(Carly is back from Italy visiting her brother. She accompanies Spencer to the Seattle Art Museum where he has a new sculpture on display. While he is busy with an admirer she becomes attracted to another exhibit and to its curator as well. Femslash. Carly Shea/Alex Russo.)
(Note: Although I usually write the "Wizardess" stories from Alex's POV this is also a sequel to my iCarly's stories "Bubble Bath" and others so it's being told through Carly's eyes.)
"C'mon Carly. It's this way. This way!"
Carly Shea smiled fondly as she followed her brother down the hallway. Always excitable, he was even more frantic this evening. But who could blame him? Finally, he had a sculpture on display here in the museum and he hadn't needed to slip it in, hiding the piece that was supposed to be on display, all in an effort to convince their grandfather that Spencer was a successful artist and need not go back to law school.
Law school. Carly smothered a grin at that thought. She was tempted, but would not reveal to Spencer, that their father had been aware of her brother's dropping out of law school after three days. Had known it, in fact, almost from the day he did it.
Then she sighed and the smile slipped for a moment. If Spencer was the same, everything else had changed. Freddie was gone, studying at Cal-Tech and already having worked one summer as an intern with the special effects department of a major studio. His last email had confirmed what she had already been sure of, his mother had followed him, still fussing over him every step of the way. She was glad that, in spite of her attempts, Mrs Benson had not been able to move into Freddie's dorm, giving him a little freedom.
And Sam. Her motorcycle tour up and down the Coast here had landed her in Venice, California where she now ran a babysitting business with Cat Valentine. Carly really couldn't remember her very well but she knew that Cat was a friend of Tori Vega, whom she still kept in touch with after their meeting to get revenge on their unknowingly shared boyfriend.
Of course, a good deal of what had changed had been because of her. As heart-breaking as her leaving Seattle and her friends had been she had soon found she loved her new life. Living with her Dad (who never had to be bailed out of trouble with the local Fire Department) was wonderful and she had fallen in love with Italy. The base school had been great, though she missed Principal Franklin that loss had been more than made up for by the assortment of really good teachers she learned under. Slowly she and the others back here in America had drifted apart as they all got on with their own lives.
"Isn't it great Carly?" Spencer enthusiasm wrenched Carly back to the here and now. He proudly pointed to his sculpture. Carly wasn't sure exactly what he was portraying but there were other admirers who were gathering around and they apparently understood and applauded. And it was nice that before he and a museum official cut the ribbon in front of his display he took her hand and pulled her up to stand beside him.
"It is Spencer," she said sincerely. She was proud of him and happy for him. She watched as his friends and fellow artists congratulating his success. She particularly noted one woman who seemed to have a claim on his attention, and more if she was interpreting the smoldering look in the woman's eyes. Good for him.
With Spencer occupied Carly decided to wander a bit. She found some sculptures on loan from an Italian museum she had visited before and enjoyed them. Moving on she turned a corner to be greeted by an ornate sign proclaiming that ahead of her was an exhibition of Post-Impressionism paintings on loan from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.
It was probably Spencer's interest in sculpture that had led Carly to first become interested in that field. Of course, there were so many striking examples of that art form in Italy it was easy to be impressed by them. From there, her interest had shifted to architecture, once again perfectly reasonable. But these paintings struck something new in her. The riot of colors drew her in, fascinating her.
She was drinking in a work by Paul Gauguin when she felt someone beside her. Tearing her eyes away Carly looked and found herself meeting dark brown eyes in a smiling face. For a moment that face reminded her of Tori Vega, although the girl beside her really didn't look like her. Perhaps it was a shared heritage, both Tori and the new girl obviously part Hispanic.
"Enjoying yourself?"
"I am indeed," Carly admitted cheerfully. She returned her attention to the painting before her. "This," she swung an arm to encompass the entire gallery, "all of this is just incredible."
"I think so too. But be sure to fill out one of the review cards at the entrance saying lots of wonderful things about the museum in general and this exhibit in particular. It could help me keep my job."
"Job? Really?"
"Really." The other girl turned away and headed for a table set by the beginning of the exhibit. She retrieved something there and returned, handing what turned out to be a business card to Carly.
"Alexandra Russo. Curator, Metropolitan Museum of Art," Carly read aloud. "Wow. Impressive."
"Thank you," The other girl pretended to curtsey. "But it's not that big a deal, although it pays the bills. And call me Alex."
"Well, it's nice to meet you Alex. I'm Carly Shea."
The pair shook hands. Alex's hand felt nice, warm and firm and Carly was almost reluctant to let go if it. And was Alex taking a little extra time holding hers as well? Anyway, it was nice. That's all.
She picked up the conversation from its previous stopping point. "So what exactly does a curator do?"
In answer, Alex checked a slim silver watch around her wrist. "It's almost closing time so I have an idea. If you don't have plans we could grab a bite to eat and talk over food."
"That sounds great. But I have to check on my brother. I came here with him, actually to open a display of a couple pieces of his sculptures."
"Oh of course. I saw the flyer. So he must be Spencer Shae then."
"That's him."
"Give me a moment to put a couple of things away and I'll go with you and see if he'll let you go for a few hours."
Carly nodded and watched as Alex straightened up a few items on the table where she had got her card. She thought Alex looked very professional in her black skirt and heels with a matching suit jacket over a plain white blouse. The somber look was balanced nicely by a heavy silver bracelet and a necklace of the same material supporting what appeared to be a charm of some kind. She was glad now she had overcome her original plan to dress casual and had opted for a sleeveless black dress with sparkling silver built up heels. Even if Spencer had looked dubiously at the shortness of the hemline and even asked if she was sure she wanted to wear something that revealing, she had persisted. Now she was glad she had. Not because she was trying to impress Alex but...
As it turned out by the time they got back to Spencer's exhibit it became obvious that the older Shea had plans for the rest of the evening if the woman hanging all over him had anything to say about it. He put up a valiant effort to insist that he needed to take Carly home but his relief was more than obvious when his sister introduced her new friend and told him they were going out to eat and that she could find her own way home just fine.
"So, any ideas on where to eat?" Alex asked as they slipped out the door and hailed a cab.
"Depends. Do you want to go somewhere fancy?"
"Good golly no," Alex replied. "My parents ran a Sub shop back in New York and stuff like that is still my favorite food.
"Then I have just the place," Carly grinned.
Soon after an old friend was happily hailing the former web-show hostess.
"Carly!"
"Hi, T-bo. It's good to see you. This is my friend Alex."
"Hi, Alex. Welcome to the Groovy Smoothie."
In short order, the girls were seated at one of the little tables and feastinng on an assortment of the foods that T-Bo shot over to them. Eating didn't slow down the conversation. Between bites and sips, the pair filled each other in on themselves. Carly told about her web show and Alex was suitably impressed but then she was not only a college graduate but had a really interesting job. Carly had lived in Italy but Alex had travelled all over the US with her job. They both thoroughly enjoyed getting to know each other.
"Although after a while the cities seem to blend together into one," the art curator admitted. Then she smiled and Carly caught a hint of something she couldn't quite identify in that smile. "It's the people that are memorable."
That launched a discussion of friends and family. They both had older brothers and pretty much thought the same of them; that they both could be pains but at the same time they could also be the best big brothers around.
"Justin gave me this necklace and this charm," Alex said.
Carly somehow felt there was more to that than Alex was telling her but since it wasn't any of her business she told the story of how Spencer had burned up her bedroom and then had spent the much larger than expected insurance payoff fixing it up into a teen's dream bedroom.
"Still there, pretty much like I left it when I moved except for the stuff I took with me," Carly commented.
"I bet your bedroom is really something to see," Alex replied, her voice changing. A shiver went through Carly who already sensed that the dynamics between them was shifting because of what was happening under the table.
The first time their knees bumped under the table almost certainly accidental. The second time could have been the same, even if the touch seemed to linger a bit. But by the third time, Carly's knee was searching for Alex's and when they touched neither of them made any pretense of moving away. Since neither had worn pantyhose the touch between them was bare skin to bare skin. And rather than withdraw, both shifted ever so slightly in their chairs so that not only were their knees touching but their legs were pressing together.
Carly's head was spinning. For she had a secret.
Carly liked boys. She dated boys, enjoyed their company, liked having them around. She was attracted to boys, had kissed a number of them and gone a bit further than that with a few. But she had only ever had sex with two people in her life. And they were both other girls; Gibby's cousin Sabrina, with whom she had shared a bubble bath that had ended up being so much more and Freddie's co=worker at The Pear Store Ashley. In fact, the second time with Ashley had been the only time she had ever had sex in a bed.
She hadn't told anyone about those experiences and she was pretty sure neither her friends or family suspected anything. Not that she was embarrassed about those encounters nor did she think anything was wrong about them, she just wanted to keep her life uncomplicated for right now. Since those encounters, she had noticed other girls sometimes and flirted a time or three but really had felt no strong desires for anyone. Until now.
The Groovy Smoothie wasn't far from the Shea apartment, just far enough for the tension between Carly and Alex to build without letting go. Somehow they managed to tour the apartment without running. Small though it still was, it seemed to take forever even though they practically flew through the first floor. They did slow for a moment upstairs where once upon a time "iCarly" had been broadcast. Even though the space was now filled with Spencer's artwork in progress and his tools, memories swept over Carly and Alex gave her the space she needed to relive those memories.
Shaking her head Carly returned to the present. Taking Alex's hand she led her to her old bedroom, still just as it was when she had lived here with Spencer. They stopped in the middle of the floor, and Alex took in all the different things Spencer had installed to make this the perfect bedroom for a teenaged girl to make up for burning up the previous one.
Alex smiled and squeezed Carly's hand. "It IS lovely." Then she pulled gently to turn Carly so the girls faced each other and her voice became husky. "Almost as beautiful as you."
Carly couldn't say a word. She knew that every moment from the one where they first looked at each other up till now had been leading to this. And if her throat was too dry all of a sudden to talk she could let her eyes talk for her. And they were saying a lot judging from the smoldering look Alex was returning.
The New York girl reached out with her free hand and gently stroked Carly's cheek with the tips of her fingers. In response, Carly turned her head and kissed first the fingers and then the palm of Alex's hand. Meeting Alex's gaze again she took the other girl's hand and placed it on her breast over her heart so Alex could feel for herself how hard it was beating. Alex's other arm slipped around her waist and drew Carly in until their lips met.
The kiss was soft and warm and when their mouths opened to each other Alex's tongue dueled with her own. Carly's hands moved to Alex's back, massaging through her jacket. Alex gently squeezed Carly's breast with that hand while the other slid down her back. Carly gasped as it slipped over her bottom, under her dress and then danced back up to explore the curves of her butt.
Soft touches and gentle kisses gave was as the urgency rose in both girls. Carly managed to push Alex's jacket off and attacked the buttons of her blouse. Alex had already bunched Carly's dress up around her waist and was fumbling with the zipper at the back of her neck. It finally came free just as Carly yanked Alex's blouse, now completely unbuttoned, free. For a moment they released each other so that blouse and dress could fall free to the floor.
The pair barely managed the steps that led up to Carly's bed. Twice they teetered, on the edge of losing their balance but the tight grip they had on each other saved them. Carly realized her disadvantage as they reached the bed itself. She was down to only her underwear while Alex still had a skirt on along with her bra and panties. Fortunately, she discovered Alex's bra was front clasp and it took only a heartbeat to dispose of it. Then, while Alex was undoing the catches (quite handily too, Carly realized. The New York City girl must have had a lot of practice) of her bra Carly found the back of Alex's skirt, undid it and in one swift movement hooked her thumbs in both the hem of the skirt and the panties underneath and pulled down.
That effort was enough to topple the pair on to the bed, legs kicking as both of them strove to rid themselves of the last of their clothing. Alex won that contest, kicking her heels across the room and following them with her skirt and panties at the same time. Carly, on the other hand, was stuck, her panties catching of the ankle straps of her shoes. As she struggled Alex pounced on her.
The visitor slipped Carly's panties loose from one foot and pushing her legs apart, kneeling between them. She lifted the other leg and undid the ankle strap, kissing first Carly's calf and then her foot as she tossed the shoe and panties over her shoulder. Apparently deciding the other shoe could wait, since she had Carly just where she wanted her, Alex ignored the other foot and fell forward on top of Carly. There was one deep kiss before Alex grabbed Carly's wrists and held her arms over her head while shifting her lips to the side of Carly's neck.
Carly gasped. Carly moaned. Carly bucked wildly as Aex positioned herself so their wetness met, braced herself and proceeded to see if she could drive Carly into the mattress. Without losing contact the other girl rolled her hips ground the two of them together and drove herself harder and harder until Carly thought Alex might actually somehow enter her. And she loved every moment of it. She might have thrown the other girl off the bed if she hadn't wrapped her legs around Alex in an effort to pull her in one last millimeter.
Carly felt herself tensing as though her body was trying to draw up into one big ball and then she exploded with her orgasm. Alex was crying out and shaking and Carly felt where their bodies met became absolutely drenched by the result of their shared orgasm. Alex kissed her again, a long sweet kiss and rolled off of her. They ended up on their sides, spooned together. Carly slid an arm around the other girl's waist and snuggled against her back.
Once their heartbeats returned to vaguely normal Alex was the first to speak. And giggle.
"Carly that was incredible. One thing though. You have to get rid of that shoe."
"Sorry!" Somehow Carly managed to get the ankle strap undone and dumped the offending item off the bed while ensuring she didn't lose contact with Alex. She laughed. "I really like these but to be honest, getting them off in a hurry was never something I thought about."
"Well, thank goodness you did. I think it left a bruise or two on my butt."
Unseen by Alex, Carly got a wicked look on her face. "I hope there aren't any bruises but perhaps I better check." Carly slid down and began to loudly kiss the other girl's tight firm ass.
Hmmm. Nothing on this side" was accompanied by several loud smacking kisses. "How about here?" More noisy kisses. "Nope, nothing here either." She slipped her finger between the tight cheeks and felt Alex quiver. "Oh here's something." Her index finger brushed over Alex's dark puckered opening. "Does it seem... tender?"
Before Alex could reply, Carly ducked under the New York girl's leg. Using her free hand to pull on Alex's hip, she rolled the other girl on to her back with Carly now positioned right between her legs. She lowered her head and began to kiss and lick Alex. The taste was incredible, a mixture of her own juices and Alex's mingled together. Carly clamped her mouth on Alex and drove her tongue into the other girl.
It was Alex's turn to squeal and buck and run her fingers into Carly's hair and hang on for dear life. Carly's tongue danced in and out of Alex repeatedly and then suddenly shifted to find the other girl's unhooded clit. Her hand remained lodged between Alex's ass cheeks and the other crept down underneath her to find her own pussy and begin to stroke herself.
Already on edge, Carly could feel herself building rapidly. She tongue lashed Alex's clit, managing to hold herself back until she could feel the other girl shuddering. When Alex tensed, on the brink of her orgasm, Carly suddenly rammed her index finger up Alex's ass, holding there and twisting and turning it as the art curator girl screamed and went off, carrying Carly with her.
When they calmed down Carly managed to untangle Alex's legs from around her neck and shoulders and wiggled back up the bed to kiss the other kiss.
"You sneak!" Alex managed to say when they came up for air.
"Ain't I?" giggled the former web-show hostess.
That brief exchanged seemed to exhaust all the need for conversation. The pair snuggled together and in short order fell asleep.
The girls woke to the sound of the apartment's front door slamming. A bleary-eyed check of the bedside clock showed it was 7 in the morning. Spencer's voice came from downstairs.
"Carly. I'm home!"
There was a moment of panic before it became clear that Spencer was not going to climb the stairs. Instead, he announced he was going to bed and to sleep, since he had done the former but not the latter all night long. Listening carefully Carly heard his bedroom door close and the shower come on briefly before quiet settled back in the apartment.
"Well, that was an exciting way to wake up in the morning," Alex commented.
"He wouldn't have come in here unannounced," Carly reassured her friend.
"But announced?"
"Well..."
"Anyway, he didn't. So," Alex rolled back towards Carly. having been ready to drop off the far side of the bed if needed. She ended up on her stomach right beside Carly, who had sank back on to the bed flat on her back. "So how long will you be in town?"
"I leave Friday night for Italy. You?"
"Until Saturday but I'll be packing up the exhibit to move to the next city for at least 24 hours. Not surprisingly it all has to be handled very carefully., massive insurance policy or not."
"So until then?"
"Why don't you meet me at the museum for a late lunch? I'll order something in and you wouldn't believe the spider's nest of corridors and storage rooms and offices hidden away from the public. Lots of privacy."
"That sounds great," Carly smiled. Her smile broadened as she realized Alex's hand was on her tummy and was beginning to rub there while slowly sliding down. "In the meantime?"
"In the meantime," Alex's voice became muffled as her head proceded to get between Carly's legs before her hand did, "I thought I might eat breakfast."
(The End)