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Move Closer Ch. 01

By: Maonaigh



This is a long love story in two chapters and while there will be sex, it won't happen immediately (in fact, in Chapter One there is only a hint of sex). Both chapters contain some low-key violence. If you're looking for instant thrills with little or no plot, please look elsewhere. While I consider myself a moderately experienced writer, I am new to the world of erotic fiction. Move Closer is only my second try at erotica and I would therefore welcome any comments or feedback, positive or otherwise. Characters in sex scenes are eighteen years old or over. All characters are imaginary--any resemblance to persons living or dead is coincidental. 

Copyright © 2014 to the author. 

Lainy 

The pounding in Lainy's head signalled what was probably her worst hangover to date. At least her eyes weren't gummed up as they sometimes were and this made it easier for her to open them. Immediately she wished to God that they had been gummed up: she would have been spared the agony of the blinding daylight that lanced deep into her skull. 

She was fully dressed of course. Only rarely these days did she manage to undress to get into bed. The sheets under her hand felt damp and she fumbled at her crotch. She'd pissed herself again in the night, maybe more than once. And the fucking pounding was going on and on. Perhaps a drink would sort that out. 

Lainy reached down and fumbled under her bed. Good... a bottle of vodka. Bad... it was empty. She fumbled again. There were two or three bottles there but—surprise, surprise—they were empty too. What now? Okay, the trick was to get up and look in the usual hiding places. Didn't everybody keep their booze in offbeat places? Although why she bothered when she lived alone... If she was out of the stuff, then force down a coffee and sit in misery until she felt able to walk to the corner shop for fresh supplies. If only this fucking pounding would stop. 

Then it slowly dawned on Lainy that the pounding was not within her but without. Some merciless bastard was hammering on her door. She managed to haul herself off the bed and into the short corridor. She shouted "Fuck off!" but to no effect. 

"Come on, Lainy! Open up! I know you're in there. I can keep this up all day if necessary." Jesus, it was Joss. Lainy knew that he was quite capable of carrying out his threat so she lurched down the hall and opened up. 

The man called Joss stepped in and looked searchingly at Lainy. In his eyes she could see a mixture of pity and sadness. He said nothing but took Lainy by the arm and half-dragged, half-hustled her into the tiny bathroom. He eased her onto the floor by the lavatory and said: "Don't move. You're going to need that in a moment." 

Lainy heard him go into the kitchen and fill a kettle. There were other noises she couldn't quite place. Christ, the way she felt he could have been conducting a brass band and she wouldn't have identified it. A few minutes later Joss returned with a cup of lukewarm water. "Drink this." 

Lainy took a sip and gagged. It was salt. Joss took the cup, held it to the woman's lips and tilted it so that a good portion went down her throat. She started to puke almost immediately. When she had done vomiting, Joss lifted her and tenderly wiped her face before helping her into the kitchen where he sat her down at the table and thrust a mug of coffee at her. "Sorry, Lainy—that was a bit rough but it was necessary." 

A little more sober, she glared sullenly at the man. "What are you doing here, Joss? Why do you keep bothering with me?" 

"Because you're my niece and I love you," he said, "And because I still think you're worth saving." Joss kicked an empty bottle on the floor. "This stuff will kill you in time. Christ, Lainy, it's been more than a year now. I'm not belittling your heartache, but the booze isn't going to make it any better. What do you think she'd say if she walked in right now and saw the state you're in?" 

He glanced at his watch. "Here's what I'm going to do, Lainy. It's ten-fifteen now. I'm going to go and sit in my car until eleven. If you come to me in that forty-five minutes, I'll do my damnedest to help you get well. If you don't come, then I'll stay out of your life—what's left of it." His hand as he touched her cheek was gentle. "Go and have a really good look at yourself in a mirror, try and see yourself through the eyes of the old Lainy." Joss kissed her forehead and left. 

Lainy sat at the table for a long time, trying to think. She drained the coffee cup and then had to make a fast dive to the bathroom. She only just made it and falling to her knees, brought all the coffee back up into the lavatory bowl. When her stomach was empty, she continued to dry heave for long minutes. Lying on the floor, retching, she realized that she must be touching rock bottom. 

She dragged herself up to go to the cheval mirror in her bedroom. She'd do what Joss suggested and take a really good look at herself. The bedroom was a mess—Christ, the whole flat was a mess. How had she ever let it get this way? She used to be so fastidious. And what she saw in the mirror shocked her. The lank, greasy hair, the bloodshot eyes with deep shadows beneath, the filthy t-shirt, the jeans with the huge piss stain on the crotch. She was twenty-six, could have been forty-six. She slumped onto the edge of the rumpled bed and buried her face in her hands. 

Forty-five minutes Joss had given her. What was it now? Lainy looked at the bedside clock. God, nearly eleven. She ran, out through the flat's door, stumbling and almost falling down the flight of steps leading to the front door. If she had fallen, her troubles might have been at an end. But somehow she managed to save herself, or did something else save her? What was the old saying? Something about God looking after fools and drunks? 

She heard the engine of her uncle's car start. She ran frantically and banged on the car roof. Joss cut the engine and climbed out of the car and Lainy fell into his arms. "Please help me, Joss. I don't want to be like this any more." 

Joss spoke soothingly. "It's okay, sweetheart, I'm with you now, I'll help. I wouldn't really have abandoned you—I think you know that. Right, first of all I'm going to phone a nurse I know who'll come over and help you bathe. Your hygiene level's not too good right now. We'll get you into clean clothes and then I'll call a friend who works for Alcohol Concern, she'll be able to help you. Then we can start picking up the pieces." 

Caro 

Without a doubt, Bruno St Clair was the most charming man that Caro had ever met. They had been introduced at a literary evening and from the word go Bruno had made it clear that he found Caro very attractive. 

Caro in her turn was smitten, despite the fact that Bruno was a good fifteen years or more older than her own twenty-seven. He seemed to have old-fashioned standards, both in manners and in dress. He held the door open for women or stood as they entered the room or he ensured that they were seated before he was. His suits were bespoke, his shirts and ties Jermyn Street and his hand-made shoes always highly polished. Bruno was an investment banker and Bruno was wealthy. 

Oddly, none of this mattered all that much to Caro, although she did appreciate his good manners. What impressed Caro was the fact that Bruno was well read and cultured and able to discuss novels and art and classical music with her, something that her previous boyfriends, all three of them, had seemed incapable of doing. When she and Bruno had a date, it was the opera or theatre followed by dinner in a good restaurant, not the cinema and a pint in the nearest pub. 

And if Bruno took it on himself to choose what she would eat when they were at dinner, well, perhaps this was a little unusual but he did have perfect taste. Head waiters grovelled in Bruno's presence and sommeliers complimented him on his wide knowledge of wines. 

At dinner one evening, two months after their first meeting, Bruno suggested that Caro come to Paris with him for a long weekend. He would be there on business but would have plenty of time to show her the sights and the art galleries and the museums. Caro agreed and had a wonderful time. The hotel, naturally, was one of the best and their suite luxurious. It was in Paris that Caro and Bruno shared a bed for the first time. 

For Caro, that was the only disappointing aspect of the trip. The sex was nowhere near as good as she had anticipated. But then sex had never been very good for Caro. In all her relationships, short-lived as they had been, she had never felt fully aroused. She guessed that she was just one of these people with a low libido. 

Shortly after the trip to Paris, Bruno asked Caro to move in with him. The idea certainly appealed. He had a luxury apartment; she had a flat which she loved but there was no denying that it was dingy. "No hurry," Bruno had told her, "Take as long as you like. I think we'd be good together." 

It was while Caro was thinking it over that something odd happened one morning. She was taking her morning break in her favourite small coffee-shop near her workplace when a woman stopped by her table. "Mind if I sit here?" 

Caro couldn't see why—there were other tables unoccupied but she didn't want to seem rude so agreed. She gestured to an empty chair. "Please." 

She returned to the magazine she was reading but felt that the stranger was staring at her. Puzzled, Caro looked up. The other woman was dark-haired and attractive, probably in her late thirties. Before Caro could say anything, the stranger spoke. Her voice suggested one of the more wealthy and exclusive areas of West London. "You're the girl who's going out with Bruno St Clair, aren't you? Has he asked you to move in with him yet?" 

Annoyed, Caro said: "I don't know who you are and I can't see what business it is of yours." 

The other shook her head. "I suppose it isn't, but I hope you'll listen to me. Drop him now. Get out before it's too late. I'm trying to do you a favour. It's up to you whether or not you accept it." She stood and gave Caro a little wave as she left. 

Caro thought the encounter over and decided that the dark-haired woman was probably an ex-girlfriend of Bruno's, very likely jealous of the fact that he had moved on. She put it out of mind. Two weeks later, she gave up her flat and moved in with Bruno. 

The changes were slow and subtle. Her job, which she had loved, was the first thing in her life to go. Bruno explained, very reasonably, that he had so much money there was no need for her to work. And as he pointed out, Caro was such a brilliant cook that she would have plenty of time to prepare excellent meals for them. Then her bank account was closed and her credit cards done away with; a joint account was created in hers and Bruno's names. The only problem was that Bruno was the sole signatory. Next, her friends seemed to disappear from her life. After all, it was pointed out, they weren't really hers and Bruno's kind of people. His friends became hers although mostly they were business acquaintances rather than true friends. She was allowed to retain her mobile phone but Bruno checked it most days to ensure that Caro had not made any unapproved calls. Day and night, she became little more than Bruno's puppet. And the sex remained wholly unsatisfactory. 

Caro was learning the hard way. Bruno St Clair was a control freak. 

And after several months, the emotional and mental and physical abuse started. It needed very little to trigger one or the other, a scathing remark, an intellectual sneer, an unexpected blow. The emotional and mental abuse left no visible marks. The beatings did, but Bruno was very careful, only ever hitting Caro on her torso where the marks could not be seen. 

Caro was learning the very hard way. Bruno St Clair was a sociopath and a sadist. 

Lainy and Caro 

"I saw you, you little bitch!" Bruno punched Caro in the ribs, extending the knuckle on his second finger to concentrate the pain. "You wanted to fuck him, didn't you?" 

"No, Bruno, I didn't!" Caro pleaded. 

"Don't lie, you were practically fucking him on the dance floor." 

"He was your client, you told me to dance with him. We hardly touched each other." 

Another punch, this time to the opposite ribs. "You never learn, do you Caro? Anything in trousers..." A double punch, one on each breast. Caro knew that Bruno had created a situation in his mind as an excuse to beat her. She had noticed the signs earlier, had hoped that he would mellow out. But as soon as they had seen his clients off in their taxi, Bruno had dragged her into this dimly lit alleyway behind the nightclub and set about her. She knew, too, that the best thing to do was not to argue with him. That, at least, would shorten the beating. 

Then... "Hey! What the hell are you doing? Leave her alone!" A woman's voice, and a figure silhouetted at the alley's mouth. 

Bruno glanced up and spoke in a normal voice, as if greeting an old acquaintance. "Why don't you just go away and mind your own business, Miss?" 

The woman stepped into the alley. "I said, leave her alone." 

Bruno sighed. "I can see I'll have to teach you some manners." Pushing Caro to one side, he advanced on the stranger. A big, heavily-built man, he fully expected her to retreat and run. But instead of doing as he expected, the woman rushed to meet him and slammed the heel of one hand upwards into Bruno's nose. Taken by surprise, Bruno staggered and fell onto his backside. In the poor light shed by the single security lamp, the blood pouring from his nose looked black. 

The man pulled himself to his feet. "You've just earned yourself a ride in an ambulance, bitch." Instead of retreating, the woman ran forward again, spun around and rammed an elbow backwards into Bruno's midriff. As he started to fold, she spun back and hit him hard across the throat with the edge of her hand. Bruno staggered back against the wall, gagging painfully, trying to catch his breath. The stranger hooked a foot behind one of the man's knees and yanked hard. Bruno slid to the ground, and stayed there, choking. 

Caro felt a warm, dry hand grab hers. "Come on, I don't think you'll want to be around when he gets up." The stranger dragged Caro after her and they ran. They ran for several streets, dodging startled pedestrians and other obstacles until they reached a side road where a number of cars were parked. The woman stopped by a small Nissan, unlocked it and pushed Caro into the passenger seat. When they were on their way to wherever, the stranger spoke. 

"You're lucky I was passing by. I don't often come to this part of town. What was he trying to do—mug you or rape you or both?" 

"Neither," gasped Caro, still slightly breathless from the chase, "He's my boyfriend." 

"Christ, girl, you know how to pick them, don't you? Anyway, you'd better come and stay at my place tonight. You'll be safe there. I'm Lainy Marshall. It's really Lorraine but apparently when I first started talking, Lainy was all I could manage and the name stuck." 

"I'm Caro—Carolyn—Renshaw. Thanks for what you did back there." Caro leaned back, closing her eyes and folding her arms across her aching body. She knew that there would be no lasting damage. Bruno was very good at inflicting maximum pain with minimum injury. But what the hell was she going to do next? Bruno St Clair was not a forgiving person and at some point she was really going to suffer for this. 

The car went eastwards and very soon was driving through areas that Caro didn't know. After a while, they were passing through streets that were almost deserted. Caro knew that they were somewhere a little north of the Thames but where exactly she wasn't sure. The roads now were more narrow, flanked by darkened three- and four-storey buildings. Street lamps were few and those Caro could see were of a design long obsolete, mostly offering only a very dim light. She guessed that they were probably former gas lamps converted to electricity. Higher up on the buildings, Caro noticed hefty-looking brackets with pulley attachments and what looked like large wooden hatchways. She realized that at one time they must have been warehouses for import and export businesses or perhaps old mills. Now they were largely abandoned although some had been converted into luxury flats. 

Lainy pulled the car up in front of one such building. "Home," she announced. Caro got out of the car and looked around. The building immediately in front of her had a huge double door with a sign over saying 'Gymnasium'. A few feet to its side was a smaller, single door which Lainy went to and opened. She flicked on a light and Caro could see a flight of stairs going up to the next floor. Lainy beckoned her to follow. 

Lainy's flat was huge and open-plan, with highly-polished floorboards and a number of expensive-looking rugs scattered about. A sitting area had a comfortable-looking three-piece suite and a huge television set, while nearby was a dining area with a small table and a number of chairs. To one side there was a screened-off kitchen, and a number of other rooms had been either converted from offices or built-in to order. Lainy led Caro to the large sofa and sat her down. Saying: "Back in a minute." she went into the kitchen. 

She returned with a cup of herbal tea to find Caro shivering. "That's reaction," said Lainy, "Drink the tea while I prepare you a hot bath." Caro sipped at the tea and leaned back in her seat., closing her eyes. She recalled something she had heard or read once, something about the kindness of strangers. Despite what had happened to her—or perhaps because she was used to it—she must have drifted off because it seemed like only seconds before Lainy was taking hold of her hand and leading her through a bedroom to the en-suite bathroom beyond. 

For the first time, Caro took a good look at her rescuer. Lainy was about the same height as Caro, five-six, of similar build, with a lovely, high-cheek-boned face and dark hair closely-cropped in a pixie cut. She was wearing a white t-shirt and black jogging trousers. "Right, into the bath," ordered Lainy, "I'll find you some pyjamas—we're about the same size—and make up the spare bed for you." 

Caro stripped her cocktail dress and underwear and lowered herself into the hot, scented bath, gradually relaxing. Again, she must have started to doze off, for the next thing she heard was Lainy's voice. "Fucking hell, girl, is that what that bastard's done to you?" Lainy sounded shocked and there was a look of mingled rage and horror in her dark violet eyes. 

Caro's torso, front and back, was a mass of bruises, ranging in colour from fresh black-blue to slowly-fading yellow. Lainy rushed from the bathroom and returned with a small camera with which she took several shots from different angles. 

"What are you doing?" said Caro. 

"Evidence. Now I think we'd better call the police." 

"No, no police. I've got an elderly grandmother who lives in the West Country. Bruno said that if I ever told anyone about him, he'd go there and make sure she suffers." 

Lainy looked doubtful, pursed her lips. "I think we'd better talk about this in the morning. Here's some clean pyjamas for you. I've laid some clothing on the bed for you for tomorrow. The only thing I can't provide is a bra, your boobs are bigger than mine. Get to bed and rest, we'll try to sort things out tomorrow." 

A new life 

"As I see it," said Lainy as she poured coffee for Caro and passed it to her with some toast, "You've got a chance now to get away from that arsehole. You'd certainly be a bloody fool to go back to him." 

"You're right, of course. The only problem is that I've nowhere to go, no bank account, no friends..." She quickly gave Lainy an account of her life with Bruno, ending: "You probably think that I'm a complete idiot but Bruno can be very charismatic and persuasive when he wants. By the time I fully realised what was going on, it was too late." 


Move Closer Ch. 01



"Hm, classic control freak behaviour, arranging everything so that you're totally dependent on him," said Lainy, adding, "I still say you should go to the police." 

"No, I've got Gran to think of. As it is, Bruno managed to alienate me from her, without me giving him an excuse to go after her. My parents died when I was a child and Gran brought me up. I can't do anything to put her at risk. Believe me, Lainy, you just don't know what it's like." 

"Oh, but I do. My father used to beat the shit out of my mother and me until I was about ten. Then my Uncle Joss, who was an army captain at the time, heard what was going on. He came to our house, took my father into one of the rooms and shut the door. We don't know what was said in there, but after about ten minutes my father came out white-faced, went and packed a couple of cases and left. We haven't seen the bastard since. My Mum got a divorce, then a couple of years later met and married my stepfather. It took me a long time to learn to trust him but he's a lovely man and now I consider him to be my real Dad. 

"Anyway, that's history. The thing now is what to do with you, Caro. You can stay here with me if you wish. You can have the room you used last night—it has its own bathroom. And you can be as private or otherwise as you want." 

"Thanks, but right now I can't pay you any rent until I find work. And that won't be easy. I'm a librarian and archivist and those positions don't grow on trees." 

"Do you mind getting your hands dirty?" Lainy asked and Caro shook her head. "It's just that I'm a business partner with Joss and an old army friend of his, Will. We run the gym downstairs. Our regular cleaner is on maternity leave and you can take her place in return for board and lodging and some pocket-money. It's not an easy job—the gym's big. The other thing is how to get all your clothing from Bruno's place." 

"I'll take the cleaning job, thanks," said Caro, "And I'm a very good cook so I can do all the meals if you like. I've got a key to Bruno's place so we can get my clothes any time in the next several days. Bruno has to fly to Singapore today on business and he won't miss that. There's too much money involved. He'll be away for about a week." Then as an afterthought: "He will be okay to travel, won't he? After the way you hit him?" 

Lainy smiled. "He'll probably have a sore neck and nose for a day or two but no real damage—nothing to stop him working. And certainly nothing to what he's done to you." 

"Good, then I'll leave him a note saying that I'll keep quiet about him as long as he stays away from me and Gran." 

"Okay, that's settled then. Finish your breakfast and I'll take you down to meet Joss and Will." Lainy seemed to hesitate a moment, then added: "If you're going to stay with me, there's something you'd better know. I'm a lesbian. Does that bother you?" 

"No, it doesn't worry me," said Caro, "Have you got a girlfriend?" 

"No!" The abruptness of the reply discouraged further questions. 

Lainy was right—the gym was huge, taking up the whole ground floor of the former warehouse. It was divided into a number of different areas covering every form of physical activity including a large padded area of floor for teaching martial arts. Caro was immediately impressed by Joss and Will. Neither man was very tall, perhaps five-nine or so, but there was an air of quiet self-assurance about them which made Caro feel she would be totally safe in their company. Having introduced Caro, Lainy took the men aside and spoke to them very quietly. 

The three gazed at Caro and then Lainy beckoned her over, turned her around and lifted her t-shirt from behind, as high up as her shoulders. Seeing Caro's contusion-covered back, the two men's faces showed utter disgust. There was another whispered conference then Joss turned and spoke to Caro. 

"Look, Caro, we can train you so that nobody will ever do this to you again," he said, "Lainy takes the women's self-defence classes twice weekly but we'll work with you every day if you want. It'll be hard and some nights you'll go to bed hating us, but the end result will be worthwhile. What do you say?" 

"When do I start?" said Caro. 

* * * * * 

Joss was wrong. Caro didn't go to bed hating them but loving them, loving them for the time they devoted to her, the new skills they were giving to her. Every day when she had finished her chores, Joss or Will or Lainy, sometimes all three, would take Caro onto the mats for two or three hours and train her hard in a variety of fighting systems. "We don't teach the traditional martial arts here," Will explained at the outset, "They can take years to reach the required standards to earn fancy-coloured belts. We teach people to survive on the streets." And to her surprise, Caro found that she had a natural ability. Within weeks she was helping Lainy run the women's self-defence sessions. Within several months she was allowed to take her own small beginners' class with a minimum of supervision. And because of her professional training, she was also able to relieve her three employers of some of the day-to-day paperwork tasks. 

She and Lainy quickly became good friends although there was something about Lainy, an odd remoteness which Caro found difficult to penetrate. When Lainy smiled she was beautiful, but she smiled very rarely, seemingly burdened by a permanent air of melancholy. One day Caro asked Joss about this. 

"Anything Lainy wants you to know, she'll tell you," he replied. 

Sometimes, say once or twice a week, Lainy would disappear, either during the day or early in an evening and never more than for an hour or two. Joss and Will seemed to accept this without question and Caro was never given an explanation, not, she decided, that it was any of her business. 

Once, Caro bought a bottle of white wine to go with their evening meal. Lainy said: "Thanks, but no thanks, Caro. I'm teetotal." So instead Caro had some of Lainy's mineral water to make herself a white wine spritzer, her favourite drink. 

Then there was the morning when Lainy asked Caro to fetch some important papers from her desk in the flat. "They're in a large white envelope. I put them away some time ago and can't remember which drawer but you'll find them." 

There was a bundle of papers in the first drawer that Caro opened and she took them out to check. Lainy's envelope wasn't there but under the papers Caro found four framed photographs lying face down. Curious, she took them out to have a look. Two of the pictures were of Lainy with another girl. Lainy appeared to be a lot younger and slightly fuller of face, her dark hair falling to her shoulders. Her companion was fair-haired and sweet-looking. In one picture the two were facing the camera, arms about each other's shoulders, cheeks pressed together, big smiles on their faces; in the second they were gazing at one another adoringly. The remaining photos were of the second girl by herself: in one she was laughing happily, in the other blowing a kiss to the camera. Some ex-girlfriend of Lainy's, Caro assumed, and replaced the pictures. 

A night-time incident 

The "snick" of her bedroom door opening was low but it was enough to waken Caro. Not moving, she tried her best to control her breathing, to make it appear that she still slept. Footsteps approached then she felt the covers being drawn back and the weight of a body settling on the far side of the bed. Christ, it was Bruno. How the hell had he found her? How the hell had he found his way into the flat? And so quietly. She knew exactly what would happen now. He would turn her onto her back or stomach, depending on whim, rip down her pyjama shorts and just ram his penis into her, uncaring whether or not he caused her great pain. She wanted to scream but knew what would happen if she did. Caro continued to lie rigid, hoping against hope that he would change his mind and leave her be. 

A hand touched her, easing its way beneath her jacket and caressed her belly with soft and gentle stroke. The hand moved up to stroke a breast. to play with a nipple and then down, into the waistband of her shorts to let fingers dance among the curls of her pubic hair. What was going on? This was not the way Bruno usually behaved. Then Caro realised something—the hand caressing her was smaller than Bruno's. 

She was eased over onto her back and soft lips descended on hers, a pointed tongue tracing the shape of her mouth and seeking entrance. Caro dared to open her eyes. Despite it being the middle of the night, she found she could see quite clearly. She was staring into a beautiful face with high cheek bones and sad violet eyes, a head with dark, pixie-cut hair... 

Caro sprang upright in the bed, panting with shock. The room was still dark and she could see nothing but the glowing figures of her bedside clock. She was alone. Another dream, the third, all different, yet all the same. But what the hell was causing them? For years now she had never dreamed of anything even vaguely sexual and suddenly she was dreaming of a woman—no, not any woman but Lainy—trying to make love to her. Caro lay back down but it was some time before she slept. 

Nemesis 

Caro was happy. She was sitting outside a coffee shop in a large mall, sipping a cappuccino and reflecting on how her life had changed for the better. She had called her grandmother to make peace and was relieved that the old love was still there. She hadn't told Gran the worst of it, only that she and Bruno had problems and had split up, a fact which seemed to please the old woman. She also warned Gran to beware of any strangers who might approach her at home. And now the cherry on the icing was that Caro had found a part-time job in a small private library, about half-an-hour by bus from the gym. The place was only open three days a week and Caro's initial task was to bring some form of order into a chaotic cataloguing system. The existing librarian was due to retire in the near future and it looked as if his position could be offered to Caro. 

She was still living in Lainy's flat, which suited the two of them well, and still putting in a good number of hours a week training. There was one odd thing, though, not exactly disturbing Caro but puzzling her. She had found in recent weeks—ever since the start of those dreams in fact—that she was thinking more and more about Lainy, frequently day-dreaming of her, seeing her as something more than a friend... something much more... As much as anything it was an emotional outreaching. Perhaps it was gratitude. No... it was something more than that. Was it possible it could even be love? Bewildered by these feelings, Caro would think to herself, What's going on with me? I can't be in love with a woman, I'm straight... 

A voice, smooth and cultured, interrupted her thoughts, a voice which sent a momentary chill through her body. "Hello, Caro, how very nice to meet you here." 

As the man settled himself into a chair next to hers, Caro said: "What are you doing here, Bruno?" 

"Is that any way to greet someone? If you must know, I had to see a client in this area and I thought I'd grab a coffee before returning to the City. And imagine my delight when I saw an old friend sitting here. We have things to discuss, Caro." 

Caro's voice was cold. "I'm not your friend, Bruno, and we have nothing at all to discuss." 

Bruno reached out and covered one of Caro's hands with his. To an onlooker, it would have appeared to be an affectionate gesture. But he squeezed hard and Caro winced. "Stop it, Bruno, you're hurting me." 

For a second, Bruno St Clair looked puzzled. There was nothing of fear or subservience in Caro's voice, just a plain matter-of-factness. He applied the pressure a little. "It's going to be worse, dear Caro—you know that, don't you? You have to be punished for humiliating me that night." 

"Whatever happened to you that night was entirely of your own making. And I've left you—I thought my note made that clear to you." 

Bruno shook his head sadly. "What's going to happen now, Caro, is that we're going to my car and we're going home where you'll be punished. And our relationship ends when I say it does, not when you fancy. Now get up and walk away quietly with me." 

"Supposing I call for help?" said Caro. 

An element of viciousness crept into his voice. "No, dear Caro, you won't do that. Remember poor old Grannie at home all by herself—imagine her getting an unwanted visit. I don't have to remind you what happened to Little Red Riding Hood's grandmother when the Big Bad Wolf came calling. Now let's go. It'll get worse if I have to repeat myself." 

Again to Bruno's surprise, Caro simply shrugged and stood up. "Okay, where's the car? Still got the Porsche?" In a tone of contempt she added: "Personally, I always thought it a bit vulgar." Anger him if you can, Joss would have said, it'll keep him off balance and make him careless. 

"One more black mark, dear Caro." Anger there, through gritted teeth—the car was Bruno's great joy. He gripped her elbow and steered her away from the coffee shop towards the stairs to the multi-storey car park. 

They emerged on the second level. It was still the Porsche, a low-slung phallic symbol in virulent red. Caro glanced around, saw nobody in the area. As Bruno reached into his pocket for the keys, Caro pulled away from him and suddenly her demeanour changed from one of defiance to one of abject fear. "Oh God, Bruno, I'm so sorry... please don't hurt me, Bruno..." She could see Bruno relax a little, a look of triumph and anticipation in his eyes. 

Still wailing and pleading, Caro threw her arms around Bruno, effectively pinning his arms to his side, and then drove her knee, very hard, into his groin. Bruno let out an anguished squeal and doubled over, clutching at his injured parts. Caro seized one arm in a lock, bending his index finger backwards and applying leverage to his straightened elbow, driving the man to his knees. 

"Stop it, Caro! You're hurting me!" 

Caro applied a little more pressure and bent to say: "Funny, pain never bothered you when you were hurting me, Bruno. Now, stay away from me, stay away from my grandmother. I'll hold to my promise not to go to the police for now. But come near me again and I'll probably break that promise." She pushed him away and he collapsed. 

As Caro walked to the stair-well, she could hear Bruno vomiting. 

That evening in the gym, she told Lainy and Joss what had happened. "How did you feel afterwards?" Joss asked her. 

"Good." Caro thought for a moment and added: "I mean, it felt good that I wasn't scared any more and that I could handle him. But I didn't feel all that good about hurting him. I don't like hurting people, not even people like Bruno." 

Joss nodded approval. "You're okay, Caro. When you start enjoying hurting, then that makes you as bad as the bad guys. Now we're going to step up your training. The next time, if there is a next time, Bruno will be ready for you, so you'll have to do something quite different, take him by surprise..." 

And they went to the mats... 

A strange beauty 

Lainy reached out and clutched at Caro's hand. She seemed rapt as she listened to Pavane for a Dead Princess and may not have realized what she was doing. Caro realized full well and felt a thrill of pleasure as their fingers interlaced: her perceived fondness for Lainy seemed to be growing deeper day by day. 

It had taken Caro a good twenty minutes to persuade Lainy to come to the concert with her. "I'm not sure I'd enjoy an evening of classical music," Lainy had said, but admitting when asked that she'd never been to such a concert. "Not even with... never mind..." 

Caro waved the tickets under her nose. "I went to some trouble to get these and the least you can do is give it a try. I went to that country music concert with you thinking I'd be bored and as it turned out, I loved it. You might love this. 

"Look, if somebody told you he didn't like Chinese food and then admitted he'd never tried it, you'd think he was an idiot, wouldn't you?" 

"That's different." 

"No it's not. Come with me, Lainy, and if you don't like it, then we'll leave early, okay?" 

And now it seemed that Lainy was loving it. As the final notes of Ravel's music died away, she turned to Caro, who thought she could see the sparkle of unshed tears in her friend's eyes but in the dim light of the concert hall couldn't be certain. "Oh God, Caro," Lainy said, "I didn't realize that a piece of music could be so strange and so beautiful and yet seem so sad at the same time. I could just see it..." 

"All good classical music can paint pictures," Caro told her, "Some represent specific scenes, others you can use imagination to create what you want from the music. The main item tonight is Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony. One of the movements portrays country dancing, another a thunderstorm. Close your eyes and let your imagination drift so you'll see the dancing and feel the storm." 

As the opening notes of the symphony were played, Caro felt an urge to hold Lainy's hand again. She reached out and Lainy happily accepted and held Caro's hand between both of hers. 

Back at the flat later, the two sat together on the sofa drinking coffee. "Thank you for taking me to that concert, Caro," said Lainy, "I really had no idea just how lovely classical music could be. Can we go to another concert soon?" 

"I'll watch out for programmes I think you'll like, nothing too heavy," Caro promised. 

Then to her surprise, Lainy leaned over and kissed her gently on the lips. For several seconds, Caro leaned into the kiss and Lainy raised a hand to Caro's cheek. The kiss was something Caro had been half-hoping would happen for weeks now but suddenly she didn't know how to handle it. Flustered, she pulled back and stood up. "Goodnight, Lainy." 

Once in her room, Caro realized that she had wanted the kiss to continue but mentally she had panicked. What's happening to me? I'm straight, aren't I? But I think I'm in love with Lainy... no, I know I'm in love with Lainy... I think I have been for months... but I'm straight... aren't I...? 

There was something else. Her nipples had become rigid, pressing against her silken bra, and... My God, I'm wet down there. But I never get wet down there... 

Caro dropped her skirt and fumbled at the crotch of her panties. It was very damp. Caro undressed quickly and climbed into bed naked. She reached down and touched her slit. To her surprise, the lips felt thick and swollen. Caro ran an index finger up and down an unaccustomed line of slippery moisture, slid it deep into her pussy and then withdrew it and brought it up to her face. In the light from her bedside lamp, she could see that her finger was thickly coated with glistening juice. Caro sniffed at it and was further aroused by her own musky smell. Thinking, I've never done anything like this before, she took the finger into her mouth and sucked off the tangy secretion. Christ, but that tastes good... 

Reaching down to her pussy again, Caro started to masturbate, something she very rarely did. As the pressure built up, she buried her face in her pillow to muffle her moans and her eventual small cry as she came off. 

In her bedroom, Lainy, too, was masturbating. As she fingered herself and rubbed her clitoris, the same thought kept repeating itself in her mind, over and over, like a musical riff. Oh, Caro, love, why do you have to be straight? 

Radclyffe's 

They had finished their evening meal and Lainy said: "Right, I'm taking you out tonight, Caro. You took me to that lovely concert last week, so I'm taking you to a nightclub I know." 




Move Closer Ch. 01



Caro frowned a little. "The last time I was in a nightclub, I got slapped around afterwards." 

"Now you know that's not going to happen again—believe me, you'll enjoy this one. It'll all be fun and dancing. Sound good?" 

Caro considered, then smiled. "Yes, sounds good." 

"Okay, you go and get a shower while I clear away." 

"What should I wear?" 

"Your choice," said Lainy, "Just make yourself look beautiful." 

When they emerged from their separate bedrooms later, each stopped and stared at the other. Lainy was dressed in a crisp white shirt with black boot-cut trousers and black waistcoat, while on her feet she had black Cuban-heel shoes. She was wearing jet cufflinks and earrings and her neatly-trimmed fingernails were coated with black varnish. Caro had donned a three-quarter length, long-sleeved emerald dress with kitten-heel shoes. On one wrist she had a slim bracelet comprising amber and silver links, around her neck a similar amber choker, and she wore matching earrings. The whole outfit complemented her thick, auburn hair and hazel eyes. The women clasped hands and both spoke at once. 

"Wow, you look gorgeous— " 

"Oh, aren't you lovely—" 

They laughed. "Come on," said Lainy, "It's a warm night and we'll walk there. It's only a couple of streets away." 

They left the flat, linking arms as they walked. After about ten minutes they turned a corner and in front of them, across the road, was another former warehouse and a small doorway with a discreet neon sign above: Radclyffe's. Lainy pointed. "That's it." There was a lengthy line of women queuing outside. 

"Looks as if we'll be waiting quite a while," Caro said. 

"Don't worry about that," Lainy told her and took Caro straight to the door. The doorkeeper was a sturdy-looking black woman who yelled with delight when she saw Lainy and pulled her into a great hug. "Lainy, girl, it's been a while. How are you doing?" 

"Just great, Myra," said Lainy, returning the hug. "This is Caro." 

"Hi, Caro... any friend of Lainy's... Go right on in girls, your table's waiting." 

There was a querulous call from someone in the line. "How come they can jump the queue?" 

Myra pointed to Lainy. "Because she's the owner, honey. And hey, Lainy, it's easy night tonight." 

As Lainy led Caro down a narrow corridor, Caro said: "Is that right? You're the owner?" 

"Not exactly—I'm a part-owner. Joss and Will and I have 51% of the shares between us. Olivia, who runs the place day-to-day has the other 49%. So the way it works, no one person has overall control and we get along just fine. Anyway, Joss and Will only come here for board meetings." At the other end of the corridor they came into a huge room, about the same size as the gym, with low, soft lighting. Along one wall was a long bar with several girls working behind it and a number of waitresses scurried around taking orders. A long, high mirror behind the bar made the place look twice as large and bottles and glasses gleamed in their racks. Nearly all of the tables seemed to be occupied and a spacious floor was filled with dancers swaying to smoochy music. Lainy led the way to an empty table on which was a card saying: Reserved. "Owners' table," she explained. She hailed a waitress and ordered her usual mineral water with a spritzer for Caro. 

Looking around her, Caro realized that like the queue outside, all the patrons were women. "Is this a lesbian club?" 

"Yes. Does it bother you?" 

"No—I take it the club's named after Radclyffe Hall?" 

Lainy smiled. "I knew you'd get it, most don't—too long ago and obscure, I suppose. We do get a lot of straight women coming here too. They know they can have a great time without having to fend off randy men. Mind you, how they handle randy women is their problem. Seriously, we do have a strict rule that if someone says no, and they mean no, then it's to be respected. So you'll probably get asked to dance a lot tonight—if anyone gets too heavy, just say no and let them know you're with me." 

Caro nodded. "One other thing—Myra said it's an easy night, but the place is heaving with people." 

"Just our parlance," said Lainy, "Each night we have different music themes: country, rock, disco and so on. Easy is when it's all easy-listening music for slow dancing. And we're always full." 

Caro was asked to dance a lot and thoroughly enjoyed it. She was propositioned several times but she was able to turn them down without causing offence. At one point, when Lainy was on the dance-floor and Caro was taking a breather, a tall, elegant woman, probably in her early fifties, came and sat beside her. "You'll be Caro," she said, extending a languid hand to shake, "I'm Olivia, Lainy's business partner. It's great to see that Lainy's found a new girlfriend at last." 

Lainy's girlfriend, is that how they're seeing me? I wish... Aloud, Caro said: "I'm not her girlfriend, we're just friends." 

Olivia looked puzzled. "Oh, the way Lainy's been looking at you all night, I thought... Well, never mind--that's me and my big mouth... It's just that ever since Susannah, we've all been hoping that she'd find someone else." 

"Who's Susannah?" 

"You don't know about Susannah? She— Oh, it's me and my big mouth again. Look, just forget I said anything, Caro." Olivia stood up. "Duty calls. Good to meet you, Caro, hope to see you soon." She wandered away, stopping at different tables to have a word. 

Then Lainy was standing there, holding out a hand. "Come on Caro, I think it's about time you danced with me." As they reached the dance-floor, Nat King Cole's 'Mona Lisa' was just finishing and they put their arms around each other. The next piece of music started seamlessly: it was Phyllis Nelson's 'Move Closer'. Caro tightened her embrace and felt Lainy do the same as their cheeks came together. And as their bodies moved in unison, a jolt of electricity seemed to shoot through Caro. Oh God, she thought, this is it, this is where I belong, here in Lainy's arms... The rest of the room seemed to melt away from her, there was only her and Lainy and the music and nothing else in the world mattered any more. For the remainder of the evening, they were like one—nobody else was able to get a dance with either of them. 

When they left Radclyffe's to walk home, it seemed only natural that their hands came together with fingers intertwined, that they walked together more closely than usual, that their shoulders were in almost constant contact. 

At home, they changed into their pyjamas and then sat with coffees. "So, how did you enjoy dancing with a bunch of dykes?" asked a smiling Lainy. 

"I absolutely loved dancing with a bunch of dykes," said Caro. Uppermost in her mind was the thought: I absolutely loved dancing with one dyke in particular—I could have danced with her forever... Then recalling what Olivia had said, she asked: "Who's Susannah?" 

"How do you know about Susannah?" said Lainy, then: "Oh, Olivia I suppose. I saw her talking to you. Susannah was my girlfriend. We were together for more than five years." 

"What happened? Did she leave you?" 

"In a manner of speaking." Lainy's voice was suddenly bleak. "She died, three years ago. She had a serious heart condition I didn't know about. Apparently it ran in her family. Only twenty-five years old and she died of heart failure." 

"Oh, Lainy, how dreadful for you." Caro reached out and took Lainy in her arms, holding her close. They sat that way for very long minutes, and the warmth of Lainy's body against hers gradually roused a deep longing in Caro. I am in love with Lainy, she thought, I really am in love with her... 

She thought of their first dance together and in her mind could hear the soft, clear voice of Phyllis Nelson: 

"Move closer... 

Move your body real close until we 

Feel like we're really making love..." 

She whispered: "Lainy, will you take me to bed and make love to me?" 

There was an abrupt change in Lainy. She stiffened and pulled Caro's arms away from her, speaking harshly. "Forget it! I don't need a sympathy fuck!" 

Caro flinched and drew back, hurt by Lainy's words and the way they were spoken. "I wasn't offering you a sympathy fuck and I didn't mean to upset you. I'm in love with you, Lainy. I've been in love with you for some time but haven't dared say anything because I've been so confused about it. I was hoping that you'd have some feelings for me, too. I wanted to make love with you, not fuck you. I'm so sorry, Lainy—I've obviously made a terrible mistake. This isn't going to work for either of us any more, is it? As soon as I can find somewhere else to go, I'll leave so I don't cause you any more upset and pain." 

Caro got up and dashed to her room before Lainy could see the tears falling. Shutting the door, she stood in the middle of the room, weeping quietly and berating herself. You stupid, stupid bitch! You were just talking about her dead girlfriend and then you have to go and say something crass like that. You've just wrecked any chance you might have had... and now it's goodbye, Lainy... 

The story continues in Chapter 2.



Move Closer Ch. 02



This is the second part of a long love story. If you haven't read the first chapter, I recommend that you do so. If you're looking for instant thrills with little or no plot, please look elsewhere. Both chapters contain some low-key violence. While I consider myself a moderately experienced writer, I am new to the world of erotic fiction. I would therefore welcome any comments or feedback, positive or otherwise. Characters in sex scenes are eighteen years old or over. All characters are imaginary—any resemblance to persons living or dead is coincidental. 

Copyright © 2014 to the author. 

Reconciliation 

There was a light tap on the door followed by the sound of it opening. Caro didn't turn round. "Please don't say anything more, Lainy. I've apologised for upsetting you. If you'll just give me time to find other accommodation, I'll leave as soon as I can." 

Gentle hands turned her around. "I'm the one who should apologise for hurting you, Caro," said Lainy, "After all these months I should know you better than to think you were just after a cheap shag." She reached out to wipe tears from Caro's cheeks. "Did you mean what you said, that you're in love with me?" 

"Every word," Caro replied, "I've been falling in love with you for ages but I haven't had the guts to admit it, not even to myself, until recently. I was so mixed up about my feelings. All I know is that for a long time now I've been getting up in the morning happy, knowing that I'll see you at breakfast. I've been coming home from work happy, knowing that I'll be spending the evening with you. These months with you have brought me so much joy. And when we danced together tonight, I knew for sure that you're the only one for me. Whatever you think of me, Lainy, I love you." 

"But you're straight." 

"Right now, I'm not sure what I am," confessed Caro, "All I know is that I've never felt about anyone the way I feel about you and I truly love you." 

Lainy pulled Caro close and stroked her hair. "I've got to tell you, Caro, I've been in love with you for months but said nothing because I thought you were straight. Forgive my bad temper please—ever since Susannah died I've had so many hit on me just for what they thought they could get out of me." 

She cupped Caro's face in her hands and kissed her on the lips. It was a sweet kiss, a loving and gentle kiss, one that hung between them like a sigh evaporating in the air. Then Lainy's fingers began to toy with the top buttons of Caro's pyjama jacket. "May I? If you still want me?" 

Caro nodded. "Oh yes... " 

Lainy opened all the buttons and turned Caro so that she could ease the jacket from her shoulders. She slipped her hands into the trousers waistband and slid them down so that they pooled at Caro's feet. Caro shivered as she felt a warm tongue travelling from the cleft in her buttocks, up her spine and to the nape of her neck where Lainy planted a series of tiny kisses and nibbles. Lainy reached round to hold and caress Caro's breasts and felt the nipples harden in her palms. 

Then Caro seemed to stiffen and was shaken by a tremor. "What is it?" said Lainy, "Do you want me to stop? It doesn't matter if you've changed your mind—we don't have to do this now if you don't want to." 

"Don't stop, Lainy—I want to so much," whispered Caro, "It's just that I'm a bit scared... I've never been with a woman before. I don't know what to do..." She placed her hands over Lainy's to press them closer to her breasts. 

Lainy led Caro to the bed and laid her face down. "I'll help you relax, Caro, just trust me. Remember, anything you don't like, tell me and I'll stop." She began to massage Caro's shoulders and back with a deft and certain touch. Her hands were firm yet comforting as she stroked her way down Caro's back. Lainy took her time, pausing to knead Caro's shapely buttocks, and carrying on down her thighs and calves. Caro felt her tension easing and a warm, tingling sensation slowly overtaking her body. She gave a tiny sigh and wriggled a little into the comfort of the duvet. 

Lainy moved back up Caro's body but now, instead of her hands, she used her lips and tongue, licking and kissing her way up one leg and then moving back down to repeat her actions on the other leg. When she reached Caro's bottom, she spent a very long time just licking and nipping all over each round buttock in turn as she caressed the other. Caro felt herself becoming very wet and she started to make little mewling noises. Slowly, Lainy kissed and tongue-bathed almost every inch of Caro's back before planting a seemingly endless series of baby kisses across Caro's shoulders and neck. 

Lainy turned Caro over and kissed each of her eyelids and cheeks and the tip of her nose. She lowered her lips to Caro's, at first keeping her mouth lightly closed, leaving it to Caro to choose what to do next. Hesitantly at first, then more surely, Caro's arms came around Lainy's neck and pulled her closer. Her lips parted slightly and Lainy allowed the tip of her tongue to play along Caro's mouth. Caro responded and their tongues touched for the first time. Caro moaned and tightened her grip and thrust her tongue forward more firmly so that Lainy could suck on it. 

At last Lainy broke the kiss so that she could raise herself slightly to look at Caro's body. Caro's breasts were probably 34B and beautifully shaped with large rosy nipples and areolas. Her torso, flat and trim from all the gym-work, displayed a prominent belly button, and there was a neatly-trimmed auburn bush between her legs. Lainy whispered: "You're so beautiful, Caro," and lowered her mouth to Caro's once more so that their tongues could continue to duel before she moved to lick and kiss Caro's ears and throat. And all the time she was stroking Caro's breasts and body slowly, over and over, while Caro, eyes closed, moaned with mounting pleasure. 

Lainy's mouth closed upon one of Caro's nipples while she took the other between thumb and forefinger and played and tugged gently. Caro, fully aroused, went to reach between her legs but Lainy stopped her. "Pussy's mine," she admonished, "You'll wait until I'm good and ready. Believe me, you'll appreciate it all the more." She continued to suck at Caro's nipples while Caro whimpered and small tremors shook her body. She was no longer shaking with apprehension but with urgent need. 

Lainy continued play with Caro's breasts while kissing and nuzzling downwards, spending a little time delving in Caro's belly button with her tongue and gently biting here and there. At last she placed one hand between Caro's legs and moaned a little herself when she felt slick wetness. She slipped two slightly hooked fingers into the sodden folds and Caro's hips gave an involuntary twitch. Lainy felt her fingers clamped in a velvet grip and she knelt between Caro's open legs so that she could more easily bring her mouth to Caro's pussy. Using the flat of her tongue, she began to lap at the flowing moisture, then with the tip she flicked at Caro's tiny clit which was just protruding from its hood. 

Caro grabbed at Lainy's head to hold it in place. She could feel her pussy rippling and clenching and an unfamiliar heat surging through her nerve endings. "Yes, Lainy, yes! Don't stop! Please... don't stop!" Suddenly her body had a massive spasm, her whole torso stiffening and almost rising from the bed. "Yes, oh God, oh please, yes!" She was shaking and laughing and crying all at once as her body jerked several more times. Lainy looked up and saw that Caro's face and breasts were heavily flushed and that tears were pouring down her cheeks and that her whole face was a picture of wonder and delight. Chest heaving as she tried to catch her breath, she clutched at Lainy. "Oh my God, Lainy, I never knew it could be like that!" 

Lainy moved up and held Caro close. "You've never come like that before?" 

"I've never come before. Well, not with anyone else present." She buried her face in Lainy's shoulder, still panting, and Lainy held her close, stroking her as she calmed down. 

Caro's body relaxed and her breathing became more easy as it returned to normal. Then she explained: "Sex with Bruno was like everything else with him—brutal, unpleasant. Bruno's idea of foreplay was 'I'm ready, you're ready'. He just used to ram his cock in and come pretty quickly. I think sex was more about power than pleasure for him. And if he was in a nasty mood and I didn't come, I'd get a slapping. If he was in a good mood and I didn't come, then he'd complain that I was a frigid little bitch. I got into the habit of lubing up when we went to bed so it didn't hurt too much and I got pretty good at faking orgasms. But it wasn't just Bruno. I had three lovers before him. They were all far more caring and considerate and yet I never enjoyed sex with any of them. I began to think that perhaps I was frigid—either that or possibly asexual. I barely got damp with any of them, Lainy, but you only have to touch my hand and I'm soaking wet. So I don't think I am frigid. It's just that men don't seem to turn me on." 

"You're certainly not frigid, not with that performance," Lainy assured her, "When you came, your pussy damned near nipped my fingers off." 

Tears appeared again in Caro's eyes. "That was more wonderful than I would ever have imagined, Lainy. I loved it all and there was nothing I would have wanted to stop you doing." The two women cuddled for a while, Caro naked, Lainy still in her pyjamas. Then Caro said: "Lainy, can I make love to you now?" 

"You know, Caro, you don't have to do anything that you don't want to." 

"But I do want to, Lainy. You're so lovely and I love you so much and I want to make love to you. I probably won't be much good, and I'm not even sure how to go about it, but I want to try." 

"You'll be just fine, babe." Lainy sat up and slipped off her pyjama jacket. "Just do what feels right and natural to you." She laid back and waited, closing her eyes. Caro's eyes lit on Lainy's breasts. They were small, perhaps the size of peaches, with hardly any areolas, but they were perfectly shaped and Lainy had long, thick chocolate-coloured nipples. Caro immediately wanted to latch onto those nipples but refrained, determined to give Lainy as much pleasure as she possibly could. She lowered her mouth to Lainy's. 

For quite a while, the pair just lay there, swapping tiny kisses as Caro caressed Lainy's cheeks and shoulders. The kisses became deeper and more passionate, tongues caressing and dancing together, before Caro moved her attention to Lainy's neck and jawline, kissing and licking as she massaged Lainy's chest between the breasts. Slowly, tentatively, she took Lainy's breasts in her hands and thrilled at the feeling of the stiffened nipples pushing into her palms. 

Unable to resist any longer, Caro bent and took one of those fascinating nipples into her mouth and sucked deeply, then moved from one nipple to the other, over and over. It was as if she had long been denied nourishment and had now found an abundance and she continued to toy and tug at the free nipple. The feel of those hard, erect nubs between her lips and tongue and fingers gave Caro more pleasure than she could have imagined. As she suckled, Lainy moaned loudly and held Caro's head to her breasts, stroking her auburn hair. 

Still feasting, Caro moved one hand down Lainy's belly until she reached the waistband of the other woman's pyjama shorts, where she hesitated. "It's okay, babe, go ahead," Lainy whispered, "Do whatever you want." 

Encouraged, Caro allowed her hand to go deep into the shorts and down to Lainy's mound. Straightaway, two things thrilled her: Lainy was shaved smooth and her pussy was drenched. I've done that to her, thought Caro, I've made Lainy so wet. Letting go of Lainy's nipple, Caro moved down the bed and stripped off her lover's shorts. For the first time in her life, Caro found herself gazing, rapt, at another woman's honeypot. 

Lainy's bare pussy gaped slightly to reveal a glorious inner dark-pink colour. Her outer and inner lips were swollen and she was oozing creamy, slippery moisture. A rich musky smell rising from Lainy made Caro shiver with delight. She reached out a finger and coated the tip with a little pussy-juice which she brought to her lips. The taste was similar to her own yet subtly different and perhaps a little stronger. "She's so lovely, Lainy. Can I kiss her?" 

Lainy sighed. "Oh, yes...yes... please..." 

At first Caro merely touched her mouth to Lainy's pussy, revelling in the smell and the wetness against her lips. Finally, she put out the tip of her tongue and gently licked from bottom to top to flick against the clitoris. Lainy let out a muted cry, encouraging Caro to repeat the action. Caro pulled Lainy a little closer and began to lap with greater confidence, coating her tongue and lips with the delicious fluid. Emboldened, she used one hand to ease back the clitoral hood while sliding the forefinger of her other hand into Lainy's tight vagina which was hot and clinging. Sheer instinct took over and, adding a second finger, she started to finger-fuck Lainy while drawing the clit into her mouth and sucking hard. 

Lainy whimpered, breath coming in short gasps, and her hips jerked. She grasped Caro's head to hold her there and suddenly came hard, crying out as she did so. Her body convulsed several times and Caro's heart leapt with triumph. I've done it, I've made Lainy come! 

"Come up here." Lainy tugged at Caro until they were on the same level and then she covered Caro's face with kisses. Despite the obvious power of Lainy's orgasm, there was an element of doubt in Caro's mind, quickly dispelled. 

Lainy hugged Caro close, kissing her deeply. "My God, Caro, you're a natural. You'll probably break me in half when you've had some practice and I'm going to make sure you get plenty of that. 

"Caro, when I was nasty to you earlier, you said that you'd move out of here. Do you still want to go?" 

"No, I didn't want to go in the first place but I didn't want to hurt you any more." 

"Good." Lainy sounded relieved. "Right, there's only one place you're moving to--straight into my bedroom. I love you and that's where you're going for keeps." 

Lainy finds peace 

When Lainy came up to the flat from the gym the next evening, the first thing she noticed was that the lights were low and that there was a mouth-watering smell of cooking. The table, set for two, was covered with a white cloth. A single rose in a slim crystal vase stood in the centre of the table and candles flickered in a candelabra. To one side was an ice-bucket with the neck of a bottle protruding. Lainy lifted the bottle. It was her favourite San Pellegrino mineral water, with a label, hand-written by Caro, plastered on: This was a very good year. 

She smiled, and then just as abruptly her smile disappeared. Four framed photographs of herself and another girl stood on a side coffee table, photographs that she knew she had hidden away. Caro appeared from the kitchen, threw an arm around Lainy's neck and kissed her hard. "Hello, gorgeous." 

Lainy didn't respond. "What's this?" she demanded. 

Caro looked surprised at Lainy's tone. "I took the afternoon off work so that I could make a special celebration dinner for us—our first as a couple." 

"Not that, those." Lainy gestured angrily towards the photographs. "Have you been snooping?" 

"Ah..." Calmly, Caro took her by the hand and led her to the sofa. "Now you listen to me, Lorraine Marshall, before you let your temper go off half-cocked again. Do you recall some months back asking me to get some important papers from your desk? You couldn't remember which drawer they were in and said I'd have to search." Lainy gave a grudging nod. "Those photos were in the first drawer I looked in. It wasn't snooping—I found them by chance." 

Lainy had the grace to look abashed as she mumbled an apology. 

"Anyway, I thought the photos too good to be hidden—love simply shines out of them. I take it that's Susannah?" 

"Yes." 

"She looks lovely." 

"She was. Lovely and funny and sweet and kind." 

"Then why in heaven's name did you hide her away?" said Caro. 

"Shame, I suppose," Lainy admitted, "Shame at the way I reacted after her death." 

"There's nothing shameful about grief," Caro said, "It's all part of the healing process." 

"There was plenty to be ashamed of in my grief." Lainy's voice was low and her violet-shaded eyes were downcast. 

"Look here, Susannah was a part of your life, a very important part. Don't hide her away—be proud of her, have her out in the open and remember the love you shared." 

"You wouldn't be jealous?" 

Caro shook her head. "Of course not. Why should I be? Tell you what—if you like, we could have our photos taken together to display with those." 

"And you really do love me, Caro? You're not just saying that?" There was a note of uncertainty, almost of fear, in Lainy's voice, something Caro had never heard there before. It was as if, having lost one love, she was terrified that she might lose another. 

"No, I'm not just saying that. I really do love you, with all my heart." 

"And I... I... love you... oh God..." Then without warning, Lainy—tough Lainy—collapsed into Caro's arms, weeping bitterly. She wept and wept, her cries almost animal-like in their pain, and terrible shudders wracked her body. Caro said nothing, just held Lainy close, rocking and soothing her as best she could, waiting for the storm to end. After a long time the cries and the tears slowly subsided. With a final sob or two, Lainy hugged Caro tightly. 

"I've soaked your top," she hiccupped. 

"Doesn't matter." 

Lainy mopped her eyes. "I must look like hell." 

Caro smiled. "You'll always be beautiful to me, no matter what you look like." 

"Whatever, I guess I needed to do that. Thank you for being here for me, Caro, thank you for holding me, and for loving me. You see, I never wept properly for Susannah before." Lainy's voice was choked. "I told you why she died but I didn't tell you how. We were living in our old flat and were watching a film on the TV. I had my arm around her and about half-way through the film I turned to tell her something and at first I thought she was asleep. But she wasn't—she'd gone. She'd just slipped quietly away. I didn't even get the chance to say goodbye to her. 

"Oh, I had a little weep but it was only a little one. I loved Susannah to distraction but thought I was too hard-boiled to show my grief. People said how brave I was, but I wasn't being brave. I was being a coward, shying away from things. I blamed myself for not noticing when she died. I blamed Susannah for not telling me of her heart condition, although I suppose she was trying to spare me worry and heartache. And I blamed myself again for not saving her, despite the doctors telling me I couldn't have done anything, that she must have died within seconds. So instead of letting it all out in tears, I crawled into a vodka bottle. Within months... no, weeks... I was borderline alcoholic and I was on the wrong side of the border. I was like that for a year or so, just living on booze and very little else." A rueful grin. "Not recommended as a healthy diet. 

"Thank God for Joss, I don't know why he bothered, the way I treated him at times, but bother he did and helped save me. That's why I don't drink now and that's why I was filled with shame and hid her pictures away. You've probably wondered sometimes where I disappear to for the odd hour. I go to AA meetings. I'm pretty sure I've beaten the booze but it does help me and if I can help somebody else, I will. 

"When we were at that concert, I came close to weeping then but managed not to—I felt as if the 'Pavane for a Dead Princess' had been written specially for Susannah. I said I didn't tell you I'd fallen for you thinking you were straight. That was true enough, but it was only part of the truth. The other part was that I believed I was betraying Susannah, being unfaithful, for loving somebody else. You know, last night was the first time I've made love since she died." 




Move Closer Ch. 02



Caro held Lainy close and kissed her forehead. "From what you've said about how lovely and sweet Susannah was, do you really think that she'd begrudge you another chance at love?" 

"I guess not," Lainy whispered. 

"In fact," Caro continued, "if there is an afterlife, I'll bet she's up there now cheering us on. So I'll say it again: be proud of her." 

"You're right. But now I'm proud of you too—you really are special. You've proved that tonight. Caro, will the dinner keep?" 

"It'll be okay for a while. Why?" 

Lainy kissed Caro's mouth. "Then let's make love ..." 

* * * * * 

Joss pulled into his usual parking spot opposite the gym. To his surprise, he saw Lainy and Caro standing outside the door leading to the flat. They were hugging and kissing before Caro gave a little wave and set off for work. 

Joss joined Lainy just as she was opening the gym. "So, are you and Caro an item now?" 

"You saw us? Yes, I suppose we are." 

"And is it likely to last?" 

Lainy nodded. "It's early days, Joss, but yes, I think it's going to last." 

"Good. I like Caro—she's a nice girl. But I thought she was straight." 

Lainy busied herself, turning on all the lights. "I thought so too, but now I'm not so sure. Some of the things she's told me... well, I think that perhaps she was so deep in the closet she didn't even know she was in there. Now the lights are on and she's finding her way out. There's something else, Joss..." 

Lainy put her arm around her uncle's waist and laid her head against his shoulder. "A few evenings ago, I finally cried properly for Susannah. You don't have to worry about me any more, Joss. I'm at peace with myself now." 

Changes 

Their lives had altered so much. Lainy had lost her air of melancholy; now there was an almost constant aura of happiness about her. And once Lainy had a very odd experience which she never mentioned to anyone. Alone in the flat one morning, not long after she and Caro had become lovers and after Caro had left for work, she had a sudden impression of unseen arms about her, of being warmly embraced and loved and the feeling that everything was okay. The sensation was fleeting, no more than a few seconds, but it left Lainy with a lightened heart. Perhaps Caro was right--perhaps Susannah was cheering them on and this had been her way of showing approval. 

Caro had gained in physical well-being and confidence. Most importantly, she had discovered how wonderful sex could be when it was driven by genuine and unconditional love. There was no more enduring it as there had been with her male lovers: she and Lainy took every opportunity to touch and kiss and both initiated love-making frequently and enthusiastically. Caro loved her library job and looked forward to the evenings when she worked with Lainy in the women's defence classes. They went to concerts more often, too, and danced at Radclyffe's. Life for the two of them was so much better than either could have hoped for months previously. 

Lainy had taken Caro to meet her mother and stepfather at their home in the Midlands. They were lovely people and treated Caro like another daughter. Caro was still reluctant to visit her grandmother, though, constantly wary of Bruno's threats. For Caro, he was still the bogeyman in the shadows even though she no longer feared him personally. 

When they had been together for a couple of months, and Lainy was more certain and trusting about their relationship, she told Caro something else. "Susannah was an orphan. Her family had been wealthy and parents and grandparents had left her an enormous amount of money in various trusts, to be realized when she was twenty-six years old. Until then, she received enough from the capital for pocket money. I think she perhaps guessed she would die young because she made a will leaving everything to me. Even after inheritance tax, there was a small fortune. Joss and Will were the named executors and they made sure I didn't get my hands on it while I was drinking. Afterwards, well... it helped me buy and renovate this place and to buy into the two businesses. And there's still plenty left." 

The OK Corral 

Some months later, at about six one Sunday morning, the girls awoke together and exchanged a sleepy good-morning kiss. Feeling a little randy, they gently fingered one another to a mild yet satisfying climax and then returned to sleep, their naked bodies spooned together. 

They were woken again some time after nine by Caro's mobile phone ringing. "Tell whoever it is to fuck off," mumbled Lainy, "I fancy another shag." 

"You'll have to wait, lover," Caro laughed, "I need a pee--keep kitty warm for me." She thumbed the 'On' button of her phone. "Hello." 

It was a woman's voice, sounding terrified. 

"Is that Caro? You don't know me but you've got to get out of there, fast! Bruno's coming after you." 

"What... how did you get this number? 

"Bruno had never wiped it from his phone. I copied it once and I've sneaked out to the newsagent's shop to call you. Look, Bruno hired a private detective to track you down and he got the man's report a couple of days ago. Now he's coming after you and your friend. Bruno said that he's going to mess the two of you up so badly that no man will ever fancy you again." 

"I know you're sticking your neck out here," said Caro, "But is there anything else you can tell me?" 

"He left here about ten minutes ago. And he's got friends with him. Just go! Go!" There was a clattering noise as the stranger slammed the pay-phone down. 

Lainy, alerted by Caro's tone, was sitting up. "What is it?" Caro explained briefly, adding: "His flat's on the far side of London. Even with reduced Sunday traffic, it'll take him a while to get here." 

"Okay, get dressed. I'll be with you in a minute." Lainy picked up her own phone and pressed speed-dial. "Hello, Joss? It's Lainy... Houston, we have a problem..." 

* * * * * 

The street door leading to the flat was opened slightly and Lainy and Caro, hands clasped together, were concealed in the shadows behind the entrance. Opposite, Joss and Will sat in a car, waiting. As was common in this area early on a Sunday morning, the streets were otherwise deserted. 

At last a large Mercedes saloon turned the corner at the far end of the street and came to a halt. Bruno exited the front passenger seat and three other men got out of the car. Bruno spoke quietly to them and then came down the street by himself. He was carrying a rounders bat, smaller than its cousin the baseball bat but as nasty a weapon. As he approached, Joss and Will got out of their car and walked slowly across the road to meet him. Caro chuckled quietly. 

"What's funny?" said Lainy. 

"Sorry, it just made me think of some old Western film, the OK Corral or something like that, fast guns on the street for a showdown." 

Joss stepped into the bigger man's path, Will standing a little way behind. "You must be Bruno. Now I think I know why you're here, Bruno, and it's not a good idea. Why don't you just turn around, get back in your friend's posh car, and go home."  

Bruno moved in a step or two, using his size to intimidate. "What's it to you who I am? Go away, little man, before you get hurt." 

Joss didn't move. "Go home, Bruno." He sounded almost bored. 

Bruno stepped a little closer. Joss still didn't move and a flicker of doubt crossed Bruno's face. He raised the bat and put his hand on Joss's chest to push him. "I said go away, little man, or get hurt." 

None of those watching were quite sure what happened, only that Joss was very fast. One second Bruno was threatening violence, the next he was writhing on the ground. Bruno's friends surged forward and Joss held up a hand. There was something commanding in the gesture and the three stopped. "Before anything else happens, gentlemen," Joss said, "my friend and I are both former special forces. We're a lot older than you but either one of us could probably put the three of you in hospital without breaking into a sweat. We don't want that, though, and I'm damned sure you don't. So tell us, why are you here?" Seeing some hesitation, Joss added: "Humour me." 

The three looked at each other and shrugged. One said: "Bruno told us that your gang beat him up twice—you caught him off guard. He thought he could get you this time but asked us to come along in case he was outnumbered." 

"I know that voice," Caro whispered to Lainy, "His name's Michael and he's a rugby player. He's a nice man." 

Joss shook his head. "We haven't got a gang. We're just a couple of local businessmen—we run that gym over there. In fact, we've never even seen Bruno before. But I think I know the gang members you're talking about. Perhaps you'd like to meet them." He raised his voice. "Okay, you two violent thugs, you can come out now and let these people see what they're up against." 

Lainy squeezed Caro's hand. "Let's go get 'em, Wyatt." 

They stepped into the street and Caro said: "Hello, Michael." 

"Caro?" Bewildered, Michael turned to Joss. "Is this some kind of bad joke?" 

"No joke," said Joss, "Your friend Bruno likes hurting women. Lainy here caught him beating Caro up one night. Bruno's bad luck—her unarmed combat is almost as good as ours. She laid him out. He caught up with Caro some months later and decided to 'punish' her for that. His bad luck again—we've been training her and she's been our star pupil. She laid him out too. So there you have it, two violent gang attacks become two young women half his size. I think he intended to catch them half-asleep and use that bat on them. You're probably here to give him some kind of alibi." 

"Sorry, Caro, I didn't know," Michael said, "If I had known I'd have done something about Bruno myself." He turned to the others adding: "Come on, let's go home." 

"What about Bruno?" one asked. 

"Fuck Bruno," said Michael, "He can find his own way back." 

When they had gone, Joss passed the bat to Will then knelt beside Bruno. "Looks like you're going to have to make your own way. I haven't hurt you as badly as I could have done, so you can walk to the nearest Tube station although it's a fair distance from here. You're just a bag of shit, Bruno, and I'm probably wasting my breath on you. But if anything happens to either of these girls or their friends or relatives, then I'll know who to come looking for, won't I?" 

But it didn't come to that. A few hours later, Bruno was dead. 

A trial 

It hadn't taken much brainwork on Bruno's part to guess who had betrayed him, as he saw it. A call at the local shop established that Joanne, his latest girlfriend, had been in early to use the pay phone. The shopkeeper, in all innocence, said that she had looked very frightened and, from what little he heard of her phone conversation, agitated. 

Of course, Joanne had to be punished. After all, it was her fault that Bruno had been humiliated again. He got back to his flat and started in beating her. In his rage, he wasn't as careful as usual. Police photos produced later showed that he had broken her nose and a cheekbone, had blackened both eyes and knocked out several teeth. He had cracked several of Joanne's ribs and had broken a finger. 

Joanne had been in the kitchen when Bruno attacked her. In desperation, she had seized a carving knife and stabbed Bruno. When the police—summoned by neighbours alarmed by screams—broke in, they found Joanne slumped on the floor, nigh unconscious, and Bruno dying in a pool of blood. 

Joss had friends in the police who told him that as it was a clear case of self-defence, they recommended no action against Joanne. However, some whizz-kid in the Prosecution Service, intent on making a name, insisted on pursuing a murder charge.  

Caro and Lainy appeared as a witnesses for the defence, as did no fewer than five other women, one of them the woman who had tried to warn Caro off eighteen months or so previously. It turned out that most had a vulnerable relative used by Bruno as a threat: one woman had a Down's Syndrome sister; another a wheelchair-bound father; a third a mother who had suffered a serious stroke. Lainy's photographs of Caro's battered torso might have been inadmissible as evidence until a prosecuting barrister opened the way by carelessly referring to them. 

The prosecution tried to establish collusion between the witnesses but failed. The judge's summing up was a master-class in how to appear impartial while weighing heavily in favour of the accused. It took the jury just twenty minutes to return a verdict of not guilty. 

Lainy and Caro left the stuffiness of the court. As they stepped out into the open air and paused at the top of the steps leading to the street, Caro said: "I think we should go and visit Gran now." 

Caro comes home 

Even though they shared the driving, the journey to the West Country was long and tiring. They drove from London on the M4, switched onto the M5 near Bristol, from there to the A38 just past Exeter and then onto a series of progressively smaller country roads until they were little more than lanes barely wide enough for one car. There were high hedgerows and each corner was a slightly scary adventure as they could never be certain what was around it. 

"You're going to tell your grandmother about us?" said Lainy. 

"Of course I am. You're the love of my life and I'm so proud of you that I want the whole bloody world to know." 

Lainy was quiet for a few minutes, the sudden lump in her throat making it difficult to respond. Then she said: "How do you think she'll take it?" 

"I don't know," admitted Caro, "It's not the sort of thing that was discussed much in Castle Wycke when I was a child." She grinned. "I doubt whether many people there would have known what a lesbian was." (Early in their changed relationship, Lainy had warned Caro that it might not be an easy ride. "I was lucky, I guess. I knew my sexuality from the time I was a young teenager and all my family accepted it and supported me. But even today there's a lot of prejudice out there.") 

"What happens if she doesn't like it?" 

"Then that'll be her tough luck," said Caro, "because I love you, beautiful, and you're stuck with me." 

"Thanks, babe. I love you too. Anyway, I'll be there for you, Caro." 

"No, I think it better if I have it out with her while we're alone. Look, Castle Wycke's a lovely little village. You can go out and explore while I'm talking to Gran. You can take Mac with you." 

Lainy raised an eyebrow. "Who's Mac? Your grandmother's boyfriend?" 

Caro laughed. "I suppose you could say he's her live-in male companion. Mac is a very lovable golden retriever." 

"That's a pity—I was looking forward to giving the villagers something to gossip about." 

They came into Castle Wycke and drove slowly through the main street, Caro pointing out local places of interest, such as the Norman church and the 16th Century pub. Their destination was a small cottage almost at the very end of the street and Caro's grandmother was waiting outside to greet them. As they got out of the car, a large, happy-looking dog came galumphing down the path to greet them. Caro rushed to her grandmother and enveloped her in a huge hug. 

"Careful, child. My ribs aren't as strong as they used to be." Lainy could hear the genuine love in the older woman's voice. "And you must be Caro's friend Lainy. Pleased to meet you, my dear. Come on in, girls, I've got tea and cakes waiting, we'll have a proper supper later." 

Lainy hadn't been quite sure what to expect—someone white-haired, small and fluffy and wrapped in a woollen shawl perhaps? It certainly hadn't been someone like Norma Whitcombe. Although in her seventies, she could have passed for ten years younger. Trim and dressed in jeans and sweater, with neatly-bobbed hair a fading auburn, she gave Lainy a fair idea of what Caro would probably look like in three or four decades time. They had the same sort of beauty, the same hazel eyes and the same shaped nose and big smile. 

As they entered the cottage, she said to Lainy: "You'll have noticed that this is quite a small cottage. I'm afraid there's only one spare room with a double bed. You'll have to share with Caro." 

Lainy smiled. "That's okay. I think we'll manage." 

While they had refreshments, the conversation was general. At last Lainy said: "You'll want to catch up on things with Mrs Whitcombe, Caro, so I'll just go out and look round the village. Can I take Mac?" 

Norma nodded. "His leash is behind the front door. Mac is very popular so you'll probably make some new friends out there." Mac was already there waiting, tail wagging furiously. 

When Lainy had gone, Caro told her grandmother everything about Bruno, the control and the violence and why she had cut herself off. In her turn, Norma Whitcombe admitted to being very hurt when Caro had turned cool towards her but as it was not the Caro she knew, guessed that something was seriously amiss. 

"It was such a relief when you called saying that you'd left him," Norma added. "And then much later I read about the trial—although there wasn't much about your involvement other than as a witness. You really believed that he'd come here to hurt me?" 

"I did at the time. Bruno was dangerous." 

Norma snorted. "He couldn't have been all that dangerous if Lainy could beat him up, or you later on. He was just dangerous to people he saw as weaker than himself. I doubt that he'd have bothered to come all the way down here. I think he probably just used threats against me as another way of controlling you. If he had turned up here looking for trouble, I'd have rammed my shotgun up his arse, both barrels. Ever since you warned me to beware of strangers, I've kept it behind the front door during the day. And while Mac is a gentle dog, I think he'd attack anyone who threatened me. Anyway, we look out for each other in this village. Somebody like Bruno wouldn't have got very far without attracting attention, especially driving a red Porsche in these parts. And to cap it all, the local policeman lives just two doors away. Bruno would have found that he'd walked into a hornet's nest. You know, I think I'd like to come up to London sometime and meet Joss. He sounds the sort of person I'd like." 

"He is..." Caro hesitated for a moment. "There's something else I need to tell you, Gran. Lainy and I... well, we're much more than friends, we're lovers too." 

Norma's expression was non-committal. "You mean you're lesbians?" 

"Yes." Apprehensive, Caro told Norma how the relationship had developed. When she had finished, Norma said drily: "Then it's a good job the spare bed's a double, isn't it?" 

Caro gripped Norma's hand. "You're okay with it, Gran, you're not upset?" 

"God no, child. I may be an old crock but I'm not a bigoted old crock. I am a bit surprised, though, because you've had several boyfriends in the past." 

"Well, now I think perhaps I've always been gay but subconsciously suppressed it," said Caro, "As far as men go, I'd guess I was trying to conform and each time it went badly. And I was so uncertain of myself. As it turned out, men never did it for me. But Lainy certainly does it for me." She smiled. "Every time." 

"Spare me the sordid details, child," Norma laughed, "Your happiness is what counts, and I must say you do look happy. You really love her?" 

"Yes, I love her to pieces." 

At that moment, they heard the front door open and Lainy came in to join them. The expression on Caro's face told her that everything was all right. She sat beside Caro on the sofa and Mac sat at her feet, resting his head on her lap. 

"Well, Mac seems to like you, Lainy," said Norma, "And I can always trust his judgment. Caro's told me about you and her, and about Susannah. You poor girl, that must have been devastating for you. Anyway, Caro says she's very happy with you and she loves you very much. Are you happy with her and do you love her?" 




Move Closer Ch. 02



Lainy reached out to take Caro's hand. "I'm more happy than I can say and I absolutely adore her. I want to spend the rest of my life with her." 

Norma Whitcombe, smiling, nodded approval. "Good. Then I think you'd better start calling me Gran." 

The End