agreed hesitantly, not wanting to go out, not wanting to face more than herself and Pat with her decision.
'Mmmm, I want, baby! I want!' She kissed Karen with controlled passion. Desire for the lovely girl stirred, but there was time for that later, all the time in the world. Right now there was the anticipation of showing the world what she had accomplished… what she had won.
Their entrance was all Pat knew it would be. The bevy of females and the assortment of males she knew at the coffeehouse eyed the couple with knowing, interested eyes. In her usual, blunt fashion, Pat had informed her closer friends of her intentions toward Karen.
Pat was introducing Karen to people at the frantic pace of the old silent movies. Karen didn't even try to remember names or faces. Then a pretty blonde was beside her. She looked into the familiar face, which was pouting now with irritation and envy, and at once recognized Lorna.
'So you moved in with Pat, huh?' Lorna began without any pretense of friendliness.
'Well, yes,' Karen mumbled, shrinking under the blonde's overt hostility. She felt almost compelled to offer some kind of excuse, but sanity assured her that it wasn't necessary.
Unlike Karen, Pat seemed to swell even more at Lorna's antagonism. She looked at the beautiful girl warmly. 'Don't be a bitch, Lorna,' Pat said loudly enough to be heard over the constant din of the place. 'We'll still see each other.' She smiled adoringly at Karen. 'My relationship with Karen is a spiritual thing as well as a physical love. We can't be hampered and destroyed by petty jealousy.' Her next words were for Lorna, though Pat delivered them with her eyes locked to Karen's. 'Fidelity is only important in a marriage with a man. If a man strays he is giving his total concept of love to another woman. That's because he has nothing else to give. With two women their love with another woman means only the sharing of that love to a receptive, uninvolved third body, taking her into their love by a bodily expression of pleasure and empathy. The love is not weakened by this act – it's strengthened. That might sound confusing, but understanding comes with experience. Believe me.'
Karen made a successful effort not to appear crushed by Pat's strange words. She only understood enough to know that the very thing she had left Al for was no longer a crime if committed by her new lover. Horror flooded her, speeding her heartbeats crazily. What have I done? she asked herself again. What have I done?
The rest of the evening was a blur to Karen. They walked back to their apartment arm in arm, safe in the cover of night. Yet, Karen had never felt more alone. There were so many moments when she was tempted to break away and run to the safety of the little cottage which had been her home until last night. Only the memory of the note she had hastily left Allen, telling him of her decision, stopped her. She couldn't go back to him and safety. She had nowhere to go but to bed with Pat.
Karen had delayed the actual moment like a child putting off a spanking. But the time had come. Her body felt stiff and unwilling, for once immune to the sought-after reality of Pat lying beside her.
But then, with the first light and sure touch of slender-tipped hands, Karen forgot her fears and heartache and turned to Pat with the ferocity of a mute animal. She looked for reassurance and love. What she found drove doubt and despondency to the outer cubbyholes of her mind with a liquid, torrid blast.
Then it was there, the same astounding sensation as the first time, the breathless ecstasy that accompanied this wonderfully sensual care taking of her body. The hands, the lips, that wonderful, giving tongue which brought her to the pinnacle of passion. But this time it was also different, because as the lapping homage was paid to her most secret flesh, Karen was overwhelmed with the need for a total commitment, a giving of herself on the throne of love, a sealing of the verbal transition of her flesh and soul from Al to this girl. She had to be all to Pat, as Pat had become all things to her.
As a final burst of eternal fulfillment engulfed her again, Karen rolled away from the greedy lips, fastening her own in a swooping gesture of overt love on the beautiful, pointed breasts of her lover. She tasted the burning tip of another woman's breast, drawing the nipple deeply into her own mouth. The sensation was rewarding. She remembered the soft, gently sucking motions instinctively from her postnatal desires. Karen wanted to, had to, give herself unselfishly to the fragrant flesh of this savior who lifted her from the death of mediocrity into the reality of satiation.
Pat felt the wetness of Karen's pointed tongue as it skimmed over her breasts, halted to suck up each ready nipple in turn. She gave in to the keen pleasure, but not without gloating over the totalness of her victory once more. She carefully guided the lips to every sensitive inch of her body, goading Karen further and further with words of love and happiness… 'That's it, my darling… Yes… yes, sweetheart. Oh, that feels so good. Yes, sweetheart… use your tongue.'
Karen moved her head under the skillful guidance of her teacher until her face was locked between Pat's marble-smooth thighs. The abundant hairs tickled Karen's lips and, for a fleeting moment, Karen involuntarily pulled away.
Smiling, confident now, Pat reassured Karen. 'That's right, darling… Kiss me now… I need you… to kiss me…'
Karen gave in to the fierce renewal of love which the sound of Pat's voice activated once more. Trembling, she let her lips brush and then press against the warm mound of exposed flesh. The musky scent did not repulse her. Experimentally, she flicked her tongue against the bud of flesh which stiffly beckoned for an intimate embrace. Pat's moans broke the stillness of the night. Then with a sigh, Karen buried her lips against the cleft, plunging her tongue deeply into this woman who was now truly all things to the girl. In a blur of torpid heat Karen felt Pat's body shift until, at last, the two women were working as one, grinding their bodies furiously against each other. Karen felt as if she died and was reborn as each ecstatic second ticked by with startling, new sensations.
It was glorious. Never had the girl dreamed of such passion, such pleasure… She finally surrendered to sleep, her lips pressed to one firm breast, her doubts shattered in a swirling pool of sheer rapture.
CHAPTER NINE
Karen stepped out of the shower and dried her body hastily with a large towel. For some reason she expected to see traces of her new life externalized in the face which stared back at her. But she looked as she always did, the only change she could detect was a paleness of her skin which hadn't been there a month ago. Karen had lost her love of the sun, allowing her bronzed tan to fade. Night living was one of Pat's whims and Karen found herself helpless to do anything but follow Pat's directions.
It had been, Karen reflected, a wild month. She hadn't realized just how routine, how stable, her life with Allen had been until she had come to live with Pat. Now her life was chaos, frantic, pleasure-shot chaos. Karen emitted a short laugh.
'What's so funny?' Pat called from the other room.
'You.' Karen looked away from the mirror and up into Pat's always alert eyes as the girl entered the bathroom.
'Me?' Pat yawned and threw her arms far out.
Karen turned and looked at Pat. 'You're funny. Fun and funny. Do you realize we haven't done a single thing all month except…?' she leaned over and kissed Pat lightly on the dusky tip of one breast.
'Except make love! Why not? I can't think of anything else I want to do.'
'Pat!' Karen gulped as the girl's fingers began an erotic trip around the tips of her breasts. 'You're worse than Al! I used to think he…'
'Forget him.' Pat reached down and pulled at Karen's towel, exposing the total loveliness of her lush body. 'It's been a great month, hasn't it? At least, I have no complaints!' She moved behind Karen and ran a finger tenderly down the indented line of her spine. 'I love you, baby. You know that, don't you? I want you to be sure of it… and I want you to try to understand me.'
'Oh, I know you do!' Karen said in a rush. She began to shiver. As always, Pat's hands on her body did crazy things to her.
'I have a certain pattern to my life, or I did before you became a part of it. I want you to be a real part of my life, of me…' Pat lifted the girl to her feet.
