Chapter 13
Caroline decided that it would be wise to book a table for the restaurant that evening and quickly did it online, expecting Kate to interrupt her any moment. Pleased that she had completed her task before Kate appeared but at the same time concerned at the delay, she checked the time on her watch. The meeting with the heads of departments was almost due to start. What could be keeping Kate? Getting herself into professional mode, she quickly compiled the various documents she would need over the next hour. Realising that she had not touched the tea that her P.A. had brought her, she risked a sip but the first drop persuaded her that it was no longer hot enough for her taste and she slammed the cup down onto the tray in disgust. Conjecturing and concerned at Kate's non-appearance, the head-teacher went to the outer office to ask Beverley if she had spoken to her wife.
"Yes I asked her to call in your office as soon as she could. The choir had just finished and she followed me along Amadeus corridor until I headed off to the staff room loo. Haven't you seen her?"
"No, no sign. That's odd. Thanks anyway, Beverley. I'd better head off to the toilet myself so that I'm ready for the meeting. Would you mind taking the tea tray away and making sure that the kitchen is sending refreshments for the department heads? Better put some custard creams on the trolley for Dave Pearson if the meeting is going to get any worthwhile contribution from the arts department!"
The faithful Beverley nodded her assent but she too began to wonder what had happened to Kate and decided to break her unwritten rule not to become involved in the personal lives of others. She checked the school timetable to find out where Kate would be at the end of the afternoon and was determined to talk to her.
Caroline's ability to concentrate on the meeting was at the lower end of acceptable. Her thought processes were focused more on Kate than on education and she was heartily relieved that her deputy had already been asked to take the chair. The events of lunchtime were playing on her mind and, while feigning interested in the latest missive from the exam board, she began to wonder if Kate had overheard her discussion with Lawrence? Worst case scenario just flashed before her eyes that just part of the conversation had been picked up by Kate. Fortunately, the meeting was over before Caroline knew it. She was totally distracted by thoughts of her wife and breathed a sigh of relief as the last department head left.
Meanwhile Kate had the unenviable task of teaching the most challenging of classes, which should have given her no option than to pay the students her full attention but she was too preoccupied to be effective. Those who had chosen that afternoon to push their luck with the usually amenable Mrs McKenzie-Dawson were given additional homework as their reward.
Trying to control class 9F was the last thing on her mind; she was too distracted and upset by the conversation she overheard between Caroline and Lawrence. How could she, she thought of her wife. After everything they'd been through, all the upset, promises made, standing up to Celia and starting to try for a baby. Why the hell did Caroline still think it was ok to have her ex-husband around the house all the sodding time?
Class 9F had a reputation that instilled dread and loathing in most teachers but not Kate. Yes, they were noisy, and a headache was a guaranteed price one paid after 60 minutes in their company but Kate was admired by her colleagues and begrudgingly respected by the students themselves for her ability to get them to knuckle down and try to learn something. So it was a surprise to Beverley to hear the racket coming from Kate's class and she watched through the window for some time before knocking and entering.
"Please may I have a quick word, Mrs McKenzie Dawson?" she asked.
Kate turned her gaze back to the children who were talking and laughing among themselves and not paying any attention to the Spanish verbs' Power point presentation she had on display.
"Bastante!" She bellowed in a voice not only louder but deeper and definitely threatening.
"I've had enough of all this noise. If I hear one more peep, out of anyone, you are ALL in lunchtime detention for the next week. All of you! Is that clear?"
Beverley knew that 9F were a lively class, others may have even described them as feral, but she had heard the chatter in the staff room. Other teachers acknowledged that with Kate the class was known to be occasionally cheeky but always respectful of her authority. Obviously today they were taking advantage of her lack of concentration and staring into space every few minutes.
No one spoke. Kate's dark eyes were now pitch black as she gave them all a piercing look that dared any of them to answer her question. She turned back to Beverley, gave her a warm smile and quietly replied "Yes of course." Then added under her breath, rather more sarcastically as her smile faltered, "I take it that our esteemed headmistress wants a quick word too?"
The two women left the classroom with Kate holding the door ajar to enable her to keep one ear on the students. Beverley shuffled from one foot to the other; her intention firm while her mind made the final decision as to how she was going to broach this issue with the language teacher. However, she was aware that Kate was giving off impatient vibes and she needed to get the conversation underway. Beverley decided that she felt she needed to walk and talk to reduce the embarrassment of the topic of conversation. Kate let the door close after a firm stare at the students which defied them to abuse her trust.
"The thing is with Caroline is that, as you know, she is so easily misunderstood. She's her own worst enemy most of the time and although she puts on this display of control and leadership, there are times when she is too compliant for her own good and other times when she makes mistakes despite having honourable intentions."
Beverley stopped and put her hand gently on Kate's arm, glancing at her as she did so.
"It must be really hard to get someone to understand how you feel when your frustrations take over. Some people withdraw and clam up and other people express themselves in other ways. Don't you think?"
Despite Kate's surprise at Beverley's boldness, the words had already begun to ring true. She returned Beverley's gaze, saying "No-one likes to feel that they are not being listened to. It's not rocket science."
Beverley nodded her agreement and spoke sternly, "Yes, that's true! Lord knows what she's done now but please God will you both give each other a chance to explain yourselves? For my part I'd like to go home without having the pair of you on my mind all evening!" The final sentence broke though Kate's residual obstinacy and she smiled despite herself.
The bell rang for the end of school and Kate gripped Beverley hand before dashing back down the corridor, calling over her shoulder.
"Give me five minutes to strike the fear of God into 9F with their homework assignment and I'll be back."
Recognising a positive change in Kate's demeanour as she headed off, Beverley breathed a sigh of relief that her intervention seemed to have achieved success.
'Right, I need to make myself scarce. Something tells me that my continued presence will not be welcome or required,' she thought before speaking out loud. "I've earned my salary today even though I do say so myself. That's what it must mean on the bottom of my job description about any other task that might be necessary for the smooth running of the office!" She shut her computer down and was out of the door before Kate made her re-appearance.
Kate bustled 9F out of the classroom with the minimum of fuss. She called in at the staff room to collect her belongings and was pleasantly surprised to see that Beverley had signed herself out. Kate shared Caroline's respect and affection for the P.A. but was pleased not to have to worry about Beverley making an appearance. When Kate entered Beverley's outer office she placed the 'Do not disturb' sign on the door and locked it from the inside. As she turned the handle to go into her wife's room she thought briefly how appropriate it was that some of her colleagues referred to Caroline's office as the 'inner sanctum' as she had every intention of worshipping on her wife's altar before they left the building.
Caroline was sitting at the conference table in her office and had not responded to the sound of the inner door being opened before Kate was behind and around her, plying kisses on the nape of her neck.
"I'm sorry," she whispered. She kissed her again. "I want us to talk." More kisses rained down the side of Caroline's pale, freckled neck. "I will listen and not make assumptions this time."
Caroline started to speak in response but her mouth was suddenly enveloped by Kate's full lips, with her wife's tongue probing and teasing. No words were possible while such a ferocious oral assault was taking place. Neither woman cared that this was the case or intended to be the first to break the spell. In one deft movement Kate pulled her wife from the chair, enveloping her briefly. Kate's hands then began to roam up and down her wife's perfect hourglass figure with Caroline reciprocating; scrutinising Kate's more athletic frame with the tips of probing fingers.
Whatever she was expecting of her next encounter with her wife when they arrived at school that morning, this was the very last thing that Caroline expected. The long and the short of it was that this was what she liked and disliked about Kate in equal measure. One minute she had her confused as to what she had done wrong, the next she was swept up in a tide of desire. What had brought about the change? She did not know and, to be frank, she didn't care.
"I heard that your ex-husband will be regaling us with his company again tonight. So, seeing as we won't have the house to ourselves as I'd thought, I am now going to do to you what I had planned for later." Kate rested her face in the crook of Caroline's neck. "No questions. No objections."
Caroline's body was attuned to respond; her pulse quickened, her throat dried and her clitoris moistened. Gone was any thought of the meeting that had taken place in that room a short while earlier. Whatever Kate had in mind to deliver, the blonde head teacher was fully intending to match. Their kisses continued to excite, hands to explore as, in her passion, Caroline pushed her wife back towards the office door.
"Remember this?" she whispered as her hands began to roam inside Kate's silky blue blouse.
"I most definitely do and I don't want you to stop this time."
"And this is what came next," Caroline gasped in excitement as her thumbs found erect nipples. "And we both know that the rest is not technically difficult!"
Both women had dressed carefully and methodically that morning but the removal of their clothing was neither. Outer garments began to be discarded with the minimum of fuss and the maximum amount of passion.
"Jesus, Caroline, why can't you wear clothes with zips instead of buttons" she panted as she fumbled to undo her wife's A-line dark navy dress. But the buttons were soon dealt with and the dress was flung to the floor enabling Kate to stop briefly to examine the blonde's underwear, a sight which never failed to thrill.
Slowly and reverently Kate trailed the tip of her left index finger around Caroline's lips, down her neck and to the start of her cleavage. There she lingered to explore the fullness of the blonde's breasts where they overflowed her lacy black bra.
"You've a lovely touch; that much I do know." Caroline's breathing was erratic and the words were spoken as if she was struggling for air. She could not take her eyes of her wife, feeling that she could live on the ecstasy which was generated by their contact. "But I thought you wanted to talk. I have plans to take you…"
"Actions speak louder than words." Kate interrupted. "This is my declaration to you. My devotion is here, can you feel? This is adoration in all its glory and you are worthy of my worship. We'll have time to talk later. After."
Without breaking eye contact Kate took a step backwards. Her hands made short work of removing the rest of her beige trouser suit and silk blouse. It was now the blonde's turn to enjoy the sight before her. Kate had dressed in conservative matching bra and pants that morning, knowing that she was to be examined at the clinic, but Caroline's fumbling had already released one of Kate's dark brown nipples from its nest. As an athlete coming out of the starting blocks, Caroline lurched forward and latched her lips onto the not insignificant protrusion before using her fingers to ease the areola into her mouth, enabling her mouth to suck, her tongue to lick and her teeth to bite. The attention being paid to her breasts had worked its magic and Kate felt her knickers drip with moisture. Despite her enjoyment of the moment she knew that she needed to be fucked without too much further delay. Nothing now would suffice but Caroline's mouth paying that same attention to her clitoris.
Kate's breaths came fast and furiously, her upper body arching backwards to thrust her pelvis towards Caroline as if to say 'here I am, I'm yours.' Her hips began to gyrate, the movement so forceful that the blonde struggled to maintain the contact with Kate's breast but sustain it she did, driving her wife's level of desperation ever higher. The most guttural of sounds emanated from Kate's mouth; no dictionary could ever explain or translate these expressions but all lovers would recognise their meaning. Kate was without any doubt at that point of no return on her voyage to orgasm and her wife was pacing the journey well, so excellently did they now know each other's needs. Caroline's mouth continued to devour the ever-responsive nipple, her activity carnal in its intensity. Then, just as Kate felt that she would explode with unrequited longing, a turn of movement gave her what she most desired. With one dexterous tug Kate's cami-knickers were down and Caroline was on her knees almost underneath her destination. Her hands now on each of Kate's hips, she thrust her face upwards and her wet, hot and swollen lips met other moist lips, fierier and more engorged. Almost before the action had begun Kate screamed, shivered and began a prolonged and intense series of orgasms, each one building on the foundation of the one before. Throughout it all Caroline continued to nurture her lover's needs until experience told her that it was time to relax and their bodies flowed together like molten lava onto the office floor, where they laid entwined and still for some time.
Eventually Caroline was the first to speak, strangely anxious about doing so despite their physical togetherness and it was banter which seemed to her to be appropriate to break the silence.
"Which part of your appraisal would you like to discuss first, Mrs McKenzie-Dawson?"
"With all due respect, Doctor McKenzie-Dawson, I always understood that the appraiser and the appraised should exchange assessments before the meeting." Kate giggled. "Knowing what a stickler you are for protocol, I'm sure you will agree that it is only fair to give me the opportunity to demonstrate some of my strengths – and maybe explore your weaknesses – before we go any further!"
So she did and her wife could do nothing but express the utmost satisfaction at the effort and achievements of the modern language teacher.
Later on that evening, after returning home from work, having a quick shower and giggling away like a pair of teenagers, the women left Lawrence in the incapable hands of his father, who Caroline was sure was slightly inebriated.
At the restaurant Caroline, held Kate's hand whenever she could and her eyes never left the woman she was proud to call her wife.
"I love you Kate, more than I can ever show, or let you know." Their fingers intertwined as Kate smiled lovingly at her wife.
"Well it just as well that we have the rest of our lives together to show each other how we feel." She leaned forward and kissed the blonde softly.
"Oh Kate, I still pinch myself sometimes. I can't believe that we're together and so happy, I'm the happiest and luckiest woman in the world." Caroline blushed as she spoke, her eyes still fixed firmly on Kate's. "Let's have more champagne." She momentarily averted her gaze and nodded to the waiter who was standing a few feet away.
At the same time that his mother was laughing and enjoying the company of her wife, Lawrence was sitting at home with his father, who was snoring away with the X-box remote in his hand. The kitchen was a tip and there were a couple of empty wine bottles on the floor.
He raised himself off the giant bean bag and stood over the ever louder snoring man, "thanks a lot pops," he said quietly, disappointment evident in his tone. "Thanks for hanging out with me and spending some quality time."
Dishevelled and totally oblivious to the pain of his youngest son, John snorted then turned on his side on the chair and the remote fell to the floor.
Lawrence gave his dad a pitying look and sighed. The room looked like a bomb had gone off. He started to tidy up, crisps packets, the odd biscuit, the wine bottles and his mum's favourite Olivia Pope wine glass.
"My mum the classy dyke," he chuckled to himself then turned and said to his dad, "and my dad the stupid drunk".
He ignored the mess in the kitchen and trudged upstairs; Dre Beats headphones on; he didn't want to hear it all kick off when his mum came home.