A Proper Send-off

"How long you in town for?" June asked, turning away from Sarah. June's question brought Sarah slightly out of her running mind and back into the present. To her surprise, Sarah found that the answer made her quite distressed. When the week had started, Sarah had wanted it to end as quickly as possible. She didn't want to be in Audrey's city or living in a cheap motel. She wasn't exactly looking forward to another deployment, but at the very least she would be back among her fellow soldiers and in the closest thing she had that passed for a home.

Now, looking at the intoxicating sight of June's backside as she bent over to clean another part of the bar, Sarah realized she didn't want to leave. She wanted to be back stateside and she wanted to hang out with June all day.

"Just today and tomorrow," Sarah said glumly,

"But tomorrow's Veterans Day," June noted. "They're shipping you out on the 12th?"

"World keeps spinning on." Sarah shrugged,

"That blows," June said, looking down at the bar. "But you'll be here tomorrow?"

"Wouldn't miss it." Sarah nodded, thinking that for a second she saw June smile at the news.

4.

Sarah sat on what had become her usual stool, sipping her beer slowly. She'd looked forward to her last day in O'Flaherty's, looked forward to one last day of bantering with June, but it hadn't gone quite according to Sarah's hopes. True, Sarah's hopes had involved walking into the bar to find it empty except for June, wearing nothing but high heels and a smile, and so her hopes weren't terribly realistic to begin with, but it hadn't even been the usual pleasantness.

O'Flaherty's was, for the first time in Sarah's brief patronage, full of clients. Not many, a few small groups that probably still only totaled a dozen or so, but it meant that rather than the usual routine of June spending her day talking to her, Sarah watched as June skipped around the bar, delivering drinks. Sarah had gotten smiles when she ordered her drinks, but barely a word in as June darted around her bar.

Worse still, although Sarah knew she was being foolish, Sarah saw that June's flirtations with her had simply been part of what June did with everyone. Just about every male patron that was in the place said something mildly off-colour to June who, with the same sass and charm, returned it in kind. Sarah, in the moments she let herself dream, thought that June's flirtatiousness had perhaps been a sign of her intrigue and attraction. Now, Sarah saw, June was just a flirt. Sarah didn't think any less of June for it, but it was a kick in the teeth.

So it was that Sarah sat on her stool, watching the minutes tick down on the clock over the bar. All of her bad feelings from earlier in the week came back with a vengeance, racing through her head and practically punching her in the chest. The grind of another deployment, the idea of Audrey with someone else, the realization that she had nothing to come back to, Sarah felt overwhelmed by the negative feelings. She would have drowned herself in booze if it weren't for the growing knot in her stomach that made slow sips of beer all she could manage.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

Sarah looked up to see June slumped in front of her. She'd been so lost in her self-pity that she found herself not even realizing that June was in front of her. Sarah smiled weakly even as she felt her heart skip a beat. June was wearing a tight black t-shirt, a short, tight tartan skirt and had her hair pinned above her head. Her emerald eyes were only slightly hidden behind thin, black glasses. It was the sexiest Sarah had seen June look yet and her troubles were instantly forgotten.

"Quarter then," June said, "but that's as high as I go,"

"I'm holding out for a dollar," Sarah replied,

"Please," June rolled her eyes as she began wiping the bar down, "like I can't tell what your pervy thoughts are anyway."

Sarah just raised her eyebrows a little as she took a sip of her beer. Earlier in the week Sarah would have blushed or felt embarrassed, but now she just acknowledged the truth. June seemed to be of the belief that everyone wanted to fuck her and Sarah wasn't going to feel self-conscious about being part of that consensus.

"Busy day," Sarah said, changing the subject,

"I know," June nodded, "but it was just some guys from the post office. What better way to pay tribute to the service of people like you then by spending their federal holiday drinking away the afternoon?"

It was then that Sarah noticed the past tense June had used. A quick look around the once-busy bar told Sarah that the place was empty again. Even Jim seemed to have left or taken a trip to the bathroom. It explained, Sarah thought pessimistically, June's renewed interest.

"It works for me," Sarah said. She smiled though. June may have said the veteran's drinking policy was something that her uncle had passed down and that she couldn't back out of, but Sarah could see that June genuinely believed in the spirit of the day.

Sarah herself was a little more ambiguous. She didn't much go in for the way people would try to put the entire military up for sainthood. She'd been in the Army long enough to see the good and the bad of both the institution and the people. To her, it was a job. True, it was a difficult job that had cost her a lot, but she still squirmed at the idea of being called a hero.

"Please, you've had maybe two beers," June said, recalling correctly. "Something's troubling you,"

Sarah just shrugged, taking another sip,

"And I think I've reached my limit of letting you drink in here without getting to the bottom of it," June said. There was firmness in her voice that Sarah hadn't really heard before. Still, Sarah was not much for spilling her troubles, even now. "You've been drinking here all week."

"I just like the scenery," Sarah said, trying to eye June hungrily. She hoped a diversion into a naked come-on would change the subject.

"Oh please," June said, not dissuaded for a moment."You didn't come in here looking for a fuck. There are gay bars for that. You came in here on a Tuesday morning looking to get hammered. And that's fine enough for an old retired goat like Jim, but you're young, attractive and a day away from being shipped out. So there's a reason behind it,"

"Maybe," Sarah said, "but I don't see how crying about it is going to help,"

"Ugh, you're such a guy." June rolled her eyes. "Talking things over with girlfriends can help, you know?"

"Girlfriend?" Sarah raised her eyes with a joking smile,

"Shut up, you know what I mean," June said. "You never know what problems I can help with. And I refuse to let you leave here feeling like you do."

"Well, let's see," Sarah said, to her surprise. She began feeling all of the emotions she'd been suppressing all week bubble up to the surface. She felt as though she needed to get them out before she began to actually cry, when she started talking, Sarah felt the words just spill out of her in a rush.

"I've had to live the last five years of my life terrified that someone would find out I'm gay or else I'd be discharged and not able to do the one thing I've ever been good at. Then, that bullshit ends and I get to come home and spend two carefree weeks in the arms of my girlfriend who I can finally be open with and it turns out she dumps me and was probably cheating on me. I ended up spending most of my leave moving my stuff out of her place.

"I'm about to go overseas for twelve months more. Which means another year of hard work and getting hassled by any douchebag with a hard-on. When that ends, I now have nothing much in the way of money, a job or a home to come back to.

Sarah paused to take a sip of her beer.

"And to top it all off, I haven't had sex in a year. An actual, solid year," Sarah said as a capper.

Her words hung in the air for a brief second before June broke the silence.

"Shit," June said in sympathy, "that sucks,"

"Yeah, tell me about it." Sarah nodded

The words held in the air for a second. Sarah saw June look to the picture above the bar. The one of her and her uncle and then saw a brief smile flash on June's face.

"That's not right." June said defiantly. "Not for you and especially not today,"

Sarah shrugged. She knew a lot of other vets had it worse than she did, even on today and she was already regretting her bout of self-pity.

"But there's nothing there we can't fix."

"Oh?" Sarah said with disbelief. "How are you going to fix all of that?"

"Because I'm Superwoman, bitch," June said with a roll of her eyes. "We can't do anything about the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" bullshit but, and while that was an embarrassment that must have sucked in a way I don't know, at least that's over, right?"

"I guess." Sarah nodded

"And there's not much to do about your bitch of an ex, but we all have shitty exes, right? And we get over them?"

"True," Sarah had to admit this. Just being around June, someone else Sarah had wanted to fuck, had eased a lot of the heartbreak from Audrey.

"Now I can't give you money because that would mean breaking my lucrative trust fund," June said sarcastically. "And I can't really give you a place to live because it's a one bedroom apartment upstairs, but you're welcome to couch surf there when you get back until you find a job."

Sarah smiled at the offer. Not the logistics of it, Sarah didn't really see how it would work, but she appreciated the sentiment of it at least.

"And yeah, the economy sucks and stuff, but I know a few people around who might need a good hand and you're smart and capable so we'll get you on your feet," June continued. Now she really did sound confident.

"Fair enough." Sarah nodded. As far as pep talks went, it wasn't a bad one. Sarah did like the idea of coming back and hanging out with June.

"Which leads us back to your deployment and the sex thing," June said. "And I can solve that."

Sarah felt her heart skip another beat. She didn't know exactly what June was offering here or if it were more flirting and Sarah had been drawn in before, so she did her best to play it cool.

"Oh yeah? You know any gay girls on call?" Sarah said, doing her best to look nonchalant.

"No," June said, leaning in towards her, "but we are going to fuck. Twice."

Sarah looked into those green eyes and tried to catch the lump in her throat. For a second Sarah thought she'd imagined it but the look on June's face told her otherwise. June had said it with conviction and seemed entirely serious. Still, it was a confusing offer.

"Twice?" Sarah asked, unsure of the meaning, not that it sounded bad to her.

"Yes, once tonight and then once again when you get back." June said. Her voice was determined and only slightly, Sarah thought, quivering with nerves.

"But you're straight," Sarah said, still not believing the offer being made.

"Yeah, well, I am, let's make no mistake about that," June said firmly. "That's why only twice. Once tonight and once when you get back. To give you a proper send-off and give you something worthwhile to come home to."

Sarah chuckled. It was a sweet offer and, looking at the way June was breathing heavily, Sarah again felt a swell of sexual desire well up in her. This is what she'd wanted so bad since she'd first laid eyes on June and now it was being offered up to her. Still, Sarah felt the need to continue to question the offer of sex with a gorgeous, voluptuous woman like it was a used car.

"So, a pity fuck?" Sarah said, trying to not sound overly keen on the idea. She knew she could go into a gay bar and find a hot young thing and fuck her into whatever state she wanted. She didn't like the idea of being a charity case.

June shook her head. "I'm thinking of it as a patriotic duty fuck," she said, keeping her eyes locked on. "It's not right that you go over and sacrifice so much and have so little to show for it. I can't fix all your problems, but I'm more than willing to indulge my moderate curiosity to solve this one."

Sarah laughed, and tried to look away, but found herself trapped by June's eyes. "So what, we go upstairs and have a quick, awkward roll in the hay?" Sarah asked.

June caught her eyes with a look of smoldering, fierce intensity as she leaned towards her. "I don't fuck half-way," she said, her voice again dropping to its low, sultry whisper. "If I'm only going to have lesbian sex twice in my life, it's going to be back-scratching, screaming, make-it-so-you-can't-feel-your-legs-for-a-week lesbian sex."

Sarah let the words hang there for a second. There were no longer concerns on her part about the offer. She was only mildly concerned about whether or not she'd be able to stand without leaving a wet mark on the barstool.

"Look at me," June said, taking a step backwards and letting Sarah's eyes again trail over the mind-blowing curves that June had on terrific display. "Now unless I'm wrong, you've been looking at me all week like you wanted to tear my clothes off and fuck me until I screamed,"

"Maybe," Sarah shrugged, hoping to appear non-committal.

"Right," June said with a smirk, "so now that I'm saying you can, are you going to? Or are you actually going to sit there and spend some more time worrying whether or not we'd be doing it for the right reasons?"

Sarah had to take one last look at June. The thought of even two nights with such a goddess overwhelmed her. But Sarah knew it was something she was going to do, even if it did make a future friendship awkward. Sarah wanted to kiss and suck at June's amazing chest, wanted June's strong thighs to wrap around her ears as Sarah pleasured her. She wanted to fill both of her hands with June's ass as she bounced the redheaded girl to an orgasm on her strap-on. As those thoughts ran through her head Sarah took June's advice and quickly stopped caring about her reasons.

"I still need to hit the motel," Sarah said. "Pack up for tomorrow."

"And I," June leaned in again, "will close up the bar and be waiting for you."

Sarah nodded, took one last breath of June's scent and made her way to the exit.

5.

Sarah's trip to and from her motel had been made in what seemed to Sarah to be an agonizingly long time. Still, it needed to be done. She had clothes to pack and bills to settle and other matters to attend to. In the back of the cab, Sarah bit her lip as she looked at the small backpack she had with her. That contained one of the other matters. Sarah was not going to let this night pass without fucking June in every way that Sarah wanted to fuck her. She was going to take her time, give June everything she could want in a night with another woman.

The cab ride ended and Sarah found herself outside of O'Flaherty's yet again, her pack over her back and the smaller bag slung over her shoulder. For a second, Sarah had to stand outside the place and collect herself.

She could feel the entire year's worth of celibacy burning inside her and felt paralyzed by it a second, as if she needed to remember how it went. That only lasted a second, though, Sarah did not lack in sexual confidence. Along with repairing engines, fucking women was what Sarah Conover did as well as anyone.

She pulled open the door and saw what nearly made her mouth drop. June was sitting on top of the bar, her back arched and her long, smooth legs crossed and resting on one of the bar stools. High heels had replaced her flats and she'd clearly re-done her make-up. On her face was a look that couldn't have been any clearer if there'd been a caption. It was the come hither look to end them all.

"How long have you been sitting like that?" Sarah asked, questioning the nature of the too-perfect pose.

"Like twenty, twenty-five minutes," June admitted, still looking as seductive as ever.

Sarah rushed towards her. Any thoughts of appearing too eager were gone. Sarah wanted to fuck June more than she'd ever wanted anything in her life and June was going to know that soon enough anyway. Sarah found herself standing in front of June gazing up at her.

"You are so fucking sexy," Sarah said as she uncrossed June's legs, wrapping her arms around June's waist.

"Yeah," June said, breathless at being touched intimately by another woman for the first time. "Too bad for you I'm straight,"

Sarah leaned up slightly and pulled June to her; it was a soft kiss, sweet. Sarah didn't want to dive into the sex too quickly, didn't want to go too hard at first. Besides, June's lips were ones she wanted to savour. The kiss was slow and soft, Sarah's pale lips finding June's soft, supple, ruby mouth as inviting as any pair she'd ever kissed.

June leaned into her. She'd meant what she'd said. She was determined to give this encounter her all. She hadn't expected Sarah to be as soft and sweet with their first touch. After the way Sarah had looked at her all week, she half-expected to already be bent over and right in the middle of it. Sarah's gentleness was proving more powerful than she'd expected.

For all her exterior confidence, June was in uncharted territory. She'd expected Sarah, with her vaguely masculine air and well-built physique to be rough, more like a guy. She'd thought it would make her first kiss with a woman more familiar and less scary and, while there were aspects of familiarity, Sarah's kiss was unlike any she'd known--passionate and firm, but soft and pliant. There was no mistaking it for the kiss of a man. The only thing scary was how much she was enjoying it.

Sarah began to increase her intensity. She didn't want to rush into anything, but the heat within her, the wetness she could feel, was driving her to kiss harder, to open her mouth and let her tongue explore June's mouth. Her hand began running up June's smooth leg, resting on the outside of her thigh and underneath her skirt. Her intentions were to remove whatever undergarments June was wearing and begin immediately.

To her surprise, however, June broke their kiss and even pulled away slightly.

"What's wrong?" Sarah asked, worrying greatly that June was experiencing second thoughts.

The pained look on June's face told another story. "Well, I don't know how it works for you lesbians and all, but I've been sitting on a bar for half an hour and my ass is getting numb."

"Oh," Sarah laughed

"I was actually thinking we could, you know, go upstairs and have the sex in my apartment," June said, hopping down from the bar.

"Lead the way," Sarah said. She had to restrain herself slightly. She was so caught up in her desire that even June's reasonable request struck her as an agonizing delay. Still, she wanted June to be comfortable. It was a quick trip through the back of the bar to a narrow staircase and then up a flight of stairs. Sarah could feel her heart beating like a jackhammer with every step. Walking up the stairs, with June's gorgeous ass right in front of her, built things to an unbearable boiling point and, as soon as June had opened the door, Sarah was on her again, grabbing her and pulling June in for another kiss.

Sarah's kisses were firm, deep and probing. Comfortably falling into her role of taking charge during sex, her hands were firmly planted on June's backside, pulling her towards her. The curves that Sarah had admired the last week were as delightful as hoped. There was flesh to it, firm rounded globes that filled Sarah's hands comfortably without sag or flab, just firm, toned flesh that filled out whatever June wore admirably.

Getting to finally experience June's body, finding out that it felt as good as it had looked, enflamed her, causing her to kiss her lover deeply, with more purpose, and the two of them crashed against one of the walls of the apartment.

June was quickly allaying any fears Sarah had that their fuck would be passive. June's small hands were on Sarah's collar, pulling her ravisher in towards her. Despite Sarah's more dominant role in the kiss, June was giving as good as she was getting, her soft, full lips pressing against Sarah's with equal hunger, her tongue just as insistent as it explored another woman's mouth for the first time. If Sarah's passionate kiss was one of pent-up hunger and a desire to release as much of her sexual energies as she could, June's seemed to be one of pure, ecstatic exploration.