The following month Janice got a phone call from Caroline just as she was packing her case to travel to London for the weekend.
"Honey, sorry to call so late but I have a huge apology to make." Janice's heart beat loudly in her chest and she readied herself for the disappointment she knew was coming. She had been looking forward to this weekend with Caroline even more so than usual. She'd been getting a lot of stick from Mick and her mother and really needed the break away. And even though they'd managed a few snatched moments of intimacy on her last visit, Michael's presence in the flat had been particularly restricting. They'd managed to keep him away from their shared bedroom but Janice had been conscious that he was only in the room next door and didn't want him discovering their secret.
"Go on…"
"I completely forgot that I have a work do tomorrow night. It's a dressing up affair and in my best interests to go."
"Right." Janice swallowed the urge to cry and concentrated on breathing.
"So, if you don't mind can you bring your best outfit with you and accompany me?" Janice's eyebrow's hit the roof and she had to sit on the bed from the shock.
"You want me to come with you? Won't that be a bit strange?"
"No, everyone is invited to bring their partner with them, it's departmental policy. I'll explain it properly once you get here. You don't mind do you? Honestly, if you'd rather not…"
"No, no of course I'll come with yer, it's just...I didn't expect it that's all." She also hadn't expected Caroline to use the refer to her as her 'partner' either. There had been a definite shift in their relationship over the last couple of months and Janice was even more confused than ever about what the future held for all three of its main players.
"I'm sorry, I should have thought. Have you got something you'd like to wear? If not, I'm sure we have time to go out and get you something." Janice chuckled to herself. Oh she had a couple of really nice dresses that she'd bought years ago and never had an occasion to wear them to. She'd always hoped that Mick would surprise her one day and she'd be able to pull one of them out. Of course, that had never happened - until now.
"No, I have just the thing sitting in my wardrobe. It's probably in need of a good iron though."
"Now that I can arrange. I'm so pleased you want to come, it would have been miserable without you. I can't wait to see you tomorrow."
"Me neither. I've...missed you."
"Me too."
The two women attempted to stifle their giggles as they tumbled into Caroline's flat at two am on Saturday morning. They had each consumed a quantity of alcohol but only enough to be tipsy and more than a little giggly. Caroline tossed the keys to Janice to lock the door behind her, she'd had enough trouble trying to open it, let alone attempt the same in reverse. The older woman unceremoniously flopped onto her settee and waited for Janice to join her. Once the front door had been safely locked Janice went into the living room and pulled her heels off along the way. She stood over Caroline, who appeared to be lightly dozing, and grinned down at her before she reached for the back of her dress and the zip between her shoulder blades. Janice slowly unzipped the crimson material and watched her lover's face stir as she recognised the sound. Their eyes met and stayed focused on each other as Janice pulled the dress down and stepped out of it. She unclasped her bra and let it join the discarded dress on the floor.
That was more than enough teasing for Caroline and she stood up from the settee to kiss her lover passionately. Janice broke the kiss to gather Caroline's dress from its hem and pulled it up her body and over her head. Their lips met in another kiss before Janice whispered in Caroline's ear.
"Let's take this to the bedroom." The younger woman led her lover by the hand and Caroline stopped to kick off her shoes along the way. Janice helped her to pull her tights and knickers off in one go and settled her onto the bed. Their kiss was languid and passionate; tongues duelled together as hands explored skin. Janice pinned her lover to the bed as she hovered over her on her hands and knees. It gave her better access to kiss, lick and caress the older woman's body for as long as she wanted. Janice suckled the skin at the crevice of Caroline's neck and deeply inhaled the perfume she still smelt there. It had been warmed by her lover's skin and smelt deeper and richer than when she'd put it on straight from the bottle.
Janice kissed her way down the older woman's chest, and noted the blush of freckles that had begun to appear with the return of the warmer days. She reached a small but perfectly formed breast with her kisses and brought a hand up to caress the one she couldn't reach with her lips. Caroline arched into her touch and squirmed as the mounds of flesh were given attention. Finally Janice ran her tongue along the hardened nub of her nipple, gently at first and then firmer as the woman beneath her writhed with the stimulation. She alternated between breasts and using her tongue and thumb to rub each nipple into stiff peaks. Caroline placed her hands behind Janice's head and guided her head back up so that she could place another kiss to her lips. But the younger woman was eager to continue her exploratory journey of Caroline's body and was soon running that skillful tongue along her prominent hip bones, occasionally dipping the tip of it into her navel or running it along the inside of her elbows, underarms and wrists. Janice tried to be as unpredictable as possible and took her time over lavishing Caroline's body with attention. She kissed her way down to the soft flesh of her lover's thighs, giving the insides of the sensitive skin a gentle nip here and there, moving ever closer their apex, but never quite getting close enough. She could smell the vanillary sweetness of the other woman's wetness tempting her in, but she managed to continue her journey down the older woman's long, lithe legs. She kissed her way along the sinewy calves and bony ankles to Caroline's slim feet and long toes. Janice suckled on a big toe before working her way back up to her lover's face. Caroline was deeply flushed and panted gently in time to Janice's ministrations.
"What are you doing to me?" she breathed as their kiss broke off so that they could take in some air. Janice grinned as she nudged at Caroline's thighs with her hand and the older woman automatically opened her legs wider.
"I would 'ope that's fairly obvious sweetheart." That natural humour was out in full force, even in the middle of love making and Caroline felt so grateful for this wonderful woman astride her. She was so relaxed and more than ready for this and it was just what she needed to top off their wonderful evening. Suddenly her thoughts were interrupted by Janice's head between her thighs and a hot tongue pushing its way inside. Caroline couldn't help the loud 'oh' from escaping her lips and her body began to tingle as each thrust of the stiffened organ brought her closer and closer to the edge. She lifted her hips in sync with Janice's movements and a rhythm was quickly found. Caroline could feel herself beginning to fall when Janice abruptly stopped and she whimpered at the loss of stimulation. Janice teased her lover with another languid kiss and Caroline could taste herself on Janice's lips. She really needed her lover's tongue on her clit to finish her off, her whole body was buzzing and tingling from the sensation coursing through her.
"Please…please Janice…" The younger woman chuckled and felt pleased with herself that she'd managed to tease her lover this long. As they kissed again Janice thrust two fingers inside Caroline and moved them quickly in and out before she added a third finger. The older woman ground herself onto the digits in the hope of gaining the relief she so dearly needed, but she couldn't quite reach the right spot alone. Janice finally put her out of her misery and bent lower so that she could tongue the tight bundle of nerves at her entrance. The nub swelled and pulsed until fingers and tongue hit the exact spot which made the American woman scream in ecstasy. Her whole body shuddered and writhed with the intensity of the orgasm and it took her long minutes to recover. Janice continued to kiss and caress her lover's heated skin as the older woman came down from her orgasm, and they eventually snuggled up for a post-coital cuddle.
It wasn't long before Caroline had come to her senses and started to turn her attention to Janice. The younger woman seemed quite content to continue lavishing attention on her, but Caroline was equally hungry to taste her lover's skin. They'd spent much of the evening in close proximity, often holding hands. When either of them left to speak to someone or to pop off to the loo they gave each other a light touch here and there to a lower back, down an arm and several quick hugs and kisses. Janice had been astounded to find that no one batted an eyelid at the two of them together and she was fully accepted as Caroline's date for the evening. There were two male couples as well as the other straight couples at the event too. And of course there were plenty of people that had turned up with friends instead of dates. It was a networking event and Caroline had explained there was a promotion on the cards but she had to get her face known by management in order to create a good impression. Janice had been in awe of Caroline's ability to own the room; she had people listening to her attentively whilst she explained something technical to them and then in the next moment laughing at some anecdote. But she never made Janice feel stupid and spoke in a way that everyone could understand what she was talking about. Janice had spoken to some of the wives of Caroline's male colleagues and found it difficult to side-step their questions about their situation. She'd even had questions about if they were thinking about getting married and Janice balked at those ones. It brought some of the reality of their relationship to the forefront of her mind, but the alcohol had helped to dull the awkwardness somewhat.
Caroline's hands trailed down Janice's body and she finally managed to divest her of the rest of her clothing. She heard the sheer tights rip as she pulled them off her lover's legs and giggled as she flung them haphazardly into the air. They landed somewhere but Caroline was too occupied with teasing Janice's sex with her tongue through her sodden knickers to notice. If she'd have had the skill to take the scrap of material off with her teeth she would have done. As it happened she didn't, so Caroline settled for sliding her hands underneath the waistband and pulling the knickers down and off Janice's legs. Caroline kissed her way up Janice's body to her lips and they met in a passionate kiss. In the meantime Caroline's fingers had roamed Janice's body in the opposite direction and were now poised at her entrance. She easily slipped an exploratory finger inside, it was quickly joined by a second and Janice instantly moaned deep into Caroline's mouth. Slowly they began to build a rhythm together and Caroline added a third finger, curling them slightly towards the spot Janice needed them the most. Janice closed her eyes and relaxed into the moment as Caroline concentrated on giving her pleasure. Everything about this evening had been perfect and Janice felt closer than ever to Caroline. Her life here in London filled a void she hadn't known she'd been trying to bury her entire life. She had become familiar with the city and fallen in love with the atmosphere and culture. But it was Caroline who made her feel as though she belonged and gave her a sense of freedom that she had never felt before.
Janice opened her eyes and they locked with Caroline's as she felt herself begin to to go over the edge. Caroline continued to whisper words of encouragement and urged her lover to keep focused on her. They were expressing all they felt for each other in those moments that they never could with words. Caroline pressed her thumb down on the tiny bundle of nerves that had been crying out for her touch and it wasn't long before Janice began to shudder in her arms.
"Look at me Honey, I want to see you." Janice kept her eyes focused on Caroline as she came hard and fell apart. Something was different about this time, it felt more intense, more meaningful than ever before. Janice felt the emotion overwhelm her long before she realised that she was crying. Deep wracking sobs bubbled up and spilled out of her completely independent of her own free will. She clung harder to Caroline in an effort to reassure her lover that she wasn't upset as she had no chance of forming an articulate sentence in that moment. Caroline pulled Janice closer and held her as she cried. She hadn't provoked a response like that since the first time they'd had sex. Caroline tried her hardest to whisper words of comfort to her lover and she held her close. It took her a while to realise that she was also crying. They finally pulled back enough to see each other's faces and chuckled as they realised what emotional wrecks they both were.
"Are you okay Honey?" Caroline whispered as she wiped away some of the tears from her lover's cheeks. Janice nodded gently through her blurred vision.
"I think so...I'm so sorry." Caroline kissed her nose and smiled reassuringly as she stroked back her damp hair.
"Hey, don't apologise. Look what you've done to me!" They chuckled through their tears and settled down to close their eyes and rest.
Janice awoke enveloped in Caroline's embrace; the other woman's naked body was curled behind her and her arms were wrapped tightly around Janice's middle. She held her securely in place as though she was scared to let go. She felt the taught, dry tear tracks on her cheeks and remembered how embarrassingly emotional she had been last night. She had been so overwhelmed by the feelings the dam had burst as she had climaxed and she'd had no control over how it had all come pouring out. Something had irrevocably shifted between them in that evening; from the dinner and reception to their lovemaking afterwards. It was a feeling that Janice didn't want to spend too long thinking about and she decided to just enjoy this contentment and the rest of her weekend with Caroline. The older woman stirred in that moment, squeezed Janice's middle tighter and pulled her closer. Caroline snuggled her face into the back of Janice's neck and revelled in the unique smell of her skin. Her warm lips and wet tongue kissed and tasted their way over the flesh of Janice's back. It was a particularly sensitive spot for the British woman and the sensation sent a message somewhere distinctly south of her navel. It wasn't long before they were once again caught up in the heat and passion of the moment.
Once they had finally showered and dressed they made their way to a cafe in the centre of town to have lunch with some of Caroline's closest friends. Janice didn't have to worry about fielding awkward questions from these people; Caroline had naturally spoken to them about her and their situation. They were simply accepted for what they were and concentrated on having a pleasant afternoon. Janice liked Caroline's friends, they were funny and sweet and a mixed bunch from all walks of life. It was a novelty to Janice as she didn't have any friends of her own. She was ravenous after their morning of love making and she couldn't help but join in with the group's knowing laughter at her rumbling stomach. Caroline was pretty much un-shockable but blushed at the implication anyway. She and her longest friend Helen went up to the counter to place their order and observed Janice animatedly chatting with the rest of the group.
"You're besotted." The blonde haired woman casually commented to her friend.
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me. It's obvious you're completely head over heels and I'm worried about you." Helen looked directly at her friend. Caroline saw the challenge in her eyes but she wasn't in the mood to rise to it, not today.
"I'm fine and I am not 'besotted.' It's just casual between us, I promise you."
"Who are you trying to convince Caroline? I've never seen you like thisbefore."
"I'm happy, it is allowed isn't it?"
"She's a married woman with children hun; you're going to get your heart broken." The waiter behind them coughed and they took the hint that they needed to order their food. Caroline glanced back to surreptitiously observe Janice as Helen completed their order. Her heart raced in her chest and she thought back to Helen's accusation. A sinking feeling began to settle in her stomach as she realised that her friend might just have been right after all.