A Hand Up

"Yeah," Lacey said staring off in the direction Lacey hand entered from, "he's still a sharp old guy."

She then looked quickly to Haley and with a big smile said, "Of course, I had given you top marks too."

Haley noticed she seemed to flush right after saying it and wondered if Lacey could have possibly been flirting with her.

Lacey seemed to recover and said, "It's nice out tonight. I thought we might eat out on the veranda. You want to help me set the table?"

Supper went smoothly enough. Jack sat at the head of the table with Lacey to his right and Haley to his left. Jack had gently managed to lead the young woman in the direction of her tragic past without touching on the molestation by her father in law. Lacey found herself engrossed in the young woman's story and caught up in her beautiful green eyes. During Haley's story she found herself wanting to reach out to the girl and hold her. She also found herself entranced by the girls lips as she talked. Wondering how soft they were and what it would be like to kiss her.

Haley found herself liking Jack. He was the first man since her mother died she actually felt she could relax around.

A couple of times she'd caught looks from Lacey though that made her pussy moisten and her body ache. She recognized attraction when she saw it. Especially when it was directed towards her. And she could swear the way her bosses eyes had darkened that she'd been looking at her with longing.

Jack excused himself not too long after they'd eaten desert and left the ladies to carry things back into the kitchen. Once they had all the dirty dishes stacked neatly on the counter, Haley asked Lacey to sit and enjoy her glass of wine while she rinsed them all and placed them in the dishwasher. She told the older woman it was only fair since she'd cooked dinner.

Lacey knew she was in trouble as she watched the young woman work. Each time Haley bent to place something in the bottom rack Lacey couldn't help but admire her shapely ass.

"What would it be like to bite one of those cheeks," she thought to herself as a throbbing began in her pussy. She then shook her head and thought, "I've got to stop that."

"Did you have time to put all your new things away?" she asked Haley.

Haley turned to her after putting the last dish in the rack and closing the door to the dishwasher.

"I got all my clothes put up in the closet. I still have to arrange the multitude of make-up and skin creams Janet talked me into getting. I'll get to that before I go to sleep tonight."

Lacey grabbed the bottle of wine and said, "Make sure you have your wine glass. Let's go and sit by the pool. It's too nice outside to be sitting in here."

Haley found her glass and finished off it's contents before following Lacey out to the veranda and down by the pool. They settled into loungers with Lacey refilling both glasses before setting the bottle aside. She then turned on her side towards the younger woman and asked coyly, "So...now that your domestic situation is settled and you'll have a steady income, any rethinking the subject of romance? I mean now that you don't have to assume everyone is out to take advantage of you."

The younger woman smiled and said, "Things have changed, that's true. It would have to be the right person though. The right kind of situation."

"You would do nicely," Haley thought to herself.

Lacey pretended to study the bottom of her wine glass. Though she knew she had no right to expect anything else from the girl, she felt strangely upset to hear of her considering dating some man.

"Just be careful," Lacey said, "there are some good guys out there but there are some not so good ones as well. It's not always easy to tell the difference."

Haley looked out at the moonlight shimmering off the pool and asked, "What about women?"

Lacey felt her heart quicken at the young PA's statement. Could it be possible she was gay after all? Of course that didn't mean she shared her attraction even if she was. Still, the prospect, if true, was enticing.

"Uh...well, that wouldn't really be my area of expertise but I'd like to think we're a bit more evolved than our male counterparts," Lacey answered.

Haley was crushed by her response. She was so sure she'd recognized attraction and desire in Lacey's eyes during the meal. It hurt her to think she might be in this alone.

"Never even thought about it? Being with a woman I mean." Haley asked.

Lacey considered denying it. She then took a chance on what she believed to be the girls character and said, "Just between you and I?"

Haley felt a rush of excitement at her question. She kept a calm demeanor though and replied, "Without question, I'm going to be your PA. Anything you ever tell me in confidence whether it be of a business or personal nature, I'd never repeat without your permission."

Lacey took a healthy drink of her glass of wine and confessed, "I didn't meet Derrick, my late husband, until my senior year of college. The three years before that I spent crushing pretty hard on my roommate. I was too scared to ever do anything about it. Sure I dated a few guys during that time, but it was just to keep up appearances. Her name was Justine and she got engaged between our junior and senior years. She was hopelessly in love. I had no choice but to be happy for her and try and move on. Less than a month later I met Derrick."

"Was there anyone before her?" Lacey asked.

Lacey shook her head, "A couple of girls in high-school. I think the second one probably even liked me back. But we were both too afraid to act on it and after we graduated we went to different colleges."

"So Derrick, was he the only guy you've ever been attracted to?" Haley asked. She knew she was taking a chance of pushing Lacey. The chemistry she sensed between them was getting the better of her.

At first she thought Lacey was going to ignore the question, but after a moment she said, "No... I mean I see guys I think are attractive all the time. I'm just not drawn to them though. He was the only guy I've ever had that level of feeling for."

After a while curiosity got the better of Lacey.

"Why all the questions?" she asked.

Haley gave her a look that made her thighs quiver and said, "I'm just curious, I guess. I mean this is all new to me. Men have never been a thing to me since... well, you know. Maybe that had nothing to do with it at all and I never did have those feelings. I don't know. I do know I've felt attractions to women for several years now. Like you though I've never been able to act on them. I mean who would have been interested in going out with a homeless girl."

They sat there a moment before Haley asked, "So, your what, bisexual?"

Lacey stared back into her eyes making Haley was glad she was sitting down. Had she been standing, she was afraid her knees might have buckled.

"This goes in the vault too?" Lacey asked.

Haley nodded her head, "Locked and sealed."

"I'd say that's an accurate description although if my history is any indication then I favor women. Seems kind of silly doesn't it. Here I am, thirty-three years old and finally admitting to something like that," Lacey told her.

Haley said nothing. She wasn't really sure of what to say. She just continued to stare intently at Lacey.

"I don't know why I'm telling you all this. I didn't even know you a week ago. Lacey said looking down in her wine glass.

Haley took a deep breath and stood up. She took the one step necessary to cover the distance between her and Lacey. She sat down forcing the older woman to look her in the eye.

Lacey sat up quickly. Her heart felt as if it might burst from her chest. "I can't do this," she thought, "I want it more than anything, but I can't do it."

"I think you do know why you're telling me. I think we both know why." Haley stated.

Lacey bit her lower lip and thought about how if the younger woman kissed her right now, she was done for.

But much to Lacey's chagrin she didn't. Instead she simply said, "I'm not going to do anything about it though. I'm not even going to bring it up again. I can't afford to make a mistake here. I have everything to lose. So If I'm right and this means to you what I think it does you'll act on it for once. If I'm not, then I'll be really disappointed but at least I'll still have my job."

Haley stood up and looked down at Lacey who was still trying to force herself to breathe.

"I'm going to bed. It's been a long day and I'm tired. I'm planning on getting up at six in the morning and hitting your weight room if you want to join me. If not, maybe I'll see you later," Haley told her before adding, "I won't wait forever Lacey."

She then just turned and walked away. Lacey watched her all the way to her front door waiting to see if she'd turn around but she never did.

Sitting there alone she tried to catch her breath. She wanted desperately to march down that hill and find Haley and make the girl hers. Then she thought of everyone at work finding out she'd hooked up with her nineteen year old female PA. She thought of Derrick and him only being gone just under two years. He'd wanted her to find happiness but what would he think about this? Would he think she'd waited an appropriate amount of time before moving on. What would everyone else think? Especially if she was in a lesbian relationship.

So in the end she didn't do what she wanted. She gave into her fear and anxiety and went inside to go to bed.

Sleep didn't come easy though. She rehashed every detail of everything Haley had said to her. She then went over all her reasons for not going straight to Haley like she'd wanted to. She told herself that she'd been the mature one and had done what was best for her and Haley.

Then she thought about the way Haley had looked at her when she'd sat down on her lounger. How badly she'd wanted the young woman at that moment. She found herself wondering what it might have been like had Haley kissed her. She imagined running her hands over the girls body and felt her own begin to react.

She slid her hand inside her panties and ran two fingers up her slit. She was of course wet. She had been on a consistent basis since Janet had brought Haley home this afternoon. She circled her clit slowly and felt it harden under her touch as she imagined the scene by the pool. Haley leaning in and kissing her. Feeling those soft lips against her own and the younger woman's body against hers. In her mind's eye she saw Haley kissing down her neck as she pulled her top up and slid her bra up over her breasts, softly running her hands over them. She imagined her rolling her nipples and lightly pinching and tugging at them.

Lacey began to fondle her own breasts at the thought. She moaned as she pulled at her own nipples at the thought of Haley wrapping her lips around her sensitive nipples and sucking on them.

She eased two fingers into herself and began slowly thrusting them in and out as she simultaneously rubbed her palm against her hard nub. She could feel herself getting closer to coming as she thought of Haley kissing her way down across her stomach, licking her belly button as she passed it by. She imagined her running her fingers through the small thatch of hair she had above her pussy before allowing her tongue to at last slide between the lips of Haley's pussy..

Lacey began to pump her fingers faster. She worked hard to hit that magic spot with each thrust. When she could time hitting it just as her palm struck her clit, it was magic.

As she thought of Haley finally wrapping her lips around her clit and sucking it in, she came. It was without a doubt the most powerful orgasm she'd ever brought herself to. The waves rolled through her core causing her thighs to tremble as the convulsions raced through her.

Her arousal at least temporarily satiated she curled up under the covers and allowed her mind to slow.

The last thought she had as she drifted into sleep was how much trouble she was in for.

Chapter Five: A Cold Shoulder

Haley woke the next morning at five-thirty precisely as planned. She knew that discipline would be a huge part of things if she wanted to truly succeed at this chance she'd been given, and she was determined to make the most of things.

She put on a pair of running shorts and sat on the chest at the foot of her bed to put on the running shoes Janet had picked out for her.

She made her way into the closet and opened the door to the gym cutting the lights on. She had no idea where to begin. She decided that she would just start at the first machine and slowly work her way around the room.

After giving it another moment of thought she went back into her bedroom and reached into the ratty old bag she'd brought with her from the shelter. There she found the old notebook she'd scavenged from a dumpster one day. Inside it was the pen she always kept there.

Once inside the gym she slowly began making her way through each machine. She made a note of the date of her workout and then was careful to write down each weight she used and the number of times she'd managed to lift it. She had no idea of the correct way to go about doing things, so for now, she was just feeling her way through and trying to get a baseline of her current fitness.

By the time she'd finished there was still no sign of Lacey. The thought that she'd scared her off the night before haunted her. Despite that she felt she'd done what she had to do to protect herself. She couldn't afford to waste this chance to make something of her life on misguided feelings. She knew the age difference between them was significant. While it didn't matter to her she knew that might be different for the older woman.

It was just becoming light outside as she made her way outside and walked down to the running path Lacey had pointed out the night before. It was of a circular design and wound its way through the dense hardwood trees surrounding the property. Lacey had pointed out how that helped keep things cooler during the warmer months.

Haley started at a light jog and slowly made her way along the path. She'd been told it was precisely one half mile in length and hoped she'd be able to make it at least one time around. She hadn't gone far before the burning in her calves and thighs threatened to slow her to a walk. She fought through the pain though and soon the muscles loosened and she settled in to a slow steady pace. When she had completed the first lap she made the decision to push herself to do one more. She was more than a quarter way through it when she heard footsteps behind her.

"Good morning and to your left," she heard Lacey say.

She turned her head just in time to see Lacey pass her at a significantly faster pace than she knew she was capable of. She watched the older woman's toned legs and long stride as she faded off into the distance and around a corner. By the time Haley had turned it Lacey was no longer in site.

When Haley had finished the second lap she slowed to a walk and and placed her hands on her hips. She thought about waiting for Lacey but didn't want to crowd her. Instead she walked back towards the house headed for a soothing, hot shower.

As Lacey completed her first mile she spotted Haley slowly making her way up the path towards the guesthouse. She'd been at first thrilled when she'd encountered the young girl on the path. Then she'd felt the same fears she'd encountered the night before and had tamped down her excitement. When she'd passed her with a simple greeting she felt guilt and regret. The younger woman had made her feelings known at great risk despite knowing they might be rejected. Lacey on the other hand was too afraid to act on hers because of the thought of how they might impact her life. She'd always been the type of person to go after what she wanted in life with this one exception, and she wasn't sure why. Her parents had always been the accepting type and had never expressed anything negative regarding homosexuality. To the contrary she actually remembered sitting and listening to her father encourage a friend to accept his son for who he was. The boy had recently come out and the father was having a hard time coming to terms with the revelation.

So if her father wasn't the issue what was? There was work but that really wasn't an issue when you got down to it. She was the boss after all and they already had provisions in place for interoffice romances. It was just a matter of signing and initialing a document that her HR department could provide. That protected the company from any legal ramifications so that wasn't the issue either.

Was it her guilt over moving on from Derrick? Yes she missed him and still felt her love for him but he had encouraged her not to grieve too long. He'd wanted to see her find love again pushing her to move on when the time felt right. So that wasn't the issue either.

As she was half way through her third mile she realized she'd eliminated everything but one issue, their age difference. Haley was thirteen years younger than her. Even if they were attracted enough to each other to begin a relationship, how long would it be before the girl tired of her and no longer wanted to continue going? What would she do then? At that point it would be nearly impossible for them to continue to work together, wouldn't it?

No, as bad as they both wanted this thing she knew she was doing the right thing for them both. She would have to tamp down her feelings and be strong for them both. She just hoped Haley would understand.

Haley, fresh out of the shower and dressed casually,watched through the windows as Lacey finished her run and made her way back to the main house. She held her breath and watched as the older woman stopped and turned to look her way. She knew she couldn't be seen but still felt self conscious at the woman's stare. Lacey seemed to hesitate as if trying to decide on a course of action before finally turning back and heading towards home.

"How could you still be afraid," Haley thought, "you'll never be fulfilled denying such a big part of yourself."

Well Haley had no intention of sitting by and pining over her. Despite the strong desire she had for Lacey, she would do her best to just set them aside and do her job. What she wouldn't do was wait very long for the woman to come around. There were plenty of other women out there she could date and she intended to do just that if Lacey continued to deny their attraction.

Late that afternoon Haley could stay in the house no longer. She had mentioned to Jack and Lacey at dinner the previous night how much she loved to read and had often spent many of her days at the public library. They'd told her how they both had plenty of reading material she could borrow if she got bored. Jack had mentioned most of his were detective stories or true crime. Lacey would only say that most of hers were of "varied" interests, whatever that means.

She put on her more modest bikini and a bathing suit cover and then grabbed her sandals and made her way up to the main house. She knocked on the back door not sure if anyone was at home and was pleased to see Jack poke his head around the corner. Once he'd recognized her he made his way to the door and opened it, greeting her with a smile.

"Good afternoon Ms. Haley. I was wondering if we'd get a chance to see you today," the older gentleman stated.

She returned his smile and said, "Hey Jack, I was wondering if I could maybe borrow one of those books you mentioned last night."

"Come on in," he said as he stepped aside, "I keep mine in the library. I don't really know what my daughter does with hers but I assume they're in her room."

Haley looked around, her eyes searching for Lacey.

"She hasn't been out of her room this afternoon," Jack said before adding, "I assume Lacey is who you were just looking for."