On with the story then without further ado. Thanks again for the awesome reviews, this time with particular reference to the long and insightful one from a lovely and thoughtful guest. I enjoy reading your comments as much as you guys do reviewing my work. Thanks one and all. I had to go back and edit chapter 13 today because I saw a couple of horrendous typos. Sorry about them. English is actually my strong subject, so I should at least know the difference between your and you're...? Bad Lily!

Anyhow, we call in again with Emily about to face the Gorgon Jenna across town and Naomi wondering what to do with an armful of remorseful Roberta. Funny how she knew exactly what to do with an armful of Roberta last night, huh?

But I suppose shagging her is totally out of the question in her current state, yeah?

Hmmm...

Naomi

I led Roberta into the flat, making all the right noises like "It'll be all right Roberta...he'll come round...just a bit shocked. You two are made for each other.." and all the trite shite you spout to calm someone down, when actually your insides are churning and you just want to put a pillow over your head and go "lalalala" a lot until it all goes away. It was only meant to be a bit of fun...raw sex and no strings, right? A chance to enjoy a warm, willing body without any of the intense emotions generated by bodily contact with a certain Miss Fitch. No mind fuck, just a body one...or three.

Fat chance, it seems. I had a sobbing Roberta on my couch, clinging to me as if we were both shipwrecked. Not a bad metaphor I suppose, although I prefer up shit creek without a paddle to describe my own position. I screamed silently in my mind to come up with the right platitudes, the right solution to this drama. OK, I have been in a sort of similar position once before, with a bisexual mate who experimented with me all one cold winter weekend, then went back to her long term boyfriend and confessed the lot. But there were fundamental differences too. Amelia had been remorseful about enjoying the girl shagging quite so much and hovered hopefully around me for a bit in case I wanted to fight for her attention, but like I say, straight, or bi girls almost inevitably go back to cock. Its safer, if messier. Fact of life.

Slowly I prised Roberta off me and despite the mid afternoon hour, I persuaded her that a small glass of brandy might do her good. Her puppy like gratitude was getting a bit wearing after I sat her down again and fed another two full tumblers her way, mind.

"Look Roberta...lets go over the facts, huh? You've been with Gavin for three..." She held up an extra digit "...right four years. I know he's angry now...but he's not just gonna throw that all away for a silly weekend fling is he?"

Maybe that wasn't the best way of describing our all night shagathon, but I was struggling for the right words. Her eyes filled up with fresh tears, so I slopped another healthy slug of brandy into her empty glass to give her something else to concentrate on.

"I know this is gonna sound a bit dumb...given what happened between us after the party...but would I be right in saying that this isn't the first time you've been with another girl?"

I winced, waiting for the answer to that question. It's not as if I needed her to confirm it anyway. She'd been no nervous and inexperienced Emily Fitch in bed. Whatever I suggested last night, she was well up for. I guessed she'd made the most of all those experimental Uni girls, like me. It happens...

She nodded almost sadly.

"I told him I'd been with a couple of other women at Uni...it was a few more than a couple actually. But because it was all in the past he didn't mind...in fact he used to bring it up quite a lot when we first got engaged. Turned him on to hear all the gory details when we were...you know...at it?"

Oh yes...I did know. Boys and their endless lesbian fantasies? I suppose it does add a bit of spice to your hereto sex life, to know your partner has done the dirty with a couple of girls in the past. Men like to think women practice with other girls until they get good at sex, then spend the rest of their lives worshipping the great god phallus...idiots.

"Yeah" I said slowly "It has come up before. So the idea of you in bed with another girl turns him on, but only as long as its in the past?"

She shook her head and I could have written the script for her next comment.

"Well...not exactly. He asked me a couple of times if I still kept in touch with any of my student ex girlfriends...he never quite asked about a threesome, but I'm not that stupid...I know what he was hinting at"

I shook my head this time. So far, so predictable. Lover boy was fine with his little Roberta licking pussy, as long as he was there to watch. I could see a way out of this now. (and no...I wasn't about to suggest I join them for a make up threesome, that ship has sailed...in fact, its sunk without a trace)

"Right...so basically its just his ego that's hurt. His reaction was to throw you out, but take it from me babe...he'll be regretting it already. No one likes to be cheated on, but give him 24 hours and sort yourself out a good story...you know...tell him you were well pissed, the other girl was really persistent...you had a moment of weakness...?" (I laughed inwardly at that gross misdescription...about 300 moments of fucking weakness actually)

Roberta looked up at hopefully as I finished. I filled her glass again, noting that her hand wobbled a bit as I poured. Maybe that will have to be the last one.

"D'ya think he'll really forgive me then Naomi?" she said huskily, her voice ruined by all the crying. I had a second when I remembered another throaty voice in this apartment, but pushed it from my head quickly...one problem at a time girl...

"Definitely" I lied hopefully. OK, maybe it wasn't that unrealistic. If she kept my actual name out of it...behaved suitably contrite for a few weeks... I think old Gavin would relent and allow her back into his bed. Especially if she garnished their revitalised sex life with a few choice descriptions of what we got up to yesterday. Men are nothing if not led by their erections.

I got an over friendly hug for that. I had been hoping for an early night (yes on my own) and a clear head for tomorrow, but it seemed Roberta had other ideas.

"C..could I stay here...just for tonight Naomi?" she pleaded with those puppy dog eyes "I can't go back there right now...he's so angry with me..."

I wanted to ask her how he found out about us, but as he was supposed to be away for the weekend I'm guessing Roberta walked into their place wearing an unmistakeable 'just fucked' look that even the newly returned, doting Gavin couldn't miss.

I sighed and nodded...what else could I do? It was at least 50% my fault after all. I freed myself from her clinging arms and stood up.

"Yeah..why not. Look, I'll dig out a towel...you look like you need to freshen up...have a shower, you know? I'll just pop down to the corner shop and buy us a bottle of red...that brandy will knock you out if you carry on slugging it...then we can have a quiet evening in...watch some mindless TV and tomorrow you can go and talk to Gavin when he's calmed down a bit?"

I got another weak smile and, finishing her brandy, Roberta went into the bathroom and closed the door behind her. I let out a long breath as the lock clicked. Fucking hell Naoms, I chided myself...frying pans and fires ain't in it with you girl.

I slipped out when I heard the shower running and got a bottle of plonk and some pasta from the deli on the corner. By the time I got back, the bathroom door was open and I could hear soft humming from my bedroom. That's a good sign, I thought, breezing through and, dropping the shopping on the kitchen unit, then went into my room to suggest something to watch on my flat screen.

Big mistake.

She was standing by the bed in just tiny blue knickers. Just fucking knickers, my head repeated endlessly as I stared at her. Those magnificent tits were covered by her hands as she watched me perving, but even as I opened my mouth to say something banal, she obviously recognised the lust in my own eyes.

"Oh" was all she said..and then lowered her hands slowly to her sides. I didn't intend to your honour, honest, I was all for a quiet night in, watching shit TV and playing mine host. But that freshly showered olive skin, little droplets of water still clinging to her shoulders, those incredible tits, perky but full...the way her eyes went wide...and then black, mirroring mine. I'm only human M'lud.

Next thing I knew she had taken one step closer to me. And so had I towards her. Instantly her heavy tits brushed tantalisingly up against my clothed ones. I defy anyone to be that fucking noble...my nipples went into arousal mode.

"You can have me again tonight Naomi if you want" she said slowly, her full lips tempting me mercilessly "...I can see you want to...so...take me...I've been a very bad girl and I think I need to be punished?"

Well, fuck me with a knobbly cucumber...if that isn't an offer I can't refuse in the immortal words of Don Vito Corleone.

Fuck tomorrow, fuck real life, fuck Gavin...just...just...FUCK.

So we did.

A lot.

XXX

An hour later, pasta, red wine and film forgotten, we laid panting side by side on the top of my bed. This time...sober...I hadn't been so demanding of her. Something stopped me...punishing...her, even though she'd asked so nicely. Instead I used all the skills I had perfected over the past few years to make this sex as memorable as I could. It was like I was trying to atone for something in that fucked up bit of sponge called my brain. I'd used her last night, albeit to her great delight, and I'd used Emily Fitch on this very bed too. A fact that still sent surges of pure guilt through me. She might have got her own back big time with the accessory boyfriend at the party, but I knew in my heart of hearts it was mostly down to me. Running back to hetero hell was as much a reaction to my overeager demands as her own weakness.

So, maybe I used Roberta again, but this time in a gentler, more considerate way. I might not be able to make love to Emily Fitch any more (the closet door seemed to be firmly locked now) but this was the next best thing.

Roberta was suitably grateful after she'd come hard and repaid my tender lovemaking with her soft lips and tongue, I came with my mouth firmly closed, just in case I unintentionally called out another, more incendiary name in my ultimate ecstasy. Roberta deserved better than that.

We cuddled afterwards and she chatted sleepily about how great it had been and how much she'd missed sex with a woman. I think both of us knew this was probably the last time we would lay together...she had too much invested in her fiancée to stop seeing him and I was more than a little distracted by a petite brunette to consider a relationship with another bi curious woman. No...it was lovely. If last night had been no strings, no apology sex, today had been more of a healing process for both of us, even if Roberta didn't know about my shame over using Emily Fitch. Strangely, even though I should have been feeling doubly guilty for adding to the offence Roberta and I had done to Gavin...it didn't feel like that.

We slept entwined. Not lovers, but passing acquaintances, making each other happy for a brief moment in time.

When Roberta left in the morning, showered and changed, she had a look on her face which wasn't shame...more determination. I wished her luck. I might be wrong, but I think that her and Gavin might be having an intense conversation about boundaries and putting the past behind them very soon. I hope it works out for her...them. Roberta will have her happy memories and Gavin will get his reward every Saturday night for about a fucking year, I reckon...

XXX

Across town, as Roberta left Naomi's block, Emily was not basking in quite so much self congratulatory bliss..but it could have been worse, she thought.

XXX

"Well...that went pretty well actually" Katie said cheerfully as we left the Fitch household together. We both had the vivid memory of Jenna Fitches absolute horror struck face as I made my true confession earlier, but it had been a little more eventful than even I had expected.

It went about the way I expected it to at first. I had avoided the dreaded Fitch family lunch only because I promised I would have a late breakfast at my old home to make up for it. I give Katie her due, she held her ground and refused the obvious get out clause always written into a confrontation with my mother. In the old days, she would have crumbled under the Gorgons stare (still the only human being on earth who can cow my sister) and backed my mothers judgement. Not today.

I'd sat both my mum and down (happily James was at school) before taking a deep breath and spilling my guts.

To make it worse, I think my mother was expecting an entirely different announcement. Unbelievably, she was under the mistaken impression that I was gonna reveal a secret engagement to Neil or something equally unlikely. I'd only known the fucking guy a month... and he'd only enjoyed the full Fitch charms once in all that time...not that that fact was something I liked to dwell on for more than a nanosecond. Sex with Neil was the normal one sided endurance test I had become used to with Richard and other men. I wanted nothing more than to erase it from my memory banks.

Jenna's first reaction to my serious statement that I was gay was predictable. Shock, disbelief and amusement crossed her features in quick succession. Then the mouth opened and scorn won out over them all.

"Gay?" she spat icily "Really Emily...I thought you would have grown out of these ridiculous teenage fantasies by now. You have a lovely man now to get closer to. You need to grow up a bit...make Neil your husband and start living a normal life from now on. I blame that Sarah...corrupting you when you were young and confused..."

I waved at her with both hands to stop the diatribe going on all morning and amazingly she paused in her sermon. I seized my opportunity with those same two hands.

"First Mum...Sarah did NOT corrupt me. In fact it was me who chased her. I fucking loved her with all my heart...and if you hadn't behaved exactly how you're behaving here, I would very likely still be with her...living with her and two fucking equally gay cats"

I knew my mum would react to the swearing more than the subject and so it proved.

"Language Emily" she scolded, as if a few verbal fucks were more evil than even her daughter being a devotee of Sappho.

I waved again, this time to dismiss her protest. I saw her face set stonily into a grimace, the expression I remembered all too well from my childhood. It said stop, I'm not listening, this conversation is over young lady. Except it isn't. I'm not twelve any more and I'm not standing guiltily over a broken plate or a bad school report.

"The word fuck is very appropriate actually mum. It seems like its the only way to get through to you" I said coldly.

My dad meanwhile was sitting there mute, with his normal 'Jesus, I wonder if I can sneak out to the garage and hit a few reps on the bench press machine' expression. When my mum and us twins get into a fight, he always wants be elsewhere. Poor bugger. But he needed to hear this too, My sister may be taking on the unfamiliar role of twin support, but I wanted my dad to know the truth at last too. So I pressed on.

"I'm gay mum..I've always been gay...right from when I hit puberty. But I've been weak...done what I was told was 'normal', gone out with guys to please you all. Hell, I even had an affair with my married boss for almost a year..something which you both apparently think is preferable to being honest with myself...cheating. But not any more. I met someone recently who opened my eyes to what I am"

That was the opportunity my mother was waiting for...another 'perverted' dragon to slay in defence of Fitch honour. I could have stopped her, but I really couldn't be bothered.

"So..." she hissed "...some deviant has their hooks in you again...who is it Emily...I want a word with her...no on is corrupting my daug..."

"STOP!" I shouted "...have you heard nothing I've just said? I'm not even with this woman. Don't get me wrong..I want to be. I want to kiss her...make love to her...maybe even live with her...marry her for fucks sake. But I can't...and thats your fault. Because you've drummed into me that a relationship with another woman is perverted...wrong...I've not had the courage to show her how much I want her. She's moved on...so I hope you're happy about that. But it won't stop me wanting her. It won't stop me being gay, seeing my future with another woman. This is what I am mum...dad..this is who I am. I'm Emily Fitch...and I'm gay...and fucking proud of it at last"

I waited for the next instalment of the Jenna Fitch anti gay propaganda machine, but shockingly, as Katie and I gripped each others hands for support, it was my dad who spoke first.

"I know" he said simply and I swear my mothers chin hit her knees. Her face went white, then red as she started to implode. But dad put a hand on hers and squeezed hard. I saw her wince.

"No Jenna" he said quietly "...not this time" he turned to me and smiled gently "Emsy love...I know you're gay. I've known for a while, but I've been too much of a coward to confront it. That girl Sarah? She might have been the one you got a bit carried away with here, but she wasn't the first girl you looked at like that, and I suspect not the last either? We can't help what we are Emily...none of us. Its time for you to stop apologising just for being you. Your mother and me...well, we'll support you in whatever you do and whoever you choose to do it with...won't we love?"

His words were still softly spoken but the grip on my mothers hand was making his knuckles go white. My dad has a grip like a shark bite, so I knew it must be hurting like hell. My mother gritted her teeth but refused to answer.

"Won't we...?" he repeated calmly until, after a few more seconds she finally nodded angrily. Only then did he relax his grip. I saw my mothers pale hand flex as the sensation rushed back into her crushed fingers.

"I suppose so...although...I..." she started to say, but dad interrupted again.

"Well, thats settled then. Off you go girls...I'm sure you have loads to do. I'm going to have a long chat with your mum...so, we'll see you next Sunday?"

I felt Katie nodding beside me as I did. I think we both felt we had got out of the lions den without a scratch, so the goodbyes were quick. My mums eyes were still icy and unforgiving, but for once in my life, I saw the same determination in my dads softer ones. I was quite glad I wasn't going to be witnessing the aftermath...

I left Katie at the end of the road. There was one more confrontation I needed to have, and this one might be the worst of all.

I took out my phone and texted a familiar number.

"Its Emily. Can we talk?"

XXX

More on Saturday, when I have a whole day to write. Whether thats a good or bad thing, you can decide!

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