Southern Belle Ch. 1

I asked the cabbie to stop at the end of the driveway, I would need the short walk to the house to gather myself. The last time I came to this grand house for a party was almost ten years ago for my childhood friends 18th birthday...somewhat of a coming out party. Now, at 28, standing at the end of the driveway looking down at the massive southern homestead in front of me...here I was an accomplished free lance photographer, single, no children, living out my life's dreams in the ONLY city, I have a great group of friends that turned into a urban family of support...and suddenly I was hit with the nervous anxiety of a teenager that slowly churns away at your stomach, a slow roll of the ocean, before the storm.

Georgie was getting married.

With one shaking step, I started down towards the house, huge maple trees provided the most beautiful archway that lined the driveway, wild mysterious mossy vines tangles and danced with the leaves. I can remember walking down this same path as a young girl, coming to see my dear friend, Georgie. Mesmerized by the perfect symmetric of the trees, the fanning of the leaves and the light that bleed through them. The stones fountain at the end of the walkway surrounded the circular drive of the house, a Majestic Goddess stood in the center of the stone pool, her head tilted, wild hair coiled down her back, hands raised above her head in some sort of offering.

Hitching my bag over my shoulder more snuggly I rapped on the front door, a few moments past before I heard the clicking of heels on wood floor and the door swung in. A familiar face, with aged beauty beamed at me, dark blue eyes sparkled back at mine, eyes never change I thought to myself. "Alexandra! --- Would you look at you --- get in here..." Georgie's grandmothers smooth voice trailed off as she tugged me through the doorway, one hand clasping with mine, fingers intertwined as she drew me through the parlor back out onto the other side of the house where a few had gathered.

It was then that I saw Georgie and was sent into with a tail spin of memories. There she stood, in a soft yellow sheath dress, her platinum blond hair loosely coiled up on her head, her skin translucent and creamy as ever, and those huge green eyes sparkling at me, she crashed into me, hugging me so hard it took my breath away.

"Alex...your here.." her smooth southern voice purred into my ear sending shivers up and down my spine. She held me at arms length... "I never thought you would get here," she smiled that coy smile that all southern women were blessed with. "Now you have a seat, I just need to talk to the wedding planner about a few last details then you and I can immerse ourselves for hours in conversation -- about what the likes of you have been up to...and don't think I don't know." She winked at me before heading off towards the house.

I grabbed a glass of sun tea from a tray and let myself drift off from the others, deciding to take a walk through the rich gardens instead. I never felt like I had belonged here, growing up, and I felt even less now.

Georgie and I couldn't have been more different. Night and day, an angel and the devil, a pre-madonna and a tom-boy. How we ever became the closest of friends is still a mystery to me.

Images of a photograph back in my apartment flooded my mind, we were 7 years old, there was Georgie, in a pretty pink dress, perfect little shoes, her hair done just so, and then there was me, a deep tan painted to my skin from hours spent outside, dirty jeans with a knee busted out from where I had fallen chasing Freddy, Georgie's older brother, torn sneakers, dark curls spilling out of the ponytail my mother had tried so hard to fasten together just hours ago. We were different in our appearances even now. I had left behind the holy jeans with my boy chasing days, traded those in for stop-and-stare at me leather pants, Prada dresses, tossed all the sneakers out the door and loaded my closet full of Jimmy Choo shoes, I found at my age, chasing men called for something different then it use to, but the game was the same.

I grew into myself, sexy with an edge, dark skin, wild light eyes, I worked hard for the lines that shaped my curvy body. Georgie was thin, sun conscious, ever so polite, the kind of woman you could find at the country club on a Friday afternoon, but not the kind of woman that was found drinking cognac with the men in the members only lounge at the country club on a Friday evening --- being heard erupting with boisterous laughter... No that was me.

Georgie had been schooled all her years on how to carry herself, how to speak, when to speak, how to get a fine established southern man to notice her, what china went with what crystal, what meals to serve to which guests, while I spent my years running around challenging all the mystery's that life had to offer me, chasing shadows within shadows. And some how, we hung on our childhood friendship.

My eyes fixing on an enormous lilac tree, its scent swam around me, making me feel a little drunk from its nectar, taking a seat under the old tree, I leaned back against the trunk, took a long drink from my glass, closed my eyes, relaxing to distant memories.

The last time I was here for Georgie's birthday had changed my life drastically. I can see her now that day...Her gown was as luminous as her skin, a pale shimmering ivory, strapless simple in design, a gentle flow to the length of her skirt, her hair was up then as it is now, I remember those big green eyes of hers that day, sparkling, winking at me, she was all giggles when I finally showed up, I was so out of place, certainly not by status, but plainly by how I looked in comparison to other girls our age, I never had the southern belle flair, I never had the voice, even back at 18, my voice was a bit deeper, heavy and rich- granny always said I spoke as if I came from another land, somewhere far off, and forgotten, she said I had her mammas voice.

I wore a gown similar to Georgie's that day, in a hushed shade of silver, my dark curls, now had grown long, had been loosely gathered up in an artful display, a strand of diamond leafs circled my neck.

I remember I was dancing with Freddy, when Georgie came up behind me tapping me on the shoulder, giggling, motioning me to come with her, I smiled at her brother, nodded my head at him as I pulled away. With are hands clasped together as they had been a thousand times before as children we ran through the pallor, past the white silk tents set up out side, tearing through the garden, our free hands grasping at the hem of our skirts, laughing all the way. I knew then where we were going. At the end of garden, past the dozens of rows of orchard trees, stood her great grannies old cottage nestled on the banks of a large stream that ran into the river.

Our bodies pressed up against the cottage door, laughing out of breath. She reached above the door ledge, pulled the key from its hiding spot and slipped it inside the old lock. She pulled me inside with her, I noticed her hair was starting to fall from its twist from our running, I reached behind her to help piece it back in place when she surprised me by pulling the pins from hair, letting her hair fall free, I was a little taken back by the beauty of this simple act, embarrassed as well as confused by the surge that rushing through my veins watching her.

She whirled around facing me, her face flushed so alive, smiling at me. "Alex..." she laughed, "What's wrong? I don't believe I have seen that look upon your face before." I remember feeling and responding to her voice that instant, the way a man might when he heard a southern woman flirting with him for the first time, the shades and tones all mixed in together in there harmonious blend, the pulse of the rhythm, touches you softly like a breeze. I can still feel the blush of a young girl now, as she reached out for either of my hands, pulling me to the back of the house with her out to the sun porch, we sat down on the hard deck, our backs pressed up against the walls of the house, looking out at the water, taking in the solitude that surrounded us.

Kicking off my shoes, I watched as she reached under her skirts, pulling out a small platinum flask, suppressing her giggles. I watched her as she tipped her head back, taking a small swallow of what I knew was her fathers whiskey. I tipped my head back in a similar fashion when she passed the flask to me, coughing as the whiskey burned its way down. Georgie got up and walked back into the cottage, I closed my eyes to the blazing sun, let it's heat wash over me.

Music drifted out of an open window to me, when Georgie came back outside, she had taken off her dress, she stood before me in only a thin slip dress, she sat back down next to me, I watched her ask she lifted up the hem of her slip, rolling her stockings down her legs. "Alex aren't you hot darling?" I looked at her for a long minute, nodding my head, my head felt dreamy, fuzzy. "Well silly, lets get you out of that dress." She pulled me to my feet, I let her unzip my gown, stepping out of it, I watched as she draped it over a chaise lounge inside the cottage.

Reaching hands above my head I stretched, reaching up on the balls of me feet, the thin silky material of my own slip dress fluttered against me in the hot breeze, a lazy smile playing on my lips. "Damn Alex." I heard her say, a low throaty laugh burst from my lungs, I can't remember every hearing Georgie swear, I lift an eyebrow at her in question. "Alex you are so captivating." I gave her a gentle shove before sitting on the edge of the deck.

A loose curl dropped down hanging over my right eye, propping my right leg up, I looked at her as I began to unhook my silk stockings from my garter belt. Slowly I unrolled a silk stocking down one leg, humming a tune the band had been playing earlier at the party, through the curl that hung over my eye I could see her watching me, studying me as I rolled down the other stocking, my leg poised in the air in front of me. Placing the stockings aside I smiled up at her through dark lashes as I hopped down from the deck, my feet landing firmly on the coarse grass, I walked to the waters edge, I could hear Georgie in my footsteps. Every muscle tensed in my body the second my foot touched the cold water, I could almost hear the sound of my hot skin sizzling as I stepped farther into the stream, holding the skirt of my slip up around my waist, I pulled it over my head, turning at the waist I tossed back on the banks in time to see Georgie staring at me with such intensity.

"How much of your daddy's whiskey have you had?" I asked teasing her, even under the chilled water I could feel my skin burning under her hot gaze.

I dunked farther down in the water, gentle waves lapped against my collarbone, I had to squint in the afternoon sun to see her. "Come out of there Alex." She whispered to me. I smiled splashing playfully at the shore where she stood. "Alex..." The name sounds so simple, but when it dripped from her lips that second time, I couldn't stop myself if I wanted to. I walked out of the water completely naked with the exception of the jewels clasped around my neck, she held her hands out to me, I let her lead me up the stairs of the deck and into the cottage.

She passed me the flask as she lead me into the back bedroom, I remember taking two long pulls from it, she was talking to me, her voice was like silk, whispering around me, "it my birthday Alex..." she smiled at me, "and you are my dearest friend, my closet ever," I heard her say.

I set the her daddy's flask down on a small night table, and stood before the long mirror in the bedroom, the billowing sheer white drapes cast a hazy glow around the room, I reached up behind my head, unclasped a large barrel clip, a dark explosion of curls fell around my shoulders and down my back, Georgie stood behind me, looking at me in the mirror, I watched as she gathered my hair in her hands and gentle twisted it over one shoulder, her eyes held mine briefly in the mirror, one of her hands came up over my right shoulder and rested just above my right breast, her other hand fastened around my left hip, pulling me back against her, I let myself relax into her.

"Look at yourself," she began to me in the mirror, her fingers lightly snaked down between my breasts, a perfectly manicured nail lightly scratching a circle around my breast, brushing over a hard nipple. I shivered in the hot moist air. I watched as she cupped one breast in her hand, "Our bodies are so different..." I heard her whispering into my ear. "While mine is slender...and rather sleek," I caught her wink in the mirror, "Yours is so ripe..." she squeezed my breast and hip as she drew her last word ever so slowly from her mouth, "and full of so many hidden treasures." She whispered into my ear now so lightly I barely heard her.

I felt the velvety touch of her tongue tracing the outline of my earlobe, her teeth nibbling gently, then her hands following the curve from my ribcage down my waist and to slight swell of my hips and back again, I wondered then if it was the whiskey we had snuck or the heat, I had no idea why my head was spinning, or why the air seemed to have been sucked right out of the room, I could hear the sound of my own heart beating in my ears, my mouth was dry, I couldn't find any words to utter, it must be the whiskey and the heat I said to myself just as I felt fingers fanning out along the backs of my thighs. It was then...that I felt the moistness between my legs.

In the mirror I saw that Georgie had stripped of her slip...the contrasts between the two of us was startling.