naturally, almost positive that she was the out-of-town friend who had telephoned that night. Which meant that I wouldn't be hearing from my lovelorn lover for a while, not if she had such a spectacular houseguest and/or bed- partner to keep her busy these not-so-lonely nights.
As it turned out, my conjecture was quite accurate. It was almost a week later before she rang me. I took the call on one of the dormitory phones, safe enough unless there were eavesdroppers within earshot. And judging by the whine in her voice, it seemed apparent that she was all alone and lonesome again.
'Darling, please don't hang up on me. If you do, I'll have a nervous breakdown. I simply must talk to you.'
'Talk? Is that all? Just like last time, hmm?'
'Please. Must you be so cynical? You know how I feel about you, how I need-'
'Sure, sure. Your friend is gone, huh?'
'Friend?'
'Friend. Houseguest. Whatever. The big blonde I saw you with in the cafeteria.'
'Oh. Lizabeth, you mean. She's gone. Left town a couple of days ago. She never stays very long anyway.'
'Is that so? I'll bet she wore you out, though.'
'Hush! Are you deliberately trying to upset me? What is it, a streak of cruelty in your nature? I think you secretly enjoy making me miserable. “
'That's silly.'
'Well, you do like to see me grovel. Admit it now, isn't that the honest truth about how you feel?'
'Hmm. Hard to say offhand. It does sound interesting, I'll admit.' I grinned, quivering in erotic delight. 'Now if you'd only grovel more often… '
'Oh, you are a bitch, a cruel bitch! Wait. Don't hang up, I didn't mean that. I'm groveling, I'm groveling, see how you make me grovel? When can we get together? Soon?'
'Don't rush me. I haven't even decided if we should get together yet. After all, we can't just start all over again, can we? Oh well, let's not worry about it now. I'll let you know, okay?'
“I-I wish you-'
'There you go again. Haven't we talked enough? It's time to say good-bye. Better yet, just throw me a kiss over the wire. A nice loud smacker. Come on, I'm waiting. Good! Once more now, but stick a little tongue into it. A slurpy smack. Oooh! If you only knew where I caught that one… '
'Darling!'
She was sure persistent, that lesbian lover of mine. I received an enormous bouquet from one of the local florists. There was a card with an almost illegible message, deliberately cryptic, but it didn't take much detective work to make the identification and decode the scrawl. I felt itchy afterward, conscious of a strange desire to scratch myself between the legs whenever I smelled those damned flowers. And yet I had to admit that it was mighty pleasant to be wooed so avidly; even my dumb roommates were impressed. The next phone call found me in a pretty good mood. Amiable at least, if not exactly a pushover. I actually welcomed the note of wistful desperation in her voice.
'Just for a ride, darling? A little spin in my car and we can relax and chat and kind of catch up, you know? And I won't make any passes at you. No sex, I promise.'
'Well, if you're sure… '
'I won't even mention it, how's that? Okay?'
'Okay. It's a deal'
That was the gist of it, an anxious invitation and a reluctant acceptance, quite a fuss over a little automobile ride. I had to chuckle after we hung up, somewhat amused by the promise she had made and couldn't possibly keep. Not mention sex? Hah! Fifteen minutes with me and she'd have sex flowing from her lips-by word if not deed, depending on my own attitude. Ah yes, I was looking forward to an entertaining afternoon…
As always, she looked elegant. And so did the car, elegant without being obtrusive. Our talk was a bit strained at first, both of us steering clear of the forbidden topic. Then, cagily, I asked about her friend.
Her reply was equally cagey. 'Lizabeth? Sorry, darling, I can't answer that. Not without breaking the rules. It's just impossible to talk about her without mentioning sex, that's the kind of woman she is.'
'Well… maybe you could rules… '
'You're really curious, hmm? I can't blame you. She's quite a woman. But you ought to form your own opinion; getting it second-hand won't help much. Tell you what, maybe I'll arrange for the two of you to meet sometime. On her next visit. Which might or might not be soon, I never can tell.'
'Uh, is she gay? Or is that a foolish question. “
'Not so foolish-you can't put Lizabeth in anyone category, she just lives for excitement, that's all. I guess she's a little like you that way. Changeable. But let's not talk about her any more, darling. I'll get jealous.'
'Good. That's how I like you. Jealous.'
A traffic light turned red up ahead. Florinda jammed on the brakes and then faced me with a pained expression. 'Must you be like that? So cold, so selfish. Even sadistic. Sometimes I just wish I could hate you. Oh, in only had the will power!'
'But you don't do you?' With an amused chuckle, I raised my hand and patted her cheek, rather enjoying the sensation of her suddenly warming skin. 'Do you?'
'No… ' She shuddered visibly. 'You already know that. So it's even sadistic of you to ask. I love you too much, that's my problem. I worship you.'
'Then stop criticizing.' My fingertips perfumed, of course-played over her inflamed face, brushing against her lips every now and then. 'Unless you want me to get angry again.'
'Oh. No. I'm sorry.' She crushed the palm of my hand to her mouth, kissing it in abject confusion.
'The light. It's green. We're holding up traffic.'
My cool tone had her near tears, but she recovered enough to get the car rolling again. There was silence for a while as she concentrated on her driving and regained composure. Even so, I was deliciously aware of her eyes on me every so often, a sneaky sidelong glance at my legs. I gave her something to look at, crossing and uncrossing them with no apparent concern for the display of bare thigh-flesh as my short skirt kept working upward.
'Sue, listen, I just thought of something. I'm going to be out of town next weekend.'
'So?'
'Well, uh, it's just an idea. Would you like to use my apartment while I'm gone? Seems a shame to leave it empty. And I know how you detest living in the dormitory.'
'Hmm, it's an idea, sure enough. No strings attached?'
'You'll have the place all to yourself. A big bed to sleep in, a leisurely bath every night… '
'It's too tempting, how can I resist? Thanks, dear, I'd just love to take you up on that offer. It was sweet of you to think of it. Especially after I was so mean to you just now. What are you doing, killing me with kindness?'
She shrugged and touched my knee just a fleeting pat, and then returned her hand to the wheel… I knew she was testing me, making a hopeful but unobtrusive pass, an initial tentative overture by way of experiment. I chose to ignore it, though, no longer so inflexible on the issue of sex. She had sure known how to soften my resistance with that offer of hers. Anyway, I didn't expect to get something for nothing, despite the 'no strings attached' tag on her proposition.
The second pass wasn't long in coming. This time her hand landed on my thigh and remained there, stroking and gripping in a light but meaningful caress. It felt fine a reminder of how much I had missed her lovemaking these past weeks. Still, even if only to reassert my power over her, I had to murmur a word of caution at least if not down right disapproval.
'Better not. That's how accidents happen.'
'Huh? Oh, don't worry. I'm the best one handed driver in the world. Ambidextrous. Never let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that's what I always say.' She smiled. 'Unless you need both hands.'
'I agree. Completely. But isn't this one of those times when it takes two hands?'
My voice didn't carry much conviction, sounding more like an invitation than a brush-off. Apparently she thought so, too. After a final squeeze of my thigh, her hand moved back to the steering wheel with definite
