy," Dana protested, inwardly wincing as she caught the childish tone of her voice. Karen just gave her a skeptical look as she locked her office door. "Hmmm. Seems to me you just sounded like my kids when they were little, protesting against going to bed even though they were about to fall over." "I'm not ready to fall over. In fact, I'm wide awake," Dana retorted, and she wasn't lying. She was feeling way too tormented right now to even entertain the idea of sleep. "Oh, well, in that case, why don't you come home with me and have a drink. I'm so wired, there's no way I'll go to sleep for at least another few hours." Maybe even longer than that, Karen thought, hiding her mischievous smile. No, she didn't think either one of them would be going to sleep anytime soon. Dana followed Karen through the store, watching her hips sway as she walked, and felt that ball of lust she had been trampling down on all night, burst open. "To hell with it," she thought. Even if Karen pushes me away tonight, maybe I'll at least get one kiss to remember her by. Besides, Karen had just invited her to come home with her. How in the world could she ignore an opportunity like that? Her decision final, she let her eyes roam up and down Karen's body, as she locked the front door of the shop, admiring the view. Karen, mean while, was secretly mapping out her own plans for the night and, knowing Dana only lived a few minutes away from her, suggested that Dana just ride with her, promising to drop her off at her apartment later in the day when she headed back to the store. Anyway, she argued, if they have some wine at her house, Dana shouldn't be drinking and driving anyway, and she was more than welcomed to crash on her couch. "Or my bed," Karen thought, as she unlocked her car's passenger door for Dana. It only took them a few minutes to reach Karen's apartment complex, and both women, unbeknownst to the other, were busily planning on how to seduce the other, as they sat in silence during the drive to Karen's place. Dana, admitting to herself that she just couldn't wait any longer, had decided to pounce the minute Karen shut her apartment door. Ironically, Karen's thoughts weren't all that different. Because of this, the instant Karen pushed her door shut behind her, she and Dana now safely inside her apartment, they both leaped at each other in the middle of the small hallway. Dana captured Karen's mouth, her hands frantically tracing every curve of Karen's body, and felt a moment of shock when she felt how quickly, and eagerly, Karen's tongue slipped inside her mouth. Stumbling around, they finally landed against the wall, Karen pushing Dana into it, and Dana squealed, more shocked to find Karen taking the initiative than she was at hitting the wall. Dana wrenched her mouth away just as she felt Karen's hands slip under her shirt. She would have just stared at Karen, but Karen, feeling Dana's mouth pull away, had simply let her mouth glide down to Dana's neck, and was now nibbling at it as she freed the clasp of Dana's bra with one hand, and the other hand closed over one of Dana's small, firm, breasts. "Karen!" Somewhere along the way, Dana's plan had gone up in smoke, but she really wasn't complaining, just surprised. "What," Karen asked, laughing as she pulled back just enough to see the surprised look on Dana's face. Dana just stared at here. "What's the matter, Dana? Didn't think an old gal like me could already be a closet dyke?" Karen flashed Dana a knowing smirk. "You're kidding! I've spent this entire night agonizing over the fact that I might loose you if I made a move, but dying at the thought of not fucking you blind, and you were into women this entire time!" Dana felt torn between shouting in joy, and knocking Karen senseless. Karen slipped her hands out from under Dana's shirt and took a small step back. Dana's reaction had her wondering if maybe she'd pushed just a little too hard. Seeing the exasperated look on Dana's face, she decided she needed to explain a few things. She stepped back to Dana, wrapping her arms around Dana's waist, and leaned into her, trapping Dana between her body and the wall. She laid her mouth against Dana's ear and whispered. "Honey, I'm sorry. Maybe I should have said something sooner. Listen, to make a long story short, I had a lover in college, a woman, who broke my heart. I married George on the rebound, convinced that letting myself get involved with another woman would be the biggest mistake of my life. That having been involved with Susan had been a mistake, and that letting myself have feelings for another woman had gone against nature, and that getting my heart shattered was what I deserved. I married George and vowed never to stray like that again." Now Karen leaned back a little, looking deep into Dana's eyes as she gave her a small smile, the feel of Dana's slightly stiff body making her nervous. "I told you once that I've always enjoyed talking to you; that you were one of my favorite customers, and that was the truth. Finding out, that day, that you were a lesbian, dug up a lot of my old memories. Then, the more and more time I spent with you, I started wondering if I hadn't made a very grave mistake, refusing to acknowledge that I really preferred women to men. And when you started seducing me," "You knew!" Karen gave Dana a wicked grin. "Yes, I knew. I admit I was a little slow on the uptake. It took me almost a full week before I realized what you were doing, but eventually I figured it out. Then it took me another few weeks to admit that I wanted it. Wanted you. More than I've wanted anything, or anyone, in such a very, very long time." Dana couldn't believe what she was hearing. All this time she'd spent frustrated, body and soul, agonizing about whether or not to risk their friendship in hopes of having something more, and all she'd done was waste precious time. She continued to just stare at Karen in shock, and then she noticed the smile Karen was fighting back, and burst out laughing. Relief flooded through Karen as she joined in Dana's laughter. For a split second, she was afraid Dana was angry and would storm out. But the laugh died out as Dana took her by surprise, capturing her mouth and spinning them around so that Karen was now pushed against the wall. "Oh, you're going to pay for this," Dana told Karen with an evil grin. She began kissing and nibbling on Karen's neck, working her way down Karen's body as she freed the buttons of her shirt. Karen leaned her head against the wall and purred at the feel of Dana's soft lips, her tongue occasionally darting out to lavish her skin. God, it'd been so long since she'd felt another woman's touch! Right at this moment, so couldn't fathom why she'd denied herself such exquisite please all these years. Dana stopped when she reached the waistband of Karen's jeans and stood up. They resumed kissing, their tongues dancing together, sliding over one another, as Dana eased Karen's shirt off of her shoulders and down her arms. Finally free of the blouse, Karen framed Dana's face with her hands, holding her still as she deepen the kiss, exploring the inside of Dana's mouth. She could taste the peppermint candies Dana had been nervously popping all night, and a hint of coffee. Dana was loving the feel of Karen's tongue, felt a chill race up her spine when Karen's tongue skimmed over her teeth, then lick the underside of her tongue. Her hands, wrapped over Karen's shoulders, let go, and trailed their way down the sides of Karen's body. Reaching her hips, Dana let her hands glide behind Karen and both hands eased into the back pockets of Karen's jeans, gripped Karen's round, firm ass, and pulled Karen closer. Several minutes passed, which felt like heaven to both women, when Dana pulled back. "Where's your bedroom?" she gasped. Karen gave Dana a quick kiss, then took hold of her hand, leading her down the little hallway and into the beginning of her living room, before she turned left and strolled down another short hallway to where her bedroom door stood, slightly ajar, at the end of the hall. She gripped the doorframe, and turned around to face Dana as she pulled her into her. They kissed again, sweetly, tenderly, but Karen could feel the heat pouring off of Dana, and knew her soon to be lover was exerting much control, to keep herself from jumping Karen right there. "You really want me, don't you?" "You have no idea," Dana gasped, her body so tense with wanting that she felt like she was being squeezed by a giant, invisible hand. Laughing, Karen stepped further into the bedroom, turned to face Dana, and began to leisurely strip. She couldn't help but feel a little smug as she watched the lust and desire dancing in Dana's eyes, the younger woman unable to tear her gaze away. Down to her underwear, she reached behind her to unclasp her bra, but Dana's voice stopped her. "No, don't," Dana crocked, her voice husky. Forcing herself to go slow, take her time, she walk over to stand in front of Karen. Their eyes locked on each other, Dana eased her hands behind Karen and carefully undid her bra. She took her time easing the bra straps down Karen's arms, then pulled the bra free and threw it over her shoulder. The Last Word Karen chuckled as her bra went flying out into the hallway, then it turned into a moan as Dana sank to her knees and she felt Dana's hands at her hips, her fingers slipping under the edges of her French cut panties. She shivered as the cool air of the apartment brushed over the heated skin between her legs. When she felt Dana's breath there seconds later, she swayed, and instinctively grabbed Dana's shoulders to brace herself. Finally! Dana was barely less than an inch away from heaven. She inhaled Karen's scent, could already see her lips glistening with girl honey. Leaning forward ever so slightly, her nose dipping into Karen's trimmed curls, she gently, slowly, turned her head back and forth, tickling Karen. "Aah!" Karen said as she sucked in a breath. Smiling, Dana let her tongue dart out and give Karen's clit a quick flick. She saw Karen tremble and she grasped her hips, wanting to both keep her still, and stop her from falling. She wanted to spend just a little more time here before they moved to the bed. Dana spent several more minutes teasing and tickling Karen, with her nose, her tongue, her breath. Each time, she'd stop for a second, enjoying the little noises and gasps coming from Karen at each touch. Eager to move on, Dana stood up, intending to walk Karen towards the bed, but didn't get the chance. The minute she was fully upright, Karen leaped, yanking the bottom of her shirt out of her jeans. Grabbing the hem, she yanked the shirt up and off. As Dana's shirt went sailing through the air, Karen's hands flew to the snap on Dana's jeans and, within seconds, was pushing the jeans down Dana's toned legs. Dana stepped out of them, again trying to steer Karen towards the bed, but Karen seemed to have other plans. She pushed her towards the wall, and then leaped on her, capturing Dana's mouth, not hesitating to plunge her tongue inside. She quickly worked her tongue in and out, mimicking the motion her fingers would use once Karen had them buried inside Dana's pussy. While she had Dana trapped, she quickly shed her of her underwear. Dana purred into Karen's mouth as she felt Karen pressed against her. They were both naked now, and the feel of having Karen's soft skin, every inch, pressed against hers, had what was left of her control, snapping. Taking charge, she pushed forcefully off of the wall and started walking Karen backwards towards the bed. Karen felt the back of her legs hit the edge of the bed, then she was free falling as Dana gave her one good push, making her land, with a small bounce, on her back on the mattress. Before she could react, Dana was on her knees, her face buried between Karen's legs, and she shrieked as Dana's mouth closed around her clit at the same time she shoved three fingers, all at once, into Karen's soaked love hole. She was mad for Karen at this point. Knowing how wet Karen was for her, she wasn't the least bit concerned about shoving three fingers in at once. Karen was more than wet enough to handle it, and they both knew it. Dana wasted no time as she began to quickly pump her fingers in and out of Karen's vagina, her tongue rapidly flicking Karen's clit. Dana wanted to hear Karen cum in the worst way. Karen didn't disappoint her. She hadn't had a lover in over five years, not since the last time she had let George fuck her in a last desperate attempt to try and salvage her marriage. Since then, she'd been either too upset, or too busy trying to get her bookstore started, to take the time to find another lover. To say she was primed and ready, at this point, would have been a gross understatement. And Dana's fingers, her skilled tongue, were just too good to resist. Minutes later, Karen was screaming Dana's name as a powerful orgasm pierced through her. It started to subside, and then Karen realized that Dana showed no signs of stopping. No, instead, Dana's fingers and tongue switched places, and Karen felt a second orgasm quickly building as Dana's tongue flicked her G-spot, causing Karen's back to arch, forcing Dana's face deeper into her pussy. Dana felt the second orgasm break, could feel Karen's body spasm against her. Her tongue lapped greedily at Karen's pussy, gathering up as much of Karen's juices as Dana could manage. Karen's chest was heaving with the effort to breath, to try and catch her breath, as the feel of Dana's tongue licking her clean was causing a third orgasm to build. "Dana! Oh, baby! I'm gonna cum again. Don't! Oh, no! Aaaaahhhh," Karen screamed as she trembled, head to toe, as a third orgasm spiraled through her. Dana felt own juices coat her thigh and drip down her leg. As Karen's third orgasm ended, she would have kept going, fueled by her own desperate need for release, but she felt Karen's fingers in her hair, tugging, trying to get Dana to release her now highly sensitive flesh. "Dana, baby, I can't. Please, honey, no more. I need a minute, please," Karen gasped. Her lungs were burning and she had to force the words out. She almost sighed relief as she felt Dana pull away, then climb up her body, settling herself between Karen's legs. Karen felt Dana grind against her, saw the wild look in Dana's eyes, and knew she was right on the edge. She would love to go clit to clit with her, but Karen knew she was too sensitive for that right now. She flipped Dana on her back and rained kisses all over her body as she quickly worked her way down to Dana's pussy. Lord, she was soaked! Deciding to give Dana a taste of her own medicine, Karen copied her and pushed three fingers inside Dana's pussy as her tongue went to work on Dana's clit. Within moments, Dana was withering on the bed, crying out, gasping, as she buried her fingers in Karen's hair and pushed her face further into her pussy. Karen was amazed at how good Dana tasted, sweet and just a little tangy. She missed this the most, she thought; drinking in another woman's juices, listening to her cum and know she was the cause of so much pleasure. Like Dana had done with her, Karen didn't stop. She continued to eat Dana's bald little pussy until she'd felt Dana cum at least three more times. "Enough!" Dana gasped, pulling Karen up her body. When they were face to face, Dana took her time licking her juices from Karen's face. Once Karen's face was clean, she slid her tongue inside Karen's mouth. They lay side-by-side, mouths locked together, enjoying each other's taste. They kissed slow and leisurely. Now spent, neither woman was in any kind of a hurry. Dana eased her head back and studied Karen's face. "It's only fair that I warn you, Karen. I don't think I want to leave." "You better not! I'm even thinking of calling off tomorrow. Tim and Chelsea can handle the store, and my sister will go in at closing to lock up and handle the money." Dana remained serious. "No, Karen, that's not what I mean." Karen gave her a quizzical look. "I mean I don't want to leave you. Not ever." Karen stared at Dana for a minute, blinked, and then a brilliant, heart-felt smile broke free, causing her entire face to light up. Thrilled, feeling happier than she'd felt in over twenty years, Karen leaned in and gave Dana a kiss, telling her how much she wanted the same thing.