Emily's Home - Ginger's Out Ch. 06

I dragged the chair back, steadied myself, and walked slowly to the bathtub. I slipped into the warm water, dialed up the heat a bit and sipped my wine. I let the heat soothe me. I let the confusion and upheaval of the day slip away as best as I could. I did my best to look forward -- to the trip, to what I hoped would be a positive decision about who to be with, where to live, and so forth. Slowly I relaxed and as I did, I felt the tension slip away. I took a last sip of the wine. I set the glass on the floor and smiled. I remembered the dream the last time I had fallen asleep in the tub -- yummy.

I pulled the plug, stood, dried myself, put on clean panties, turned off the lights, and slid into bed. I kissed her, told her how much I love her, and drifted off into a sound, satisfied sleep.

I woke Thursday with a start. This place wasn't as solid as the hotel; noise in the corridor had awakened me. Plus there was traffic on the street, honking, in a hurry to get to work. I was groggy, I looked at the clock but the time was blinking. I opened the drapes; it had rained last night. Apparently it was quite a storm as it knocked the power out. I opened my phone. Good lord! It was nearly nine o'clock! I set the clock to the correct time. No toaster; oh well, the bagels were pre-sliced. I put them in the microwave and dressed. I assumed the weather would continue to be warm.

I smiled at the thought and put on a blue demi cup bra. I felt frisky; I pushed the silk down a bit and pulled my nips out. That would give me a tingle while I worked. Blue cotton top and black slacks. I sighed and put my workout clothes in the bag. I would go even though I had reservations about it. It was Thursday, so today and tomorrow for sure. We'd see about the weekend. I brushed my hair thoroughly. Lynn had done her usual fabulous job with it last night. I smiled. I had a thought and opened the window. The storm had brought in cool air. Yay for that, but I changed to a sweater. I had considered putting my hair in a pony tail expecting the day to be warm. Oh well, I would for the workout.

My cell phone rang. I frowned; who would call this early. Oh dear, it was Jenny. I sat on a chair and opened the phone. "Hi Jen, are you okay honey?"

"Ginger, I'm so sorry. I was such a jerk last night. I had no business yelling and cursing at you like I did." I heard the sigh. "David was so angry with me. Your little sister was scared out of her mind going to Nordstrom. When Janice asked how you were I chickened out and left. And of course it was easier to yell at you than to admit what had my stomach in knots. I'm sure Janice was just being nice asking about you. The fact she remembered you means she recognized me as well. I'm so sorry honey. I hope you'll forgive me."

"Forgive you? For what, being a human being? Geez Jenny, you were about to make a gigantic leap into a very deep pit, your heart was nearly pounding out of your chest, you could barely breathe, and when Janice asked for me, you did the very human thing -- bolted. She gave you the perfect excuse not to go through with it. Of course I forgive you."

"How in the name of god did you know what I was feeling?" Oh please.

"You have to be kidding right? I was in your spot, sort of, not that long ago. Julia came on to me. I was vulnerable, she is gorgeous, and I said yes. I'm certainly glad I did but it doesn't take much to figure out what you were going through. When we were first heading to her room I was feeling much like you were."

"Oh right, then she needed to call Sheri or something, right?"

"Yup. So the big question is: now what?"

"I don't know." Hmm. Confused often means no. Okay, let her make her own mind up.

"Well honey, then sit on the sidelines for a while and think about it all."

"Yeah I guess so. I suppose I ought to go; I just wanted to call before our days got too busy. I didn't want to let this mess sit out there between us." I smiled.

"Thank you for calling Jenny. See? This is why you're the best sister ever. I love you!!"

"I love you. Thanks honey. Hey, call me when you're in California okay? Tell me about all the fun you're having and all the gorgeous women you've met." She giggled; I blushed.

"You're a goof. Bye. Thanks again Jenny." Oh the world was so much better. I drove to work smiling.

I was a little late. There wasn't much going on so it wasn't a big deal. I had on a light beige coat; that went on a hanger. I said to Tammy, "Get me some coffee and meet me in the conference room." She blushed and stood, while I headed to the conference room. She came in, closed the door and handed me the coffee. I smiled. "So how was date night?"

"Oh lord Em, it was wonderful. He took me to this great place -- Fleming's Steakhouse." I restrained a laugh. "The food was amazing. We were in a booth; Jeffrey sat next to me." She blushed again. "It was so romantic. He asked me to wear my red dress; he likes it on me. So I did. I wore some of the sexy lingerie we'd bought and thigh highs. I found out why he wanted to sit next to me. He kept his hand on my leg nearly the whole time we were at the restaurant. He ran his hand up and down my thigh. Oh my god I thought he would find out." She blushed, a deep crimson this time.

"Then he took me to a movie: 'The Vow.' It was a chick flick; he took me to see it. I cried and cried. It was wonderful." I hadn't been to a movie in a long time. Maybe I'd see if Reenie ... wait, did Reenie like chick flicks? I'd have to ask. "He had his arm around me or we held hands for the whole movie. It was so nice. Rachel McAdams is so pretty and so good in the movie. We went out for ice cream afterwards then went home. It was when we were at the ice cream store that I whispered in his ear that I wasn't wearing panties. He choked on the ice cream." She giggled. "He finished the cone in a hurry. We hurried home; I flashed him while he was driving. Umm, that wasn't such a good idea. I thought he would crash or something so I stopped. Oh god, then we got home. He didn't even wait till we got upstairs; he took me right in the hallway, up against the door." I declare; my little sexpot Tammy. I thought she might have another telling me about it. Her eyes were glazed and she was flushed past the collar of her blouse.

"Just that once or was there more?"

"We didn't get to sleep till well after midnight Emily. It was only our second time; Jeffrey made me feel so special. That had been missing for a while." She looked down at her hands for a moment.

I leaned across and lifted her chin. "That was then and this is now. Please don't do that to yourself. I wish I had a camera on you while you described your night. Your eyes were warm with love and hot from your romance. It was beautiful to watch. Did you ribbon today?"

"Oh my god no; I'm so sore." I laughed; she looked puzzled. I told her about ribboning Jenny on the phone. Her eyes widened in shock. "You ribboned your own sister? Oh my god!"

You had to laugh at her innocence. "Honey, my sister sent me an email. She described how she undressed for her husband, his surprise, and the night of sex they had. I had told her to be sure to ribbon the next day. She did; she said being sore made it even better." Tammy's jaw dropped in surprise. I smiled and nodded. "Go ahead, do it now."

"What, here, in front of you?" She was in disbelief.

"Why not; we're both women. I'm not hitting on you. I just want to see if you do it right." I did smirk. "I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. And so will Jeffrey, when you show him tonight." Her eyes widened -- I didn't think that was possible. They were impossibly wide; she was paralyzed with embarrassment and disbelief. I had ribboned her the first time. Hmm. I took a chance. "Do you want me to do it?" Her eyes fell; she nodded. "I can't hear a nod Tammy. If you want me to do it then tell me."

"Yes Emily, I wa ..." I coughed. She blushed again. "Yes Ma'am, I want you to ribbon me." I honestly thought if she had been standing she might have fainted. I'd pushed her far enough. She was extremely submissive; I didn't want to take advantage of her. I had no intention of seducing her. Things were going too well in her marriage. She may have fantasized about me but I couldn't risk putting her marriage in jeopardy. I leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.

"Tammy, go to the washroom and do it yourself. You know how. Even though it's a bit colder today than yesterday we'll go out for lunch; some place close enough to walk so you can feel what it's like. Besides, I have my own little surprise." She looked at me. I lifted the sweater over the bra. She could see my nipples. I smiled. "Did you buy any of these bras?" She nodded, smiling shyly. If you want to get him going, not just on date night, undress for bed in front of him, ribboned, with this bra on. Men aren't capable of resisting their woman dressed like that." She laughed and nodded. "Thanks for the coffee honey. I'm so glad the two of you had such a great night. I love the idea of each of you taking turns planning your date nights." We hugged and left; she headed to the ladies room, me to my desk.

I called Crystal and told her what I wanted. She would check and get back to me before the end of work tomorrow. I told her if she had any trouble not to worry. I was sure I could find something on my own if need be. I just figured through the travel agent association she might know someone out in that area who could help. She thanked me again for my business. I know people were traveling again but hers isn't an easy business. I looked at the clock and shook my head -- it was nearly lunch time. A very productive morning don't you agree? Jenny and I had a nice phone call. I'd gotten to hear about a very lovely, romantic night for my co-worker and her hubby. I almost laughed out loud when Tammy came back to her desk. Someone smiling and blushing like she was it was hard not to laugh. "Well?"

She giggled. "It's just like you said. It's scandalously delicious. Being sore makes it better. I can't believe it but it's true." I looked at Tammy and smiled.

"Are you ready to go for lunch?" She nodded, smiling. We headed out, found a restaurant and were seated. After menus had been handed out and drink orders taken, I asked Tammy, "You had a spend in the ladies room didn't you?" She blushed but looked confused. "A spend; an orgasm. It might be a British term. I read it in a story. I like the word. Orgasm sounds so clinical and cum is so ... I don't know. I use them all from time to time but I like spend. It's unique and soft." I laughed heartily. "Unlike most of my spends." We both giggled.

"How did you know?" I had to roll my eyes. Sometimes she seemed so naive.

"Your eyes gave you away. I saw you when you gave yourself a spend in the restaurant, remember? Your eyes get all warm and soft. The term they use in poker is 'a tell.' Your eyes are a tell." She smiled. "Remember I told you about the cop I'm seeing?" She nodded. "Well, I gave her a nickname that's just for me -- Reenie. She likes it too. We're going on a date tomorrow." Tammy's brow furrowed. "Umm, we normally meet at a lesbian bar downtown." I shrugged. "I told her I wanted to have some 'us' time. So we're going to dinner. I don't even know what kind of movies she likes." I shook my head. "But I'm going to call her and see if she might want to see 'The Vow.' I think it might be fun to go to dinner and a movie. A real date." I laughed. "And on a Friday too." Tammy smiled and squeezed my hand.

"So is everything set for your trip?"

"Yup, all I have to do is get divorced, get on a plane, and head west. I'm looking forward to it Tammy. Crystal did a wonderful job helping me plan it. I knew I needed to get outta Dodge for a while. When she suggested Monterey and Carmel I knew that's where I wanted to go."

"Oh my god Emily you got your hair cut too." I smiled and showed her my nails. "It looks really nice too." I swear, in twenty seven years of marriage I can count on two hands how many times asshole noticed. And most of those were early on while we were both still in love. It's such a small thing but my co-worker noticed and commented. That was all that mattered. It was just a cut. Lynn didn't really take all that much off. We chatted while we ate. It was a nice, relaxing lunch. We were alone in the elevator after walking back. Tammy blushed and nodded when I asked about being ribboned. Two words: cha ching.

I was never so happy that tomorrow was Friday than today. I was bored, antsy, and couldn't wait for dinner with Reenie. I grinned to myself -- the more I said it, the more I liked it. Just for shits and giggles I googled 'Reenie.' Hmm, it goes back to Latin -- Renata, the feminine form of Renatus, which means 'born again.' I wondered what Reenie would say when I told her of my findings. Amazing thing this internet; I wonder if it'll catch on. We diddled, fiddled and twiddled, completely bored out of our minds -- it had to be more than just Tammy and I. All of us who work in our department had to be in the same mood. We bitched about the hours and the stress. We also worked fabulously well together. That lunch -- good lord that seems like forever ago, proved that. Hey, there's an idea.

I told Tammy; she beamed. We went to tell Jodi, who nodded, smiling. The three of us went into George's office.

"Pizza Friday; there are ten of us in the unit. Four large pizzas should be enough -- maybe sixty dollars. Not every week; once a month, maybe every other week -- what do you think George?" I could see the wheels turning. I threw in the clincher. "If we're working on a project getting everybody together would be a great morale booster. It would also be a pressure release valve. And, there's the potential for what happened when I bought lunch -- brain storming. He said okay. Jodi volunteered to find a good pizza place in the neighborhood that delivered that early in the day.

I went to the conference room and called Reenie. It went to voice mail. "Hi. No rush; would you give me a buzz when you can. I can't wait to see you tomorrow babe." Some of you may be wondering the same thing I am. I haven't heard a word from Lily since Tuesday afternoon. Ya know what? This is as much about her making a decision as it is me making one. You might ask why I didn't reach out. And I would ask you why she hadn't. We had left on okay terms Tuesday. Well, I felt we had. We'd see. I needed for it to be Friday -- and then Monday. I grabbed my workout bag, went into the conference room and changed. I got wolf whistles from the men in the unit. I smiled and waved. I looked at Jodi, who was giggling. I looked at Tammy. Oh dear. The look in her eyes? I looked away quickly on my way out.

I gave the hottie my pass. She slid it under the electronic thingie and we headed to the machines. Okay, well I would at least try. I did some curls, some lifts, some leg things. There was a machine that you would work your hips from the outside and inside. It would help if I looked at the name of the machine -- hip abductor/adductor. I shivered at the word abductor. But I liked the machine. Actually I liked it a lot. I did about twenty hard minutes on the elliptical. I was breathless and sweating when I finished. It was exactly what I needed. Hmm, maybe this would be okay after all. I took the car keys out of my shoes, grabbed a towel, and headed to my car. I looked for a place for dinner. I was hungry.

I decided on Hooters. Laugh if you want but if you're fishing, why not go where the fish are. Okay, I wasn't actually fishing, but the women were gorgeous and so damn young. The food was passable. I needed a shower and ... umm. I finished dinner and my beer, paid the tab and headed to the claustrophobic cave. The shower was hot and felt good. I slipped fresh panties over my hips and dried my hair. I looked at me -- not bad Ginger, not bad at all. Yeah, time, that bitch, had done some damage but I'd starved and exercised enough to keep some semblance of shape. I poured a glass of wine and pondered whether to call Lily. The clock read 7:30 pm. The call went to voice mail.

I pulled on a tee shirt, sat on the bed and read my book. The phone rang a bit later -- Reenie. YAY!

"Hey girl! I wanted to know, do you like going to the movies?"

"I haven't been to a movie in forever. What did you have in mind?"

"Well, my friend Tammy told me about this chick flick, 'The Vow,' and I thought (my heart rate sped up) maybe we could do dinner and a movie, like a real Friday night date. What do you think honey?"

How cute could my cop be? I heard her voice catch for just that little blink. "I'd love it Ginger. I really would." My heart did back flips.

"How was your day babe?" Silence ... oh shit.

The flat cop voice. "It was okay." Goddamn Reenie, I worry about you every fucking time you're at work. Yeah, I know what I just said.

My voice soft and thick, I asked, "Wanna meet for a drink or something?"

Her laugh was soft, "I'd love 'or something' but no, let's wait till tomorrow." I cursed, silently. I wanted to be with her, not for sex, but just cuz.

"Reenie, I'm more than your lover. I'm your shoulder. God knows you've been mine more than a few times. Just sayin' ... this is about being there for you if you want."

"Lover, I want. And I'll be okay till tomorrow." Goddamn you!! I shook my head in frustration. But I let it ride.

"Call me if you have a change of heart Reenie. Otherwise, please try to get some rest. I can't wait to see my honey tomorrow, honey." We giggled, spoke soft heartfelt words of love, and said good night.

It wasn't even nine o'clock and I was impossibly tired. I turned off the light and slid between the sheets. I turned on my side, hugged her, and fell asleep quickly.

Friday! Yay! What will be better than today? Monday -- me, getting on a plane. I made a bagel, drank some orange juice and mused. Oh yeah -- open the window. Still chilly, clear skies, so I dressed appropriately. Meaning I ribboned and pacified. I was excited about date night with Reenie. Can you tell? Plus today was the 'kickoff' to Pizza Friday. That would be loads of fun. Plus, it would kill some time. So I dressed, packed a bag to work out, and headed out. I thought about stopping for coffee and decided just to get some at work. I was bored and the work day hadn't even started. I decided I was a little burned out, more than a little stressed out, and very ... thinking about the last brought tears. Truth is, I was still a confused mess. Oh well; I could only hope a lot of this would resolve itself in the six day trip.

I found myself second guessing my decision to leave Monday evening and come home Sunday evening. It really only amounted to a little more than five full days. I hoped that would be enough. I knew why I had made the decision. It had as much to do with wanting to get on with my life (finding a permanent place to live) as anything. But there was the relationship thing too. That reminded me. I still hadn't heard from Lily. I would not let that worry me. Our last conversation Tuesday felt like it was 'settling.' Does that word make sense? Smoothing over? Making things better? Do any of those help? Umm, hopefully making things better? I shook my head as I parked the car.

I smiled at Jodi as I passed her. She gave me a thumbs up -- oh cool!! Pizza Friday was good to go; she is amazing. I wondered as I walked to get coffee if she would come back after having her baby. Tough times today. I suspected she'd be back and all too soon. I know, I know, not my deal, but I wondered how the kids today ... oh lord, listen to me!

I sighed as I sat down. I turned on my computer and checked email. There were a few random things from corporate but nothing of importance. I scrolled down a bit further and saw an email from a friend. Oh dear lord, I nearly spit up my coffee!! A joke titled 'Housekeeping.' A woman goes to the gynecologist, and after the examination, the doctor says, "Why, it's immaculate in here! What do you do to keep yourself so hygienic?" The woman responds, "I have a woman in twice a week." Is that not hysterical!! Only twice a week? -- said with tongue in cheek.