Chapter 3

Renee’s flat in Merchiston was ordinary on the outside, constructed in a late Georgian style, the block is one of several on the same street. They were once tenements but with gentrification they’ve become quite sought after in recent years. I didn’t know what to expect though as she ushered me inside that night but as I looked around the lounge room I had to admit I was impressed. You can tell a lot about a person by their living conditions. If the flat is messy then it’s possible that they also have messy lives but if it’s clean and everything is in its place then you might find that there is some kind of order to their lives.

Renee’s lounge room was clean and well kept. I was immediately drawn to a poster of a woman with her back to the camera and wearing nothing but a pair of jeans and a bra. She was looking over her shoulder with a sly smile on her face. Renee saw me looking at the poster and smiled.

“Are you checking out my girl?”

“Kind of,” I admitted, “who is she?”

“I have no idea,” she replied, “I spotted it in a shop in Dublin and just fell in love, she’s been with me ever since. I might have to get her laminated to protect her from finger marks.”

“Understandable,” I dumped my handbag on the coffee table.

“Is that a question?” I raised my eyebrows and she smirked, “I’m Scottish, it’s in the blood.”

Renee went off to get the drink and I settled into the couch to relax, I was still struck by that poster though, it seemed to do something for me. I wanted a body like her.

“Still checking her out,” Renee put the glass on the table, “I’ll start dinner.”

“No, it’s all right,” she held out her hands, “please, just sit and take it easy. I can’t cook with another person in the same room.”

“Oh, aye? One of your hang ups?”

“Something like that,” she nodded at the remote, “feel free to check out Netflix.”

“Thanks,” I picked up the remote.

“Surf away, I’ll be in the kitchen if you want a refill,” she backed away.

I was halfway through the first episode of Vikings when she stepped into the lounge room with the bottle of wine. She glanced at the screen and smiled crookedly.

“Are you a Vikings fan?”

“I’ve seen one episode on You Tube a while ago when one of my girlfriends was over but I’ve never sat down to watch a whole season.”

“I love Vikings, I’ve got a major crush on Lagertha.”

“I have to admit I wouldn’t say no to her, I used to have a girl crush on Xena for a little.”

“Didn’t everyone?” Renee fanned herself smilingly, “I’ve always had a soft spot for women with swords.”

I’ve had chicken casserole many times before but for some reason Renee’s version tasted so much better and I’m not saying the white wine made it taste better but perhaps the company had more to do with it. I was on a ‘date’ with a lesbian and my so-called boyfriend didn’t know. He’d actually sent me a text the previous night to ask if I was free on the weekend and I just told him I had to work on Saturday. It occurred to me as I finished the meal and drained my wine that I didn’t even feel the least bit guilty.

“I can get the whole season for you if you like,” Renee finally commented, “I downloaded five seasons on torrent, now you know what I do when I’m not at work.”

“So you’re not out picking up women?”

“Sometimes but lately I’ve been a little bit lazy,” she leaned back and stretched her legs out as she crossed them, “it’s like I’ve put everything on hold.”

“Who was the last woman you were with?”

“Tracey,” she replied, “I met her in a club and to be honest I should have left her in the fucking club but after having sex in the toilet we went home and she stayed for three weeks. That’s the worst part about one night stands, they’re fine if it’s just one night but when they want to stay more than one night it gets complicated.”

“I know all about that one,” I winced, “that’s what Derek was, I should have left him after that weekend.”

I was rambling and I knew it but Renee didn’t seem to mind as she listened to me, yet again and in time I finally got onto the elephant in the room.

“What if something happens tonight?”

“Well that depends on you,” she tickled the small of my back, “we work together, that changes things for me.”

“You don’t sleep with women you work with?”

“I did not say that,” she kept tickling, “but some people have rules.”

Did I have rules? I’d never thought of myself as being particularly ethical in that way. Maybe it was a result of having a hippie mother, my older sister went one way and she’s quite uptight to the point of being a pain in the arse but I went the opposite direction and tried to break as many rules as possible. As long as it didn’t get me locked up I figured it was probably all right and yet I did have one rule and that involved sleeping with another woman. It was one of those things I hadn’t done yet and as her fingers slipped up my spine I found myself going over the myriad excuses in my head. It would complicate things.

What kind of things would it complicate? I stared at the television screen as she reached my collar and hooked her fingers behind it. I felt the material sliding down my back and the front rose until it was pressed against my neck, my throat was slightly constricted but she didn’t exert much pressure as she let the weight of her arm pull against the collar. I instinctively reached for the top button of my blouse and undid it.

The collar slipped down further and the second button rose to my throat. Renee pulled backwards and I let her pull me against the couch. She let go of my collar and stretched her arm along the back of the couch, I looked up into her eyes and sensed that I’d reached a point where I could extricate myself if I wanted. The trouble was I didn’t know if I wanted to stop this. Her movements were hypnotic as she slid her right hand up my front to the collar. She see sawed her fingers along the narrow vee and for a moment I thought she was going to undo the second button but instead she kept moving her fingers back and forth.

“It gets complicated if you want to complicate it,” she murmured.

There was still a part of me that wanted to get up and walk away even as she leaned forward to kiss my forehead but there was another part of me that wanted to just keep going. My hand was on her right breast as she kissed my brow and then I raised my head. Renee’s lips were inches from mine and I could smell the wine on her breath and then she kissed me.

I’ll never forget that first kiss, it was soft and enticing. She parted her mouth and I just went with her, I felt weakness in my belly and a slight rush to the head. I saw my mother in my mind’s eye and then the image disappeared as Renee undid my second button. We parted momentarily and I looked down at the deepening vee. She slid her hand under my blouse and kissed me again. This time I was more than ready and moved into her as our lips met.

I traced my way up the pleats of her blouse as she worked my mouth in a series of slow and tender kisses. By the time she broke away my head was swimming, those kisses had definitely crossed the line in my mind. Even then a part of me wanted to leave but I was still sliding my fingers up and down her pleats and Renee looked down and arched her back ever so slightly.

She watched me brushing my hand up and down her blouse, but didn’t make any further moves, she was smiling though and I felt the arousal becoming stronger, my movements were more deliberate and then she undid the top button of her blouse. She looked up as she slid a hand down behind her collar and I felt an irresistible urge to kiss her, a moment later I leaned over and kissed her throat with a soft, sensual kiss. Renee murmured as she brought her left hand around to the back of my head and my fingers slid up and down her pleats as my lips savoured her throat.

I knew I was turning her on because her sighs became more pronounced. I broke away suddenly and we stared into each others eyes, my hand was now pressed against her breast and I left it there as I tried to think of something to say.

Renee pushed back against me and tilted her head and as our lips met in a passionate kiss I fiddled with the second button of her blouse. I broke free a few moments later and exhaled as I finally undid the second button to expose more of her throat and just going on instinct, kissed her throat with soft, teasing kisses. Renee kept her hand behind my back, holding against so I could just keep on going.

I certainly wasn’t in the mood for stopping as we fell back against the couch, I moved my hands down over her breasts. I was gaining courage as I massaged her breasts. This went on for longer than I’ve gone with men and then her soft lips caressed my throat and her fingertips danced over my bare skin, sending delicious sensations through me. I tilted my head to give her more room and she pushed forward. Her hand moved over my breast and I moaned with pleasure as she went to work on my breast.

She undid the third button and slipped her hands up over my skin to my shoulders I felt the blouse pulling against the fourth button. Her lips found mine in a tender kiss and she eased her fingers under my bra straps and dipping her head, kissed my neck and throat. Renee’s hands slid down the straps, pulling the blouse against the fourth button. I felt her fingers on the top of my cups and then she grabbed the fourth button and undid it. The garment slid over my cups and it was only then I pulled back and looked down at my relative state of undress. The blouse was now open past my bra to show the darker tinge on my chest, a visible indication of my state of arousal. I looked past her for a moment and she sensed my hesitation because her hands fell away.

“The couch is too small,” I finally managed, “and I have to pee.”

“All right,” she nodded at the door, “second on the left, my bedroom is opposite.”

I stared at myself in the bathroom mirror some five minutes later as I washed my hands. The blouse was open to my bra and I had an urge to fuck like I hadn’t felt in a long time. Renee was coming through to her bedroom and she paused by the bathroom door but then crossed the hall and went into her room. I finished washing my hands and began drying them. If I was going to explore this other world then what better guide could I ask for than Renee?