Chapter 1

Marie stared at her reflection in the mirror, mildly guilty that she had been out drinking last night. Her head felt okay but she’d felt a little woozy this morning until she hit the exercise bike followed by a run and a shower. Honey blonde hair fell past her shoulders, the locks teased out to give her a wind-tossed look faintly reminiscent of a popular ’80s style. High cheekbones set off a thin mouth and green eyes.

Her mouth twitched in the merest suggestion of a smile. Okay she looked good, regular exercise had always managed keep the weight from her hips. Her best friend, Deanna had given her tickets to The Naughty Schoolgirl in the hopes that she could get an interview with some of the cast and as a part time freelance journalist it would help further her writing career. The play was interesting if a little risqué, the lesbian scenes were tastefully done but left her feeling a little weird. Afterwards her backstage pass enabled her to meet the rest of the cast including the up and coming star of the show a totally nude Lisa O’Hanlon.

Lisa was twenty five years old, Irish and incredibly good looking. Long auburn hair complemented a smooth, tanned complexion and whenever she laughed her green eyes lit up impishly and her cheeks reddened. Plump breasts with dark brown nipples bounced as she waved her hands in the air. Marie pulled her eyes from the black patch between her legs, suddenly conscious she was staring. Her rich full lips seemed to smile right into her and the interview was temporarily forgotten as Lisa chatted incessantly, eventually commenting on her blouse, a white silk number with ruffles in the shape of flowers cascading down the front opening.

“Excuse me,” she had laid a hand on her arm, “but where did you buy that beautiful blouse?”

“I, um, made it,” she slid a hand under the blouse and rubbed her neck.

“No?” Lisa’s eyes widened, “that is magnificent, it must have taken a long time to make.”

“Long enough,” she shrugged off handedly, “I’ve been making my own clothes for years, ever since my husband took off with another woman. I started with clothes for my son and graduated to making clothes for myself, as soon as he was old enough to learn the meaning of the word cool. I know it costs more to make but I find it, therapeutic.”

She blushed, aware she was rambling as the younger woman turned suddenly.

“Hey, Billy, get your arse over here,” she summoned a young man, “get this lady’s number, she’s a dressmaker. I love what she’s wearing, she’d put your dressmaker to shame.”

“Fabulous,” he plucked at it, “ooh, silk, you wouldn’t happen to have a website?”

“Um no, but I’ve got a big folder with pictures,” Marie winced.

“You’re hired,” he sighed, “once I’ve seen the pictures of course,” he fanned himself, “oh my, I think my beau would look fabulous in that,” he swanned away and Lisa smirked.

“He’s a hoot, incredibly talented and gay as they come,” she squeezed her wrist gently, “what are you doing right now apart from ogling my naked body?”

“Huh?” Marie jumped, “shit, sorry.”

“I was kidding you on,” Lisa’s eyes lit up, “listen, the cast is going out for drinks seeing as it’s Stella’s last night, she’s the one who played Nancy, my character’s schoolmistress. Why don’t you come out with us we can do the interview thing there.”

Marie hesitated as Lisa squeezed her hand gently.

“Please, I’d love you to come out with us. We’re going to Kitty O’Shea’s.”

Marie stared into her emerald eyes and finally weakened.

“Okay, I’d love that.”

“Smashing,” Lisa stood and threw her arms around her, “sorry about this,” she giggled. “I’m always on a high after a show, I hug everybody, you don’t mind hugging a naked lesbian do you?”

Marie reciprocated nervously, not sure of where to put her hands.

“Of course not,” she blushed, “this is a first for me,” she continued.

“Hugging a lesbian?” she wriggled closer, “oh my God, this is what I love about acting, I get to snog all the sexy women.”

The drive out to Highland Park that morning felt strange. She’d written part of a first draft the previous night but still had no structure and it bothered her. Usually she could punch out a reasonably good article or blog without too much hassle, but last night she’d been distracted and as much as she hated to admit it, scatterbrained. His face flashed before her and her lips tightened as she pushed her ex husband to the furthest recesses of her mind.

We are so not going to go there today, focus, focus, focus.

The house was located in Thwing Street, Highland Park and now that it was daylight, Marie could admire the exterior. It was the same style as the weather-boards on either side but the owner had painted these boards a rich cream with dark yellow window frames and porch. I could almost live there, she thought and clutched her large purse tightly. The night had been a blast, Kitty O’Shea’s boasted they were the authentic Irish pub, the two hundred year old pitch pine flooring was even imported from the old country. The young crowd who had swarmed into the Qunicy Market area however definitely made her feel old, a feeling that wasn’t helped by the fact she had promised to drive Lisa home. But nonetheless if this was a date then Lisa was definitely on the ball. The embrace at the front door later that night felt different from the backstage hug, there was something in it that whispered of longing and unbridled sensuality. Here was a woman who loved to fuck and didn’t care about the consequences.

“So when do I get to see your portfolio?”

“My portfolio?” Marie smiled nervously, “you really want to see it?”

“I do, come back tomorrow,” she smiled and a moment later locked her lips against her mouth and pressed hard, Marie resisted initially and then let the kiss continue for a split second more before breaking away.

Lisa squeezed her, “thank you for driving me home. I promise to stay sober tomorrow, at least until I can fuck your brains out,” she chuckled.

Marie bit her lip and stepped towards the door. Last night had been different, today she was sober and determined to look the woman in the eyes.

Fuck my brains out? Does she think I’m that easy?

The door opened before she could knock and Lisa greeted her with a smile. Marie stared at the schoolgirl outfit, white shirt, black skirt, striped tie and long boots, her pulse quickened suddenly and she smiled nervously.

“The top of the morning to you,” Lisa waved her inside, “welcome to my parlour, again.”

She tugged Marie’s hair, “how’s your head? I’ve got some fantastic headache pills in my cabinet, taken with a pint of Guinness they’ll send you into outer space.”

“Head’s okay,” she flicked her luxuriant locks lightly, “a little woozy but okay.”

“We’ll go easy on the hard stuff today,” she squeezed her shoulder and tugged at her blouse, “another one of your creations?”

Marie glanced down at the high-necked blouse, the half collar fastened with two silver buttons, the other buttons were concealed by a placket.

“Yeah,” she nodded, “I made it for a portrait session.”

Marie pulled the split skirt aside to expose her legs, the split ended at her hip and was held together by silver buttons.

“Amazing, you are beautiful,” she glided around her, “Antoine is going to cream his pants when he sees this. Okay, wine and you can show me your creations, I take it you’re staying for dinner? We’ve got three days off because of the upcoming Labor day weekend,” she cast her eyes around. “We can do it in here if you like? The portfolio thing that is, sorry,” she grinned and whirled around, “we Irish are sex fixated, the consequence of being battered over the head by a thousand years of Catholic dogma.”

She nodded at the wine cabinet, “another wine or is it too early in the day?”

“Hey, wine is fine, I felt great this morning.”

“Spoken like a true Irishwoman,” she giggled.

“Drink?” Lisa handed her the wine a minute or two later.

A few minutes later they were sitting on the couch while Lisa looked through the large folio, containing photos of her creations.

“We really have to do lunch with Antoine tomorrow but I’m afraid that’s about all you’ll get with him,” Lisa closed the book with a smile, “I showed him my pussy the first night I met him but he wasn’t interested.”

Marie smirked and drained the wine.

“And this is the first draft of your first novel?”

“Yeah,” she eyed it, “lonely housewife meets handsome Englishman and is torn between him and her construction worker husband. It’s about as close my autobiography as I’ll ever get, my husband owned a bar out near where we were last night, he left me for one of his barmaids.”

Lisa read a few pages while Marie sat and smoked one of her cigarettes.

“You are talented,” she sat back and closing her eyes, exhaled suddenly.

“No I’m not. I’m good but not that talented, now that play you’re in was talent.”

“I’d disagree with your first statement but I’ll agree with the second. What was your favourite scene?”

Marie smiled and thought for a moment. “Even though I’m not gay, I really liked the one where your character, tries to seduce Nancy, the schoolmistress.”

“Ah,” she smiled, “we’re auditioning for a new Nancy. Our regular Nancy had to fly back to L.A for a family funeral and has taken permanent leave of absence to look after her mother, hence the outfit. We had to try a few women out this morning, I’ve snogged twenty five women today,” she patted her breasts smilingly.

She tugged at the tie, “I should have changed out of this when I got home but then you turned up,” she rubbed her back affectionately, “I told you to text me first.”

“That’s okay,” she smiled, “it looks good on you.”

Lisa kept rubbing her back while Marie extinguished the cigarette slowly.

“I’m not into lesbian stuff, but I had to admit that was riveting. How far would I go if a woman did that to me?”

She stared at her reflection, “God, I can’t remember the lines.”

Lisa slid her hand up her front and teased her hair gently, Marie turned slowly and straightened up as a hand inched down the placket and unfolded it. A thumb hooked around her waistband.

“Do you feel it? The urge?”

Marie blushed and felt a quivering in the pit of her stomach as Lisa moved up to her right breast and massaged it, she looked down in consternation.

“Don’t you want to spread your wings and fly little bird?” Lisa kissed her cheek and kissed her firmly. Marie felt a sudden impulse to pull away, but then a strange disconnected feeling took over as she opened her mouth instinctively. They parted suddenly and her senses returned.

“You are good,” Lisa tweaked her cheek smilingly, “of all the women I kissed today, you were the only one who didn’t pull back, you ever considered getting into acting?”

“I was part of a drama group in college,” she replied, “while I was doing my masters in English, but then I got married and once our marriage ended I had to go back to work,” she glanced at her typed pages.

“I’ve just started getting back into writing again after a fifteen year absence. My son is old enough to talk back and I’m only too willing to let him make his own mistakes. I worry about him but I know I’m being stupid, at some stage you have to step back and let him get on with it, he’s a good kid though, loves his mom to death and acts as my unofficial bodyguard.”

“Sounds like you have a great relationship,” she smiled.

“We do,” she looked over, “he’s given me leave of absence today. How many teenage boys let their mothers do that? I don’t have to worry he can’t find his way to the refrigerator,” she adjusted her glasses. “I have to admit, I haven’t dated since my marriage broke up. It was one of those pledges I made that I would focus on raising my son.”

“I found the character interesting,” she went on, “the whole seduction angle, I was almost in the part of the schoolmistress. I think if it happened for me it would have to be like that, I’m too out of practice and too shy these days.”

“You don’t sound that shy.”

“Trust me I am,” she glanced over as Lisa sipped her drink.

They lapsed into silence for a few minutes before Lisa eventually spoke up.

“There were other lines for that scene. You saw the Americanized version, we had to water it down for American audiences, the original version is a little different.”