The Girl Next Door

She knelt beside her bag, adrenaline pumping through her veins as she took out what she needed. Shooting quick glances in every direction, she worked quickly, assembling the bomb with the precision of an artist. Charlotte had done it so many times before that she could afford to be vigilant, which was as well in this heavily wooded area.

A final twist of the dial, and she was ready to go. She pressed a cool hand against the steel tracks. There it was - the distant rumble of the approaching train. It seemed to be on time, and so far everything was going according to plan. The trick now was to get as far away as possible from the scene of her crime. She walked briskly, synchronising her seconds with those on the timer.

Four minutes...

She was doing well. She ducked into a grove of trees and continued her passage southbound.

Three minutes...

There was the low hum of a train engine in the distance, and her heartbeat quickened.

Two minutes...

With an empty bag, even the most rigorous SS inspection would have a hard time coming up with incriminating evidence. She was on the verge of feeling invincible. One minute...

There was a sharp crack behind her, and Charlotte span round.

Nothing. It was definitely the sound of a dry branch snapping, but there was no one else around. It was probably a squirrel, or a fox, or even a stray dog from the suburbs. It still sounded uncomfortably close.

Thirty seconds...

The train was approaching and the suspense building.

Fifteen seconds...

Time for her to turn around and continue with her route.

Ten seconds...

Five seconds - each one seeming to last an age.

Three...

Two...

One...

The sky suddenly lit up in a blaze of light, and there was an explosion that that shattered the peace of the countryside. The ground shook and brakes screeched. Several smaller blasts followed, sending smoke billowing over the hillside. Without warning, Charlotte felt a heavy weight against her back. It caught her off-balance and sent her reeling forwards. She hit the ground head first and saw stars. Strong hands were now pinning her down in the mud, wrestling her wrists from under her. She had to do something!

Using the last ounce of strength that she had, Charlotte lashed back at her attacker. Her knuckles slammed against a smooth jaw and, making the most of her attacker's surprise, she stumbled to her feet and began to run. Brambles tore at her bare legs as she hurtled through the fields and back towards the city. It was over an hour before she even dared to slow down and look back. When she did, she realised that she'd made it. Not another soul was in sight.

Leaving Berlin was now her only option. It had been interesting, it had been exciting, but now the adventure was over. There were plenty of other places she could go – France, the Netherlands, or even a low-risk desk job back in England should the mood take her. Charlotte wiped the mud from her face with the back of her hand, but felt far from satisfied. Apart from anything else, she had no idea where she was – only that it was far from the neighbourhood through which she'd passed earlier.

As she made her way to a lonely tram stop, Charlotte tried to reason her way through the events. There was no way she'd been followed. If that were the case she would have been stopped and arrested before she'd even set the timer. No, Charlotte had been caught by chance - probably an off-duty SS officer who just happened to be taking a walk in the wrong place at the wrong time. It was unlucky, but far stranger things had happened. For the time being, however, she was reasonably safe. Eventually she'd need to get out, but it was pointless trying for at least another night or two. When news of this reached the authorities there was bound to be heightened security at all the main routes leading out of the city. Whichever way Charlotte looked at it, it made sense to stay – not least because of her sudden interest in her neighbour.

By the time she got back, it was already beginning to get dark. Charlotte glanced at her watch. It was nearly five and the day had all but evaporated. She felt a pang of guilt as she passed her neighbour's door, but had no intention of knocking on it until she'd tidied herself up. As soon as she was in her apartment Charlotte headed straight for the bathroom. She needed a long hot soak to wash away her stressful day and lay in the steaming tub for well over an hour. Her entire body ached. Her shoulders were tense, her back sore and her head pounding with a dull ache. Suddenly remembering her fall, she put a hand to her forehead and swore as a drop of blood appeared on her fingertips.

"Shit!"

She pulled the plug, rose to her feet and leaned forward to wipe condensation from the mirror. Slowly, her face came into focus and she caught sight of a small gash that ran for about an inch above her eyebrow. The whole area around it was bruised and swollen to the point where it couldn't be concealed by her hair. She dabbed a little foundation around the edges, but no matter how hard she tried there could be no hiding the fact that she'd met with some kind of mishap. She leapt, startled as there was a sudden knock at the door.

"Charlotte? Hello? It's Gabriele."

Shit again. She heard the front door open and close. Her neighbour had let herself in and was now advancing towards the bathroom.

"Are you in there?"

"Yes..." muttered Charlotte, throwing a small towel around her and racking her brains for a way out of the situation.

"Had you forgotten about our date?"

It was an odd way to describe their afternoon meeting, but Charlotte was too flustered to even notice.

"No, Gabi. I've just been at the hospital all day. Need to get a change of clothes, then I promise I'll be with you."

Silence.

"You sound stressed, Charlotte. Is everything ok?"

Charlotte hesitated. She was bound to notice sooner or later.

"Well, not really. I slipped while I was in the shower and hit my head. I think I'll be ok, but..." she opened the bathroom door and poked her head outside, "As you can see, it's left quite a mark."

Gabi's eyes widened. She'd never been one to show her emotions openly, but on this occasion she had no control of the matter.

"Charlotte!" she gasped, "You must sit down immediately! That is really terrible!"

Weakening from the sympathy, Charlotte allowed herself to be guided to one of the armchairs.

"You look as white as a ghost. Please, let me fetch you some brandy. I insist."

Gabriele Westerfeld left and then returned, brandishing a bottle of vintage Armagnac. It was hardly something that an average Berliner would have in her kitchen, but Charlotte was too overwhelmed by the occasion to ask questions. She accepted a generous measure and sipped at it slowly, the fiery liquid setting her throat ablaze as it slipped down.

"Better?" Gabi asked with an expression of real concern.

"It's been a tiring day," replied Charlotte after a lengthy pause.

"I can imagine," observed the blonde with the faintest hint of irony, "You really should do something to get the swelling down, though... Here, allow me..."

She disappeared into the bathroom and returned seconds later with a face cloth soaked with cold water. Charlotte reached out to accept it, but Gabi made no move to hand it over, instead positioning herself on the arm of the chair and taking on the task herself. She was surprisingly gentle. Charlotte had never seen her as the nurturing type, but as Gabi dabbed lightly at the corners of the wound, she felt her breathing becoming deeper and the tension draining from her muscles.

"You should really make more time for yourself, schatz..." whispered Gabi, noticing the thin lines of exhaustion around Charlotte's eyes "You work all day, work all night. When do you get time to relax?"

Charlotte stared at the floor. Having lived on the edge for so long, sympathy was the last thing she needed. Any more of it and she knew she'd crumble.

"Just sit quietly for a second."

The damp cloth was placed on a nearby table, and Gabriele's hands suddenly slid onto her shoulders. Charlotte shivered. They felt good – firm and completely in control of the proceedings.

Soon she began a deep massage, stroking and squeezing Charlotte's shoulder muscles until her entire body became limp.

"There... That's better. Just breathe deeply and enjoy the feeling... Good..."

Charlotte could feel Gabi's breath on her cheek and closed her eyes as the words washed around her. The more she relaxed the looser the towel became around her chest. It was beginning to slide down, bit by bit exposing the dark crease of her cleavage. She reached up to pull it back into place, but Gabriele caught her hand.

"Shhhh... Just relax and go with it."

Charlotte's hand fell back onto her lap while Gabi resumed her massage, her long, expert fingers reaching lower over Charlotte's chest.

After what seemed like an age of gentle stroking, Charlotte suddenly found her neighbour's face just millimetres from her own.

"Would you let me give you a proper massage?"

Charlotte could hardly believe her ears, but found herself nodding her head, powerless under her neighbour's touch.

"Good... then why don't we move somewhere a little more comfortable. The bedroom perhaps?"

Charlotte rose to her feet and as she did so, noticed a dark bruise along Gabi's jaw line. She wanted to ask and show the same degree of concern and compassion that her neighbour had shown her, but was too deep in her trance to find the words. Her legs felt weak from the miles of running, but there was something else that was making them weaker still. It was the same something else that was causing her pussy muscles to tighten and clit to throb in inexplicable desire.

When they reached the darkened bedroom, Charlotte stood uncertainly by the bed, not knowing quite what to do. It was a complete and utter reversal of roles. Usually she was the seductress – the strong, sexual woman enjoying her lover melt before her. She was always the instigator. She called the shots and let the events unfold at her pace. Never the other way round – until now.

Gabi appeared in the doorway, blocking out the light in the hallway as she looked Charlotte up and down.

"Well, well, well, Frau Schlûssmeyer," she began, a faint smile on her face, "I never had you down as being shy."

Charlotte blushed a deep pink.

"I could work around the towel if you really wanted..."

But it wasn't what Charlotte wanted. Never one to be beaten or to lose a dare, she untangled the top of the towel and let it drop to her feet.

Gabi didn't as much as blink.

Giving up on any kind of reaction, Charlotte got onto the bed and settled onto her stomach. She waited for her visitor to make her way over, but Gabi simply stood there watching intently. The silence seemed to stretch out for an eternity until she heard slow footsteps and felt a weight on the bed next to her. Gabriele began slowly, brushing Charlotte's hair to one side until the back of her neck was exposed. She placed her hands along it gently and began a slow massage that had Charlotte in quiet ecstasy.

"Does that feel good?" she whispered.

"Wonderful... absolutely wonderful..."

And it did. Charlotte was losing herself by the second to this strong German woman. When Gabi's hands slid once more onto her shoulders, Charlotte began to drift off.

"Do you know, there's something I've been meaning to say since last night –"

Charlotte came back down to earth slowly.

"What?"

"Just that maybe you should take a little more care when it comes to the storage of your reading material. You never know who might turn up on your doorstep."

Charlotte became tense, but the deep rhythmic massage continued. So Gabriele Westerfeld had noticed the magazine that had fallen onto the floor. Paranoia soon began to gnaw at her. What else had this woman noticed? She'd already commented on the late nights.

"It's OK. I have no problem with it," she continued, "No problem at all. But I know of many people who would..."

Charlotte braced herself for what was going to come next.

"To be honest with you, the fact that you had it at all suggests that you're probably mixing with the wrong kind of people – and I'm not even an expert in these matters, just the girl next door."

The girl next door – what a misnomer. Gabriele Westerfeld was anything but ordinary and an inner turmoil raged inside Charlotte, desire and caution pulling her in opposite directions. As Gabi searched out the tense muscles of her lower back, Charlotte found herself surrendering to the situation. So her neighbour had discovered she was a lesbian – so what? If it had bothered her, she would have tipped off the SS a long time ago. She was home, but not exactly dry as Gabriele's hands slid further down her back.

When she reached Charlotte's waist, Gabi moved to the end of the bed and took hold of one of her feet. She took her time in massaging each toe, kneading deep into the sole of Charlotte's foot and then higher up her leg. When Charlotte's calf muscles became putty in her hands, she moved up higher still. Charlotte closed her eyes and allowed her neighbour to do as she pleased.

The fingers snaked their way upwards with agonising slowness, brushing softly against the sensitive inside of Charlotte's thigh. Gabi knew exactly what she was doing – of that, there could be no mistake. When she reached the top, however, less than an inch from Charlotte's burning pussy, she stopped.

"Of course, I noticed there was something unusual about you from the day you moved in..."

Charlotte was given barely any time to respond to this as Gabi's hand descended to her other foot. It was relaxing, for sure – but from the beginning there had been something about this woman's touch and her behaviour in general that suggested she had been planning the moment for quite some time.

"You're a very beautiful woman," she continued, her hands sliding up over Charlotte's calf, "And you make friends easily. But no boyfriends... no gentleman-callers. If it weren't for the moans I hear late into the night, I'd think that you had no sexual urges at all."

Gabi was working faster, almost as though her fingers couldn't wait to reach the place they'd been just a couple of minutes ago. A thin trickle of moisture escaped from Charlotte's pussy, glistening as it ran down the top of her thigh. Gabi's fingers were close behind it. She separated her hands so that one was on each of Charlotte's thighs, then inched them up slowly until they were nestled under the firm cheeks of her buttocks. She pressed her thumbs in and then pulled them apart so that Charlotte's pussy stretched open. Charlotte gave a low moan.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you, you filthy whore!" Gabriele kept her fingers in place, squeezing in with her nails so that the pain forced the woman in front of her to spread her legs wider.

"A horny lesbian bitch," she continued, the malice growing in her voice, "Living right on my doorstep. Right next door to me! Right under my nose! How brazen can you be? But I forget – brazen is your style, isn't it, Charlotte Cavendish?"

Charlotte leapt, but the grip on her legs was unrelenting. The more she struggled the less she found herself able to as the thumbs suddenly found her soft outer lips and began stroking her into submission. Charlotte felt another wave of wetness escape from her pussy. There was no way that Gabi could fail to notice it. It was probably flowing over her thumbs, inviting them to slide deep inside her and give her the hard fucking that she needed.

The teasing might have gone on a lot longer had it not been for the wail that suddenly shattered the Sunday peace. The air raid siren. Both women froze. It could have been a false alarm, but in light of the rumours that had been circulating for the past few weeks, it seemed highly unlikely. This was it. Berlin was about to be blitzed and Charlotte had no way of escape.

On the street below, there was chaos. Mothers running with screaming babies, pensioners being ushered out of their homes with little ceremony, cars honking their way through the bedlam, and a lone blackout warden fighting a losing battle. Soon the drone of aircraft became audible. There must have been hundreds swooping down towards the Reich capital with their deadly cargo. Lights flashed in the distance and the staccato rattle of anti-aircraft fire pierced the sky.

"We need to get out!" began Charlotte, taking advantage of her captor's astonishment to escape from the bed. She pulled on a pair of slacks and snatched at a nearby blouse. Gabi was unfazed.

"And where do you propose to run, English slut? Do you really think I've kept this information to myself? There are photos of you circulating every shelter and every check point in Berlin."

Charlotte's body was still reeling from her neighbour's touch, but her head was issuing different orders. All this time, she'd been living next door to a Gestapo officer, and a highly trained one at that. Her cover had been blown and if the bombs didn't kill her then the authorities certainly would. Charlotte had nothing to lose because she'd lost it already. She felt beaten and as always the feeling was accompanied by a flash of recklessness.

She looked over at Gabi and advanced slowly. Gabi didn't move. Neither did she move when Charlotte's face was almost touching hers. They looked into each other's eyes and a million words passed unspoken between them. Gently their lips touched. What came of it was a kiss that shook both of their foundations. It was slow, it was seductive and while it took place time stood still.

Both women were brought back down to earth by a loud rumble that caused the floor to shake and a shower of plaster to pour down from the ceiling.

"You're right," said Gabi, clutching at the bed frame to keep her balance, "We need to leave!"

They left the apartment and hared down the stairwell. Through small tears in the blackout curtains they could see the fires raging in the city, and still the bombs rained down. There was a deafening boom in the street outside, which threw both women off their feet. Another shower of dust as large cracks appeared in the walls. The building began to groan.

"Come on! The basement!"

Charlotte dragged Gabi up by the hand and they made their way down the final flight of stairs, hurling themselves through the small door at the bottom. Suddenly everything was pitch-black, and it was several seconds before their eyes grew accustomed to the light. Although the bombing hadn't stopped, it seemed to be taking place further away now towards the Lichtenburg district. The seconds ticked by as their breathing slowed down. After a while, Gabi broke the silence.

"Why did you stop to help me back there? I'm your enemy, if you haven't forgotten."

"For the same reason I kissed you – and the same reason you gave me that massage," replied Charlotte, looked the woman directly in the eye,

"Which is?" Gabi's voice had become husky. She knew exactly what it was, but she needed to hear it.

"Because we're just two women caught on opposite sides of the fence. If things were different..." Charlotte's voice trailed off. She didn't want to say the words.

"I want them to be different – here, in this room right now."

Gabi suddenly threw her arms around Charlotte, finding her lips in an instant. There was hunger in the kiss as their tongues collided and twisted against each other over and over again until the two women became lost in each other.

It wasn't long before Charlotte's hands descended on her neighbour's breasts. It was hard to feel all that much through the restrictive corselet, but the growing firmness of Gabi's nipples was unmistakable. Now taking the weight of both breasts in her hands, Charlotte began squeezing gently, grazing her thumbs across Gabi's nipples and enjoying the forbidden sensation.