4th and Goal

"I know. I know."

Lena leaned on the young woman, pressing her soft breasts against her back and reached to close the books.

"Time to think of yourself, kid." She whispered in her ear before kissing it.

Putting her soft hand on Tabs' chin, she turned her head so their lips met. She wiped the tears she found with her thumbs, vowing not to lose this one.

*****

Leaning against the doorjamb, Tabs looked at the sleeping woman. She took in the shoulder-length dirty blonde hair fanned on the pillow, the relaxed delicate classic Greek features which were so fierce with passion either when working on a problem in the laboratory or during sex, the compact strong body, the wide hips so responsive, the large soft breasts with the pencil-size nipples always at half-mast, the firm ass and thighs.

Lena had been right. In the horror of discovering all that she had almost turned her back on because of pure hubris, she had forgotten a simple lesson she learned a long time before. To pace herself. That was how she had managed to build a successful business, come up with innovative engine enhancements and graduate at the top of her class. She wouldn't forget it again.

She looked at the book in her hand, then at the woman in her bed. With a grin. She set the book on the bedside table and slowly pulled the sheet to expose the beautiful ass.

"I was wondering what you'd decide."

"There is much you have to teach me yet." She reached for the strap-on they hadn't used before she fell asleep in exhaustion from overwork and the pleasure Lena had given her. "If I remember correctly, you promised me a ride on this thing a while back."

"I did, didn't I?" Lena's wicked grin mirrored hers as she pulled Tabs in her arms.

*****

Nearly four years later, a proud dean came to the laboratory to hand Tabs her PhD personally. She told him to put it on a desk somewhere. She was busy packing their equipment. They were moving to Noordwijk, in the Netherlands, for a contract with the European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC). It had been a toss-up between them and a private contractor who was set on making tourists jaunts in the stratosphere a common excursion.

Viviane had settled in at the shop and would keep the apartment. The business was thriving, with projects booked six months in advance.

With regret, she had sold her pick-up the week before, but put both of her bikes in storage. There was nothing holding her back in Bean Town.

That afternoon, she went to the football field one last time. It was her last connection with the past, with her sister. They used to watch the cheerleading competitions on TV together and go to the pro training camps and to Florida Gators games (they couldn't afford tickets to professional games) even when Paula started looking at the players instead of at the cheerleaders.

*****

Many years later, Tabs was standing in the bay door of the huge hangar where the Epsilon rocket's final assembly and testing had taken place. She watched it lift-off successfully.

When she turned to join her team in celebration, a familiar figure was there. She hadn't seen the old man since her team was hired by JAXA, the Japan Space Program, to work on improvements for their rockets, five years earlier.

He looked pretty much as he had that first day in the bar, with a few extra wrinkles. He had the same infectious smile, the same twinkle in his eye.

"Is this it?" She asked without preamble.

"This is it, kid." He told her. "Your work before you came here, and Lena's until last year, along with that of a couple of physicists' teams here and there, all made it possible. We're ready for the final stage."

"At fucking last!" She exclaimed. "The last I heard, government had cut funding on the whole idea, calling it unfeasible. Damned fuckers. They wouldn't know plasma propulsion from a fart."

"I admit it took some doing, but I got people everywhere interested. Your old friends at the European Space Agency are on board, the people here at JAXA too. NASA couldn't let it happen without them; neither could the Chinese, nor the Ruskies. We had universities around the world competing for the privilege of hosting the initial research and development. Guess who won."

"Why do it at a university? Wouldn't it be better to work out of a real laboratory?"

"It's going to be a real laboratory. Remember your first job with me? We're taking over the whole building. We'll be hosting scientists from around the world and contracting the building of the various elements all over. The final assembly will take place at Cape Canaveral. This is the single biggest space exploration consortium ever assembled. It's even bigger than the space station. In a way, that was a practise run for this project. We're going to the stars, kid."

She was stunned for a moment, hardly believing that they would finally work on the plasma propulsion engine, and take it from the drawing board to space.

With a whoop, she took him in her arms and spun him around. She called in her people and gave them the good news. Soon, the whole hangar rang with their shouts of victory. A group was sent for chilled champagne. The beer cooling in the ice buckets wasn't enough for such a momentous occasion.

"Are you going to be in charge?"

"You've got to be kidding? You and Lena will be co-project managers for that phase. You'll be coordinating with building teams around the world and the final assembly team at NASA. If you think you've been busy until now, you've got another think coming. It will take both of your talents as managers and engineers to make it work. I've done my part. The rest is up to you."

"How is she? I haven't seen her since coming to Japan."

"Why don't you find out for yourself? She's in Arizona working on a commercial reusable ship. Our flight leaves at 7:50am tomorrow."

"Still up to your old tricks, I see." Tabs laughed. "Got some young pussy lined up for tonight?"

"As a matter of fact..."

To the stars

For a moment, Elizabeth was again the shy young woman faced for the fascinating object of her fantasies, at the mercy of her raging hormones.

Even as she regained control of herself, she couldn't help smiling as she felt the telltale wetness. For all that she had hobnobbed with the higher-ups of society, she was still a woman with human urges.

As she had, all these years ago, the stranger didn't pay attention to anyone around herself, Elizabeth included. She was concentrated on the cheerleaders.

This close, Elizabeth could feel a sadness radiating from her. It was subtle, but she had learned to read body language as a survival mechanism like everyone did in the higher spheres of influence. Even as she smiled in appreciation at a well-performed move, the corners of her lips fell as if at some dark memory.

Elizabeth caught herself instinctively raising a hand to comfort for her.

*****

The teams had been there for three months, getting set-up, a harder proposition than it would seem. They had to install the various laboratories, prepare for the arrival of the specialists, calibrate the instruments and tools, theirs and those they procured in situ.

The people who had known her the longest, both on Lena's and her team weren't surprised when she disappeared for an hour in the afternoon. From the beginning, she had always done it, whenever they were on or near an American campus where there was a football team.

They knew it was a private and personal thing for her. It was a measure of their respect that they voluntarily served as buffer between Dr. Taylor and whoever who thought they deserved her full attention.

Tabs knew this and she was glad for her people's support, but she didn't give a shit what self-important jerks thought. She was there to do a job and she did it. Period. She couldn't care less how they judged her. Only the science mattered.

One day, she arrived to find a well-dressed woman sitting at her usual bench.

Even as she concentrated on the women milling around or practising their routines, she was conscious of her presence. There was something familiar about her. As her mentor, Dr. John Smith, the old man, remembered asses, she remembered body types and movements. Could she be someone she had known intimately during her time in Cambridge, so long ago? It was certainly possible. She definitely fell within her optimum parameters.

Tabs chuckled softly to herself. It was an old joke between those who knew her best that she often thought of humans in technical terms.

*****

The preparation was complete. Her people were ready. She had begun to make her place within the faculty. It was show time.

Elizabeth had thought long and hard at how she should present herself to the first-year students. As the internationally renowned economist, as a simple professor, or street casual. Going through her wardrobe she had realized how limited it was, for all that she had dozens of suits and dresses.

She chose the most understated light grey pant suit with her favorite raw silk blouse. She was tempted to go with high heels, but refrained until she got used to spending long hours on her feet.

She laughed as she went through her underwear drawers, remembering her conversation with her TA, Kelly.

She caught her in the corridor as they were walking toward the amphitheater where she would meet her first students. They stopped to talk and she manoeuvered to face Kelly while her back was to the passing people.

Casually, she opened her jacket, revealing a bright red half-cup lacy silk bra. She had left a few extra buttons undone just for this purpose.

"I was feeling a bit nervous this morning." She told her. "I'm wearing a g-string too instead of my usual thong. I haven't worn one in a while. It feels strange."

"You'll get used to it. I love them. It's the closest thing to being full commando. If I can, I'll try to show you my push-up bra. I wore it especially for you."

As they continued to talk, Elizabeth buttoned her shirt and closed her jacket.

During the break, Kelly came to her desk.

"You're doing fine, professor. It's like you've been doing this for years."

"I tried to remember how it was on my first classes and how I wished the teachers would act. I admit that I love it. I may have found myself a new vocation."

She didn't bat an eye when the TA leaned over her desk on the spurious excuse of showing her something and flashed an impressive cleavage. She knew the young woman couldn't have more than C-cups, but the lingerie brought it out superbly.

"You'll have to tell me where you shop. I could use some enhancement myself."

"We'll make it a girl's day out if you want. I'm due to treat myself. And I wouldn't worry too much about enhancement. You're gorgeous. If you weren't a professor, I'd make a pass at you."

They smiled at each other and switched to safer subjects as a student approached the desk.

*****

She knew she should have expected it, but Tabs was still disappointed when she saw that the staff had all changed and that she didn't recognize any of the faces in the bar. Even the decor was different. It had become generic preppy.

She was glad she had brought some of her people along. Wherever they moved to, they always scouted the town in small groups to find a convivial bar where they could get together, away from work, and blow off some steam.

It had taken some getting used to, uprooting her life every few years. The old hands at the game had been a big help and become close friends, though they all had an unwritten rule. They didn't get involved with teammates other than the occasional rump in the sack to relieve stress.

So it was with Lena. Now that they teamed again for this project, they renewed the loose relationship they had until Tabs got her own team. As important as it had been to her then, she now found that they were nothing more than sexual acquaintances, friends with benefits.

Never one to get attached, Tabs had settled easily in the bohemian lifestyle of the traveling problem solver. Still...

Being back in the town where she had grown from the genius kid to the adult she was, made her wonder what might have been.

The two most important people in her life, her aunt Vee and her old boss, had hooked up not long after she brought them together. She had flown back from the Netherlands for their wedding and given Viviane her part of the business as a wedding gift. Though she religiously sent birthday and Christmas cards, she had yet to visit them. For some reason, she wasn't ready for the idea of seeing their happiness as a couple.

*****

Elizabeth was late. The students at her last class had all wanted to talk to her, it seemed, until her desperation registered with her TA, Donald, and he came to her rescue. After that, other professors wanted to discuss something or other. She hadn't paid much attention. Finally, the young professor with whom she had a sexual tryst caught up with her and wanted to bring her to a secluded place for a quickie.

The woman was already there and the practise was nearly over.

She could have chosen to sit at the near end of the bench or gone over on the lower, and climbed the benches. Instead, she took the opportunity to exchange a few innocuous words with her as she had to stand to let Elizabeth pass so she could get to her usual spot.

She had a low, rough voice. It was a good thing Elizabeth wasn't wearing a g-string that day or the cream she could feel bubbling between her nether lips would have left an incriminating spot on her skirt. As it was, she would have to find a bathroom quickly to wipe herself until she could get behind her office's locked door to masturbate to the fantasy of that sexy voice ordering her to commit lewd acts and...

Elizabeth had to close her eyes tightly and hold on to the bench firmly to get a hold on herself. She had never been so turned on simply by a voice, yet there she was, so close to the edge....

*****

As Tabs watched the young women go through their routines, she had this odd feeling... like something was missing.

She liked the petite acrobat the others would throw in the air for a somersault and catch in a dynamic move that flowed perfectly with their choreography.

When she saw the woman walk up the stairs, she gave a quick look to her left. That's what was different. She hadn't been at her usual place.

She grinned when her fellow aficionado forced her to get up so she could pass. Tabs backed up as little as needed so the woman had to turn aside and nearly brush against her. She took the opportunity of being in such close quarters to take a good look. There was definitely something familiar about her.

In the last week, she had the feeling that they were playing a game together. She had caught many furtive glances aimed her way.

She chuckled when she saw the woman look definitely uncomfortable once she was seated. If she didn't know better, she'd swear she was close to having an orgasm from the rigid way she held herself, her rapid respiration, the pearls of sweat on her upper lip and brow, and the flush she could see spreading down her neck to her chest.

'Hum... What do you know? I've still got it.' She thought.

Later, as she pulled out of the parking lot on her old chopper, she saw the woman standing on the sidewalk, watching her. Feeling frisky, she revved her engine and popped a wheelie, always a risky proposition on a chopper. She caught the awed expression on her face and laughed all the way to the laboratory complex.

*****

This wouldn't do. She couldn't show herself around campus in the state she was in. There was only one solution.

When Kelly heard her on the interoffice phone, she hurried over. Something was wrong with the professor. One look at her and she immediately locked the door and rushed to take the shaking woman in her arms.

"What got you in that state? You should lie down for a moment." She shivered as Elizabeth ran her hands down her back.

"You should... We shouldn't..." It would be so easy to grab the firm ass, to kiss the full lips, to pop out the beautiful breasts from their cloth confinement.

In the last weeks, the two women had struck a friendship going beyond a friendly working relationship. Elizabeth saw a younger version of herself in Kelly who liked the easygoing person behind the sophisticated facade.

It had led to them facing their attraction to each other. It was the mild exhibitionist game they played together which had brought them closer.

After a day of shopping for lingerie and casual clothes, they shared their guilty pleasures over a few too many glasses of wine at Elizabeth's condo. It had seemed natural that they shed their clothes, though both knew there could be nothing romantic or even sexual between them as long as Kelly worked for her. They compromised by masturbating together.

Since that day, they had become confidants. Kelly filled a void Elizabeth hadn't realized existed in her life.

"Kelly..." The older woman whined. "I... Please. I have to come so bad."

Despite all their logical resolutions, Kelly recognized her friend's need. Throwing caution to the wind, she deftly unbuttoned her skirt. As soon as it fell to the floor, her nose told her how desperate she was.

Pulling away for a second, she took off her own jacket and pulled off her cami.

"Here, stuff this in your mouth. It wouldn't do for your assistant to hear you cry out."

She reached across the desk to raise the volume of the iPod base Elizabeth always kept playing in the background.

She put the skirt back on the chair; it was ruined anyway, and had Elizabeth sit on it. As she put her hands on the cream-covered thighs, Elizabeth moaned through the material she was biting on. Kelly couldn't believe it. She only had to flick the straining clit with her tongue once to send her friend over.

In the next thirty minutes, the woman came nearly continuously, barely conscious of her environment, caught in her fantasy. When she finally collapsed, tears were flowing freely as Kelly held her tightly.

They giggled as she handed the flimsy top back. It was rumpled and soaked with her saliva.

"Thanks, sweetheart," She said in a tremulous voice she had yet to resume control over. "I needed that."

"I could tell. What happened? Is it her?"

Kelly knew of the stranger who had caught her friend's imagination.

"I thought I was so cute. I exploited an opportunity to get close to her and... I don't understand, Kelly. I only saw her from afar twenty years ago, and the moment I laid eyes on her again, it was like she had taken over my soul. I'm not kidding. Last night, I dreamed that she had me tied to the bed and was taking me savagely. I've never felt this way before. What is happening to me?"

"If I didn't know better, I'd say you're... infatuated seems like such a mild word for what you're going through, but what else could it be? You don't know her. You've never even talked to her."

"I did. I said 'I'm sorry' and she said 'not a problem'."

"That's all?" Kelly couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Her voice... it went straight to my clit, Kelly. I literally wasn't conscious of anything after hearing it, but I felt it when she got up to leave. I went after her. As I thought, she's a biker. You should see her ride. I wanted to be behind her, to mold my body against hers, to hang on by grabbing her breasts... What's happening to me?"

Kelly held her as she cried on her shoulder. She had seen this before though it had never happened to her. Despite the pain it was causing her, she envied Elizabeth.

"Do you know who she is? I can't believe she drives on campus to ogle women in skimpy outfits sauntering around."

"That's just it. I don't think she's interested in them that way. Sometimes, she gives off this vibe of sadness. I think she's actually there to watch their routines like she was so long ago."