The First Lesson Ch. 1

Emily Mitchell leaned back against the wall of the sauna, closing her eyes and lifting her lips into a smile. Sweat trickled down her forehead, catching in her eyebrows, but she didn’t bother to wipe it away. On the bench across from her sat Tiffany Logan, another member of the club who’s husband also happened to be Emily’s husband’s boss.

“And you wouldn’t believe what happened next,” Tiffany giggled, brushing the dark, damp curls away from her eyes. On the bench next to her sat two of the other female members of the club. The group would often sit in the sauna and tell stories about their latest affair. Tiffany’s were always the best and most fun to hear.

“I can make a wild guess!” Laura Nelson laughed loudly. The rest of the women burst into similar laughter, including Emily. Emily cracked her eyes open slightly to look at Tiffany, looking smug as always.

“It was so amazing, girls,” sighed Tiffany. “I can’t even describe it.”

Reaching down, Emily pulled the towel around her body, securing the cloth under her armpit. Even after all of the stories she’d heard the other women tell, she had never come close to fooling around on her Joe. Not that in the six years they’d been married she hadn’t wanted to. There were some things she was dying to try. It was, perhaps, cowardice, or that the right opportunity had never come along.

“...And I’m afraid I nearly passed out, afterwards. When I woke up, he was gone” Tiffany finished, and the group of women let out a collective sigh.

“I wish I had your guts, Tiff,” Laura sighed. “I would never make a move on one of my gardeners.”

“I might,” laughed a woman named Lindsey Reynolds. The group laughed again. Emily chuckled softly to herself. “I’m afraid, however, that I need to get going. Jake will be home soon and I’m afraid I’m rather ready for anyone, even my husband!”

There were a few murmurs of goodbye, and soon nearly all the women had departed. The hot, humid room was nearly silent, with only the sound of Emily’s heavy breaths and Tiffany’s lighter ones.

The heat seemed to penetrate Emily’s body to the core, her flesh growing almost thick with the dampness of it and the sweat pouring out of it. It was a good feeling, though, and Emily let out a sigh of contentment.

“I never hear any of your stories,” a voice said. Emily recognized it as Tiffany’s. “Why is that?”

It was a moment or two before Emily realized that the older woman was talking to her. Opening her eyes in surprise, Emily looked at Tiffany.

“I guess its because I don’t have any stories,” she said, sheepishly. Trying to smile, Emily felt her face turning even redder than the heat had made it.

“That’s a shame,” Tiffany said, sincerity in her voice. “I imagine that Joe isn’t that great in bed.”

Emily’s eyes widened, feeling a bit of shock that Tiffany knew who her husband was.

“I beg your pardon?” she asked, a little bit nervous.

“No offense, I mean,” Tiffany said, reaching her hand out a bit defensively. “I mean, I know Joe from way back, he and my husband have been working together for years. He’s not the most attentive man, is he?”

“I don’t know,” Emily said, evading the question. “He’s rather attentive.”

“Mmm hmm...” Tiffany murmured, nodding knowingly.

Emily blushed, not knowing what else to say. She looked down at her thighs, moist with perspiration.

“In order to truly enjoy life,” Tiffany said, musingly, “I think one needs to explore everything it has to offer. A little variety, you could say.”

Still tongue tied and honestly a little bit puzzled, Emily didn’t respond. It felt as though her inexperience was written clearly on her face and she was ashamed that the other woman could read it. She stared at her legs, seemingly fascinated by the smooth, pale skin, but all her attention was still on Tiffany. The words Tiffany spoke excited Emily. Emily’s heart fluttered a little bit, her stomach twisted a little bit, and her loins warmed a little bit as Tiffany sat, still, across the room.

“Are we having dinner tomorrow night?” Tiffany asked, suddenly changing the direction the conversation was headed.

Emily finally looked up at her, meeting Tiffany’s sparkling blue eyes with her own dark brown ones.

“Eh, yes, I think so,” she sputtered. Joe had been dreading this night for months, a casual meeting with his boss. Emily didn’t know why the man had invited them, but had feigned excitement for Joe’s sake.

“Excellent,” Tiffany said. Slowly and gracefully Tiffany stood, holding the towel around her tall, lithe body. She stretched a bit and smiled down at Emily in a sort of strange way, a half smile half smirk on her generous lips. “I will see you then.” With that, Tiffany winked, and left the sauna.

Unable to help herself, Emily watched Tiffany’s hips as she sauntered out of the room. Those legs, those thighs, that buttocks...Emily thought to herself that if her body looked more like Tiffany’s and less like a stick she wouldn’t have any trouble finding men to ‘fool around’ with.

Lying back again, Emily closed her eyes, taking a deep breath of the thick air and picturing the other woman in her eyes. For some reason, the mental picture made her smile, and with a slight shiver, she began to relax again.

***

“No, not that one!” Joe practically shouted, putting his hands over his face and wiping them down in an exasperated way. His shoulders were slumped, his eyes bright red, and his manner much different than the mild temper Emily was used to. “Wear that one,” he suggested, pulling out a dress from Emily’s side of the closet. He held it up, proudly, over her body, admiring the dark green color against his wife’s pale tone. “You’ll look good in this one.”

With a heavy sigh Emily took the hanger in her hand and went back to the bathroom to change for the third time that evening. Joe didn’t seem to think that anything looked quite good enough on her, that nothing she wore was good enough for this night.

“This could be my big break,” he kept repeating. “If we make a good impression on Mr. Logan tonight I could get a promotion, do you realize that? It’s all about who you know, in this world, and I’ll know David Logan.”

“Yes, dear,” Emily chimed for the twentieth time that day, scowling to herself.

After pulling the dress over her head and adjusting it a bit, Emily took a look at herself in the mirror. It didn’t look that bad on her, not at all. Maybe some of the other things she’d tried on had looked better, but this was definitely good enough for a dinner with ‘The Boss.’ The dark, forest green fabric made her pale skin shine almost like a pearl, with her dark black hair resting softly at her shoulders. The dress was sleeveless, with a modest neckline that gave a small peek of her cleavage but left quite a bit to the imagination. The skirt was modest as well, but not long. It rested slightly below her knees in an out-of-date but still elegant style. As an afterthought Emily reached up and pulled the hair that would have been her bangs behind her head, clipping them there with a barrette. This would be good enough indeed.

“I’m not changing again,” Emily insisted as she walked out of the bathroom towards her closet, reaching for a pair of black strap-on heels.

Joe didn’t protest, just sighed dramatically. Turning towards her, his eyes widened slightly in delight.

“You look great, Em,” he said, smiling.

Emily blushed at the compliment. After a few years of marriage compliments from her husband had become scarce, and it warmed her up a little inside to hear any words of praise.

“Thanks, Joe,” she said, reaching down and brushing imaginary wrinkles out of her skirt. “You ready to go?”

Joe nodded and left the bedroom. The couple got in their car and drove to the restaurant.

“I want you to be on your best behavior,” Joe said, putting his foot on the gas and accelerating. “Understand?”

His comment frustrated Emily, who had been so pleased with him moments before.

“I’m not a child,” she said, irritably, mostly to herself since Joe obviously wasn’t paying attention. “I know how to behave in a public place.”

“I just want you to know that this is important to me,” Joe said, not in a tone that would indicate he was sorry about talking down to her. Indeed, he went on to further insist that she not put her elbows on the table or talk overmuch. “And don’t tell any stories that make me look bad, okay?” he said.

Emily just stared out the window. She couldn’t believe that her husband would be treating her this way, even on a night as important as this. She was supposed to be his partner, not someone he feared would ruin his chances at success.

“Did you hear me, Emily?” Joe asked again, drawing her attention away from the window.

“Yes, dear,” Emily said, with absolutely no feeling. “I think I can behave without disgracing you too much.”

Joe didn’t respond, but began to accelerate even more, driving them closer and closer to the place. Finally they were there, and Joe slipped out of the car. He walked towards the building without even offering to help Emily out of the car, but she was used to that. It was not as though he had to woo her or court her anymore, they were married so all his manners could be focused on other people.

The maitre d showed them to a table. The Logan’s were already seated, Tiffany to her husband’s right. She looked up and smiled when she recognized the couple, her eyes lighting up in a way that made Emily almost shiver. There was a hunger in those two blue eyes, something that said she might just jump up and devour someone right then and there. David Logan stood up when he saw whom his wife was looking towards, and Tiffany followed suit.

“Mr. Mitchell, I’m glad you could join us,” David smiled, reaching out and shaking Joe’s hand. Joe smiled sappily and pumped David’s hand a little too enthusiastically.

“Thank you for inviting us,” he said, his voice coated with fake gratitude. The sickeningly cheerful tone in her husband’s voice made Emily shudder, but she smiled when David turned to her.

“Lovely to meet you at last, Mrs. Mitchell,” David said, taking her hand in his large one gently. Slowly he raised her slender hand towards his lips, kissing the back of it softly before letting it go again.

The man’s soft lips on Emily’s hand made her heart flutter a little bit, and she flushed like a schoolgirl. Next to her Joe was shaking Tiffany’s hand, introducing himself to the woman.

“Thank you, sir,” Emily said, shyly to David. “And please, call me Emily.”

“Very well, Emily,” David smiled, his face and eyes warm, “Won’t the two of you take a seat?”

Emily nodded slightly and sat down in the seat across from Tiffany, her husband sitting across from David. Almost instantly David began talking to Joe about some person for work, and some new equipment they were going to be receiving. Emily hardly heard a thing until the waiter came and asked them if anyone would like some drinks.

After everyone had been given their drinks the men got back to their conversation, and Emily began to fidget with her napkin, sipping her wine every so often.

“Boring, aren’t they?” Tiffany said. Emily looked up in surprise, smiling slightly and nodding her head. “They’ll do this all night. It’s all David ever thinks about.”

“What’s that, honey?” David asked, pausing when he heard his name.

“You’re boring, dear,” Tiffany said, sipping her wine and smiling coyly.

David gave her a puzzled look and went back to his conversation with Joe. Emily didn’t feel comfortable enough to start a conversation with Tiffany. It was true that she knew the woman by reputation, but that wasn’t really enough to give her the courage to dive into the conversation. From the way Tiffany was reclining in her seat, her wine between her fingers, and a slight smile on her face as she nodded at this or that that the men were saying she didn’t want to start a conversation either, so Emily remained in silence. Her nerves were beginning to get the best of her, as outside of the circle as she was, and she thanked the waiter with true feeling when he brought the first course.

Tiffany picked up her fork and stabbed a leaf of lettuce almost violently, placing it between her red lips as she remained watching the men, who were so far ignoring their salads. With a brief glance Tiffany made eye contact with Emily, startling the younger woman with her crystal blue eyes, which seemed to be trying to convey something that the naive young woman didn’t quite comprehend. Emily was so startled that she dropped her fork on the floor, her face turning red with embarrassment.

“Excuse me,” Emily mumbled, her eyes downcast, as she slipped from her seat. Down on the floor Emily slid her hand across the carpet, blindly searching for her fork. To her horror, her hand brushed against a hard shoe, one with a pointed toe that she assumed could only be Tiffany’s.

“Oh,” Tiffany exclaimed with surprise, above the table. Her foot twitched and Emily swallowed heavily, pulling her fingers away from the shoe. She grasped her fork and quickly rose again, sitting back in her seat, rigid as could be. Emily’s face flushed bright red and she could feel Tiffany’s eyes on her again.
“Was that you?” Tiffany asked, winking. Emily only blushed in response.

Hesitating a moment to glance over at his wife, Joe glared at Emily as though to remind her that she was to be on her best behavior.

“I’m sorry, Mrs. Logan,” Emily said, formally.

“Please,” Tiffany said, her voice thick and sweet. “Call me Tiffany.” As the words slipped past her lips her foot nudged Emily’s bare leg lightly, the side of her shoe rubbing against Emily’s calf. Emily’s blush grew brighter and she stared down at her salad, feeding herself some of the lettuce.

Tiffany joined back in with the men, adding a few words here and there, making Emily feel awkward again. With a burst of courage Emily tried to join the conversation, but the look she received from her husband made her sit back in her seat again. In a somewhat pouty mood, she finished her salad. Taking her wine in her hand, she idly sipped as Tiffany and the men continued talking.

“Bored, are you?” Tiffany said suddenly to Emily, startling the poor girl.

“Oh,” Emily blushed. “It’s not that I’m bored. I just, well, I don’t have anything to add to the conversation.”

“Me either, really,” smiled Tiffany, her foot once again touching Emily’s.

When Emily felt the cool, smooth texture of the shoe against her leg again, she involuntarily shuddered. A jolt of electricity seemed to move up her spine and back down again all the way to her feet. Blinking a couple of times, she smiled shyly back at the older woman, who was in turn smiling widely at her.

“Do you get out much?” Tiffany asked, rubbing her shoe against the side of Emily’s shoe. “Personally, I try to get out whenever is possible.”

“Yes,” Emily responded, having a hard time disassociating herself from the feeling of the slick foot rubbing against her. ÒI go grocery shopping twice a week, I go to the club...Ó she trailed off as Tiffany’s foot began to caress the side of her calf again, moving almost up to her knee. Emily cleared her throat, feeling a bit uncomfortable but at the same time enjoying the feel of the shoe.

“We should do something together some time,” Tiffany said coyly, winking a bit at Emily. Emily cleared her throat uncomfortably and shifted in her chair. The other woman’s foot didn’t leave the side of Emily’s leg as she moved her body, and changed it’s pace when Emily sat still once again. Slowly the foot moved up her leg, caressing her almost tenderly with the soft side as Emily refused to meet Tiffany’s eyes.

What was the older woman thinking? Emily’s face was hotter than she would have imagined the touch of another woman could make it, and her hand shook as she lifted her wine glass to her lips.

“Please excuse me,” Emily said softly, scooting her chair back and standing up. From the corner of her eye she saw Joe shoot her a glare, and then look back at David and resume his conversation.

“Darling.” David said, speaking to Tiffany. He asked her a question, and while Tiffany answered Emily practically ran to the women’s restroom.

Nervously Emily relieved her bladder, her head spinning as she thought about Tiffany’s foot making it’s way up her leg. Tiffany was obviously toying with her, but to what end? Was it sadistic pleasure that caused her to embarrass Emily, or was she actually implying something? Emily’s heart raced inside her chest as for a brief moment she thought that perhaps Tiffany was...well...coming on to her.

When Emily and Joe had first met, they had played under the table games often, teasing each other behind the long tablecloths. Now Emily wondered if the thought would even cross Joe’s mind to play with her in such a naughty way. Probably not. As she wiped herself and stood up, Emily wondered how Tiffany would react if Emily were to start playing back.

A knock on the door frightened her.

“Occupied!” Emily said, loudly, walking towards the sink and washing her hands. Taking a deep breath she splashed some of the cool water onto her hot face. Looking at the mirror, Emily made eye contact with her reflection. It seemed to be trying to communicate something to her.

There was another knock, this time more insistent.

“Occupied!” Emily said again, this time annoyed. Why didn’t the other woman just wait her turn?

“It’s me,” a voice said from the other side of the door. Emily’s heart seemed to stop. Tiffany was on the other side of that thick piece of wood, knocking and asking for admittance.

Emily put her hand on the knob and hesitated. She suspected that Tiffany wanted something from her, something Emily wasn’t sure how to react to, and Emily was almost afraid to open the door. Taking a deep breath, she made a silent decision to go along and play with Tiffany all the other woman wanted tonight, and twisted the knob. The door swung open, and there stood Tiffany, all smiles as she looked into Emily’s face.

“Hi sweetie,” Tiffany greeted, her face all smiles as she walked past Emily into the room. Emily forced herself to smile back despite the fear and exhilaration she felt. Her faces were a bit pink as Tiffany walked past her. “Those two are so boring,” Tiffany complained, balancing her purse on the edge of the sink and pulling out some make-up. Puckering her full lips she began to touch up her face, chatting pleasantly while she dabbed on the lipstick as if nothing out of the ordinary had been going on under the table.

Standing behind her, Emily watched Tiffany’s reflection as the woman examined herself in the mirror. Emily didn’t know quite what to say, but felt that silence was not the best idea. Holding her breath she brought up the thing most on her mind; Tiffany’s foot.

“I like your shoes,” she said, instantly cursing herself for the stupid comment.

“Oh?” Tiffany said, shifting her eyes in the mirror to look through the glass into Emily’s face. “Thank you. I bought them when I went to San Francisco last year. Have you ever been?”

Emily shook her head, pursing her lips shut. She was determined not to let any more stupid things slip through her mouth that evening.

“They were quite a bargain,” Tiffany continued. “And I must admit that I like the feel of the fabric on them…what do you think?”

Emily’s blush intensified, and her face felt as though it were on fire. She wished she had her wine to take a deep drink right now. Perhaps if she got a little tipsy she wouldn’t feel so awkward.

“Yes,” she sputtered, still looking into Tiffany’s eyes via the mirror. “It’s quite nice, actually.”

Tiffany’s lips spread into a catlike smile that seemed to stretch across her whole face. Her blue eyes sparkled like diamonds and her large lashes only made her seem more beautiful as she winked at Emily.