Jane waited all afternoon and well into the early evening for Maura to knock on her door. Given that she still had a set of her keys, and an expensive sweater, it seemed likely to expect a visitor. By dinner time, she was disappointed. She didn't know why, really. Despite knowing a little more about Maura's sexual interests, that didn't mean she was going to bash her door down looking for sex.
Even if the mere thought of Maura's lips, and her drawer full of pleasure, sent a tingling sensation through Jane's underpants.
The sound of heels clacking up the stairs caught her attention and she tiptoed across to her door. She thanked the world for inventing eyepieces and watched her as she unlocked the door to her apartment.
Still no visit.
Distracting herself briefly, Jane placed an egg into a pot of boiling water and emptied some frozen fries into the grill. Ordinarily she'd have ordered a pizza, but paying for the locksmith put her in the red for the rest of the week.
Jane sat down and closed her eyes. Next door, Maura was likely cooking up a storm, something that Jane had no concept of. She made a mental note to ask her mother to fill her freezer, it was the only way she'd make it through til pay day. The momentary lapse in concentration was a mistake.
The smoke alarm bleeped loudly. Jane sprang out of her seat, her eyes wide open as she searched for the problem. The fries were cold, she hadn't even turned the grill on. She turned off the steaming pot and removed it from the ring.
A loud knock on the door sent her head into a spin. She wasn't ready for visitors, least not her beautiful, blonde neighbour.
Rushing into the bedroom, Jane ran a comb through her hair, tidying her mane as best as she could. She stuffed her hand into a pile of makeup and found a lipstick, which she applied haphazardly. On her way out of the bedroom, she regretted it. But as she turned back again, another knock filled the apartment.
"Oh, hey," Jane said, in greeting, as she pulled the door open.
Maura stood on the other side, her hair and makeup as perfect as every time she'd seen her. "I heard a smoke alarm, is everything alright?"
Jane rolled her eyes. "You know how I said I could burn water? Guess who just did?"
"Oh no!" Maura glanced behind her, then caught her eye, narrowing them slightly. "I assume you're probably over the moon to be back in your own apartment, but since you've had a cooking mishap, I wondered if you'd like to join me. I always make too much food and end up eating the leftovers for days."
"Me too!" Jane said. "But with takeout."
Laughing, Maura tilted her head to the side. "Are you wearing lipstick?"
"This?" Jane ran the back of her hand across her mouth and shook her head. "I had a cherry popsicle."
"In this weather?"
"I'm weird."
Maura raised an eyebrow. "Dinner?"
"Yes, please," Jane said, grabbing a jacket and her keys she rushed out of the apartment. The sooner she could escape her embarrassing attempt at cooking, the better.
They sat in silence, feasting on lemon sole, asparagus and garden peas. Jane ate politely, despite having taken a dislike to asparagus a few years ago. She cut it small and piled the fish high on her fork, juggling with the peas as she pushed it into her mouth.
"You didn't have work today?" Maura asked.
"Nuh-uh," Jane said, swallowing her mouthful. She looked down, her face contorted with distaste. She continued eating regardless.
"I had an autopsy to conduct." Maura scooped a forkful of peas expertly into her mouth. "He had a six inch hole in his head."
A gasp of breath pulled peas into her windpipe and Jane coughed and spluttered. She struggled to catch her breath, wheezing momentarily.
"Are you okay?" Maura filled a glass on the table with water and pushed it towards her. Jane sipped it slowly, her breathing returned to normal. "I apologise. I realise I probably should have avoided talking about the detail of an autopsy. Most people are not desensitised to the horrific injuries I see on a daily basis."
"No." Jane downed the rest of her water. "I wasn't expecting that."
"Are you okay?"
"Fine," Jane said. She averted her gaze, unsure of where best to look. She could feel Maura staring at her, waiting for her to meet her eyes. Jane kept her head low and continued eating.
Maura sighed. "Did I do something wrong? Aside from the slip up regarding the victims injuries."
"Course not." Jane chewed on a fresh piece of fish. "It's lovely. Thanks."
"You could say that with more conviction." Maura reached her hand out to Jane's wrist. She looked at her long, slender fingers as they wrapped around her skin. Her nails were kept short, but painted in a simple pale pink. "If you don't like it, I won't be offended."
She looked up sheepishly. "I'm sorry. I like some fish, and asparagus…"
"You don't like asparagus."
"No." Her eyes stayed, fixed, on Maura's hand. A tingling sensation travelled up her arm and down into her very core. She looked up, her eyes locked with Maura's for the first time. She could feel her cheeks redden. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be." Maura stood up, interlinking her fingers with Jane's. "I'm full. Come sit on the couch with me."
Not wanting to lose physical contact with Maura, Jane followed her across the room, led by her hand and the sensation she knew would warrant a change of underwear. Maura sat down, abandoning her hand as though it no longer mattered. The look of disappointment in Jane's eyes was too much. She forged a smiled and curled up beside Maura.
"Tell me about yourself."
The question was simple, easy, yet harder than Jane had anticipated. She considered her answer for a moment. "Not a lot to tell."
"Everybody has a story." Maura's smile intensified, her eyelids fluttered playfully. "What's yours?"
"I'm pretty plain."
"I don't believe that for a second."
"You go first," Jane said, self consciousness throwing a blanket over her already high wall. "You're fascinating."
"I am?" Maura tilted her head to one side, her tongue travelled across her bottom lip. "What makes you say that?"
"Your pictures." Jane groaned. She wasn't supposed to have seen them. Maura didn't know she'd been into her bedroom and Jane regretted telling her.
"The photographs of me, or the artwork above my bed?"
Jane choked on fresh air. Expectation of Maura's reaction was replaced by reality. "Both. I suppose."
"You want to know why I would display a painting of a naked woman above my bed?"
"Something like that."
"Why I posed naked in my own photo shoot?"
"Yes," Jane whispered, the response from her body overwhelmed her. She crossed her legs, and pushed her hands down between the space. She didn't dare bring them closer.
"My ex-girlfriend was a photographer."
"Ex…girlfriend…" Jane spoke slowly, cautiously, as though what she'd heard might not be what Maura said. But Maura only nodded in affirmation. "I didn't know you…"
"You didn't even guess?" Maura asked, trailing a finger along Jane's arm. "Not even a little bit?"
"Maybe a little." Her voice lacked conviction and Jane didn't like it. In her work she had to be firm, certain of her words. Maura left her a jumbled mess.
"I knew the second I saw you in your night wear," Maura said. "There was something about you."
"Knew what?" Jane asked, playing innocent. "What did you know?"
"Your affiliation to women, in a sexual capacity."
The words were unexpected. The sentiment less so. Maura's behaviour suggested she knew more about Jane than Jane knew completely about herself. She pulled her hands up further between her legs.
The tingling sensation preceded her bravest moment. "I think I'm gay."
"You think?" Maura's eyebrows tugged together, disappointment spread across her face. "Are you not certain?"
"That depends."
"On what?"
Ignoring the voice in her head that told her to run back to the safety of her home, Jane leaned forward. "On if you're coming on to me."
"I'm glad you noticed," Maura said, grinning.
Putting more thoughts aside, Jane pressed her lips up against Maura's, retrieving her hands and lifting them up against Maura's breasts. She pulled them away, letting her mouth fall. "Sorry, that was forward."
Maura's smile didn't fade. She leaned back in, her breath hot on Jane's ear. "Do you know what I did the second the photos were over?"
Jane shook her head. Words escaped her.
"I pushed two fingers into my girlfriend's body and fucked her like tomorrow wouldn't arrive."
Jane gasped for breath, she leaned forward spluttering again.
"I'll get you some more water," Maura said, standing up.
Jane grasped at her hand, pulling her back down. She captured her lips, confidently returning her hands to Maura's breasts. Her mind travelled quickly over how appropriate it was to be touching her up when they barely knew each other, but Maura covered her hands and massaged her palms against her body. Jane kneeled up, leaning over Maura as her tongue infiltrated Maura's mouth.
x
It was safe to say that Jane was interested in her. Maura let go of Jane's hands, allowing her to take over the action. She reached out and tugged up the sides of Jane's tshirt, not stopping until Jane lifted her arms into the air and allowed her to take it off.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Jane asked, breathless.
Maura tilted her head and stared at her. "Why wouldn't I?"
"You…you're stunning, I'm plain Jane," she said, sitting back against her ankles.
Maura sat up and crossed her legs. Jane didn't present to her as lacking in confidence. Her actions the previous day with her colleague were enough to recognise an ability for Jane to hold it together. She ignored her words for a moment. Her skin tingled and she longed to feel Jane's naked body against hers. She reached behind her back and tugged at the zipper.
"Let me," Jane said, her fingers pulled the zip down. She sat back again. "Sorry. Is this okay?"
Climbing off the couch, Maura stood up, letting her dress fall to the ground. She silently thanked herself for putting on a matching set of underwear that morning. "What's your hesitation?"
"My hesitation?"
"Yes. Why won't you take a lead?"
Jane stood up facing her. "Am I supposed to?"
"No. But each time you use your initiative you stop yourself."
"You've done this before," Jane said.
The revelation shouldn't have surprised her. Jane had all the signs of being unsure about her own sexual prowess. Maura stared at her. The intimacy they had already shared couldn't be ignored, but Maura sighed.
"Oh."
"I knew that'd be a problem." Jane retrieved her tshirt and tugged it back over her head.
"Now you're going to run?" Maura asked, her eyebrows pulled together.
"What else do you want me to do?"
"Fuck me like it's the sixteenth time." Her eyes grew wide. Maura could tell that Jane wasn't expecting her to say that and she didn't quite know how to follow it up. The disappointment etched on Jane's face was enough for her to back down. "It's okay. You can go."
Jane stared at her a moment longer. "That's it?"
"I appreciate you've never done this before," Maura said. "It's not an easy step to take."
"Err, thanks."
"I'm not saying we can't have a sexual encounter, I need you to…actually follow through."
"I can follow through."
"Can you?" Maura sighed. "What experience do you have with sexual encounters with men?"
"Loads." The glint in her eye suggested otherwise. Maura turned around and headed towards her bedroom. "Okay, not loads, but that shouldn't matter. Does it matter?"
"No. Lying to me about it does," Maura said, spinning around.
"I'm trying."
"I know." Maura shrugged. "Are you sure you want this?"
"Yes."
"You're not going to turn around and tell me you don't in fifteen minutes?"
"It'll take that long?"
"Are you serious?"
"I guess men come quicker."
Maura ignored Jane's inexperience and stepped forward. She trailed her fingertips along Janes shoulder. "I like people to take initiative."
"What do you want me to do?"
She rolled her eyes and headed once more for the bedroom. "Let's try this another time. Perhaps in a couple of years."
x
The bedroom door clicked shut. Jane stood in the living room, her tshirt folded up at one side, her bare skin exposed to the warm apartment. She released it and stared around Maura's home. She should leave. That would be the most logical option. But the pooling in her underwear needed attending to, and she didn't much want to spend the night alone.
"Maura?" she whispered, hoping she'd be on the other side of her door, waiting to come back out. To no avail. She marched across the room, stopping at the bedroom door. She stared at it. The wood needed varnishing at the corners, and the handle had seen better days. She lifted her hand to knock, then hesitated. She removed her tshirt, kicked off her pants and underwear, and unhooked her bra. She gripped the handle and pulled it down, before she could let her brain stop her. She swung the door open. If she was going to do what Maura asked, she had to do it with full force, no looking back. "Fuck me with your strap on."
Maura sat at the end of the bed. She stared up into Jane's eyes, confusion etched across her face. Slowly, her eyes travelled down Jane's body, and from the smile on her face, Jane assumed she was not disappointed.
"How do you know I own a strap on?" Maura asked, her lips pressed together, her smile disguised.
"I…" Jane realised the error in her words, and retreated slightly. "Don't all lesbians have one?"
"Jane." Maura raised her eyebrows.
She stepped into the room, forcing confidence into her step. She opened the top drawer and pushed clothing aside. Stepping back, she brought the strap on and dildo back out into the open. "I snooped. Feel free to throw me out."
Standing up, Maura walked toward her, one slow step at a time. She tilted her head to one side, her eyes still trained on her body. She tilted her head to the other side, and smiled. The silence unsettled Jane. She wondered if she'd taken things a step too far. Maura hadn't spoken in nearly a minute, and she didn't like it.
Stepping closer, Maura held out her hands until Jane handed over the items. She raised her eyebrows and stared at her. "Well?"
"Well, what?" Jane asked.
"Aren't you going to help me put it on?"
Her eyes bugged. Jane took the strap on back and held it up. She turned it over, still not quite sure how to use it.
"Fuck the strap on, the other one will do," Jane said, throwing it on the floor and wrapping her arms around Maura's shoulders. She captured her lips, desperate to feel skin against skin. She walked forward, forcing Maura backward until her knees collided with the bed. She sat down. Jane's heart thumped loudly, her breath caught in her throat. She kept her fingers trailed across Maura's bare back. Clumsily, she unhooked her bra. Maura sat back, Jane knelt either side of her. "Can I fuck you first?"
Maura tossed the dildo across the bed and wrapped her arms around Jane's back. "Later. I need to show you how to have sex without a phallic object. Trust me, you won't regret it."
Shocked by Maura's bluntness, Jane leaned backward, tumbling onto the floor. She righted herself and stepped forward, ready to lift her knees back up. Maura lifted a hand and stopped her.
"Lie down."
Jane stared at her. "I thought you wanted me to…"
"You took initiative. Now it's time for me to teach you how to fuck a lady."
She sat down on the edge of the bed beside Maura, then lifted her legs up. Maura crawled over the top of her, her lips trailed wet paths down her breasts, tantalising her nipples. Jane clutched at the bed sheets. She lifted her hips, desperate to feel the overflow of orgasm. She stared into Maura's eyes, desperation in her own.
"Don't tease me," she said, but her eyeballs were already moving into the backs of her eyes. Maura drew her fingernails up the inside of her leg, pushing her forwards. She tried to breath but each breath was too hard to take. "Please."
"It takes time," Maura said, returning to her lips. She lifted her mouth to Jane's, stopping barely an inch away. Every time she breathed her breath was hot against her mouth. Her fingers moved into her wetness. Slow. Methodical. Sensual.
She pulled her lips away. Jane attempted to sit up, following her mouth, desperate to feel her lips against hers. When her mouth replaced her fingers, Jane's breath vanished completely. She gasped loudly, panting with every swift movement of her tongue as it infiltrated her wettest spot. The highest point approached her and she grunted loudly, screeching a little as Maura sucked her pulse point.
"Stop," Jane gasped, clinging to the bedsheets for dear life. Her whole body shuddered uncontrollably and she fell back against the bed.
"If I stop now, you'll miss the good part," Maura whispered, her hot breath teased her groin. Jane lifted her hips, meeting the fingers that Maura pushed into her once more.
"It's too much," she said, breathing heavily, feeling something so much greater than she'd ever experienced before. Her recovery was quicker, her body already several levels higher than she thought.
The longer the strokes, the harder it became to keep herself together. Jane moaned, thrusting her hips faster against Maura's hand. She longed to topple over, to finally reach the crescendo, but the further they went, the higher she got until it became unbearable.
The cold air hit her hottest point. Jane sat up, disappointed to be left hanging with feelings she had no idea how to control. Her body went up and up, capturing her full attention. Her whole body tingled, and she couldn't breath. Maura's pert buttocks, still covered in lacy underwear, was all she could see.
A moment later, she lifted her head back up, the dildo in hand. Jane cried out, unsure of how much longer she could take it, before Maura thrust the device into her body. It slid in with ease, and Jane began thrusting her hips again.
"Faster," Jane gasped.
She closed her eyes tightly, the seedy scent of sex filled her nostrils, thoughts of Maura filled her brain. Maura's tongue returned to her clit, trailing expertly across her sensitive skin. Thrusting the phallic object in and out. Jane reached out and gripped the bedsheets again. Her heart thundered, her body hot with passion. She thrust her hips upwards a few more times. Fighting for breath, Jane screamed out, not caring who might hear as she tumbled over the edge, lost in a world she'd never explored and was desperate to stay in for as long as possible. She cried out, moaning until her orgasm slowed down and she was left spent.