A Wedding and a Funeral Pt. 02

The tension became even more intense when she grabbed my left arm and turned it around to show the two-button closure. The first button slipped through the buttonhole and she glanced at me for a few seconds and then undid the second button. The cuff fell open and she rested my wrist on top of her shoulder and moved onto the other cuff. She unbuttoned it and then put her hands on top of my arms and studied me.

I was hypnotised by this and yet curious. Was this the way it was normally done or was she merely ad-libbing, adapting herself to my reactions? She stroked my front again, following the line of the opening, she did it two or three times I can't remember but then she finally pushed the topmost button on the outer row through the buttonhole. The material flopped down and she pulled it across to form a lopsided vee.

A fingernail slid along the vee to the topmost button on the inner row and I thought she was going to undo it but she brought her right hand back to the second button and down the front of the blouse to my waistband. Her left hand slid through my hair and she tickled my earlobe, I closed my eyes, because that made it somehow less intimidating.

I opened them as she unbuttoned the second button on the outer row to deepen the lopsided vee. I felt a slight twinge of anxiety when she dragged her fingernails down to the third button and it too slipped through the buttonhole to create a deeper lopsided vee. I almost stopped her but the anxiety dissipated and she brought her hands down to my waistband and tickled my belly again. I let out a low murmur and stared at her hands as they rose to my fourth button. She twisted the material and the button slipped free, her hands slipped into the gap created by the flap of material and she pulled on it as she slid her way up to the topmost button on the inner row.

"I'm going to order one of these blouses next time," she murmured.

"Okay."

My voice sounded as if it came from outside myself and her hands slipped down to the next button on the outer row, she undid it and brought her hands down to the sixth button and eased it through the buttonhole. My blouse was now undone on one side but Emma didn't seem in a hurry to undo the other side. Instead, she pulled on the front of the blouse, sliding some of it out of my trousers but leaving the bulk of the material inside.

She massaged my breasts again and I closed my eyes and finally admitted to myself that this was going to go all the way, the consequences be damned.

Emma let go of my breasts and I opened my eyes in time to see her undo the second button on her blouse. Her eyes widened as she tugged playfully at the third and she smiled as she slid it through the buttonhole to deepen the vee. I swallowed and felt the flush in my cheeks as she dropped her hands down to the fourth button and as it slipped free of the buttonhole I saw the top of her white bra. I kept my eyes locked onto her front as she undid the fifth button to reveal the rest of her bra and her belly. She parted the blouse and I looked at her as she undid the sixth button.

In that instant I knew there was no going back, I'd somehow passed that point but I couldn't recall doing it. Robyn's words came to me in that instant.

There will come a time when you can't stop yourself.

Emma however didn't seem to be in a hurry as she slid her way up the front of my blouse, I felt it pulling against my waistband. She reached the topmost button on the inner row but then dropped her hand to my waistband. She had a curious look on her face, as if she was thinking of something but it was all a mystery until she asked, "do you want to stay here or go upstairs?"

"Um," I looked at the stairs, we'd had separate bedrooms the last few days, "I'm okay here."

"Okay," she slid her hand back up to the top of my blouse and worked the topmost button on the inner row free, it slid through the buttonhole and she pulled the material across to straighten out the lopsided vee.

I looked down at myself, trying to focus on the here and now. What was it Robyn had said?

If you're uncomfortable, stop it and walk away. Bad sex is like a stone in your shoe.

Was this going to be like a stone in my shoe? I watched her undo the next button to deepen the vee. She was my best friend. What was it they said? Don't sleep with your best friend. I swallowed as she stroked my skin gently, stimulating the tiny nerve endings.

I shivered and she grinned as she dropped her hands to the third button and pulled at the material to ease the button free of the buttonhole. The vee was deeper, it now stopped at my cleavage and she massaged my breasts slowly. I sucked my breath in and let out it again as I gave into her touch and she undid the fourth button to reveal a yellow bra. She pulled the blouse out some more and stroked my skin again, causing me to shiver.

"Relax," she murmured, "we'll go slow," she undid the fifth button to show my belly and the rest of the bra. I stared at the bra. I'd only just bought it a few weeks ago, this was the second time that I'd worn it.

"Your bra's so bright I gotta wear shades," she grinned.

I managed a half smile at that and she undid the sixth button and pushed the blouse all the way across and leaned over to kiss me passionately. I gave everything to that kiss and when we broke free I was out of breath, it was becoming shallower now, probably due to anxiety and I dropped my hands to the couch. Emma shifted position slightly and straddled my right leg, this meant she was able to slide her hand over my zipper. She exerted just enough pressure to let me know what she was doing and my eyes fell to her hand.

"Easy, let it all go," she murmured.

I didn't reply as she brought her other hand down to undo the hook and eye fastening on my pants, the waistband sprang apart and she tugged the blouse out of the front of my pants. I leaned forward and put my hands on the couch as I stared at the floor and my high heels. Mum had bought them for me for Christmas and this was the first time I'd worn them.

Emma shifted off the couch and stood up.

"Better take these off first," she grabbed my right foot and lifting it onto the couch, undid the buckle and pulled the shoe off. It hit the floor and she picked my other foot up and took the shoe off, and as the other shoe fell to the floor I shifted forward and then winced as my phone rang once but then it stopped.

"Weird," Emma pulled her blouse out of her trousers, "mine did that the other day, but it was just a number I'd blocked ages ago."

I nodded as I reached for it but then two things happened at the same time. My phone beeped and her phone started ringing. We both flinched at the same time and Emma picked her phone up and stared at the screen.

"It's Roxy?"

"Okay, answer it then," I stared at the notification on my phone.

Saoirse.

"It's Saoirse," I spoke up.

"You don't mind?" she looked at me.

"Of course not, go ahead. I need to catch my breath anyway."

She swiped the phone and raised it to her ear.

"Hey, what's up?"

I don't know what Roxy said in reply but I was reading Saoirse's text.

Saoirse: Had a good hard think about what you said about Ling the other week. Just rang her and broke it off. I'm sad but I know I did the right thing and so did you, thank you for your advice. Call me back if it's not too late, could use a shoulder right now, promise not to soak your blouse. Love Saoirse. X

"What? Hang on, I'll go to the kitchen, the reception is shit here," Emma walked into the kitchen leaving me staring at my phone. A moment later I called her.

"Hey, you, just got your text. How're you feeling?"

"Like shit," she sounded as if she'd been crying, "I know it was the right thing to do but why does the right thing feel so feckin' wrong?"

"I know the feeling," I glanced at the kitchen, Emma was out of sight now, "how did she take it?"

"She blamed me for the whole feckin' thing, would you believe it? She seduced me, okay, I wasn't about to push her away."

"It's guilt on her behalf and she's the one with the most guilt but you've done the right thing, I'm proud of you."

"Thank you," she breathed, "you're right although I was guilty too. I shouldn't have let it go on for so long but it was convenient or just plain old fashioned laziness. It meant I didn't have to do any work, she turned up twice a month and we had sex and she went home."

"True, but now it's over, what will you do?"

"Take a break for a bit but eventually I'll have to put myself out there," she paused.

"What're you doing right now? Fancy coming over for a bit? Don't worry, I'm not flirting, but I could use a bit of company."

"I'd love to but I'm up in Warbie at the moment with Emma."

"Oh right, you said something about that the other week. How's it going?"

"Um," I looked down at my state of undress, "it's getting interesting... um... can I ask you for some advice?"

"Go for it, sweetie."

"Have you ever slept with your best friend?"

"Yeah, I have. It was wonderful for the first six weeks but then we fell out over something stupid, two redheads going off their heads. We broke up and I lost a friend, I was living in Dublin then, it was just before I had a fling with Annalisa."

"Oh, okay," I nudged my glasses.

"Why? Are you and Emma?"

"Kind of, just getting on with each other but she's taking a call from an ex now."

There was silence and then Saoirse spoke again.

"Well, it's up to you, sweetie but be careful. If she's talking to an ex that's another danger sign, I'm not one of those green eyed trolls but I like to know everything up front. And if she's your friend, that's something to consider. There's nothing wrong with fooling around but if you're in doubt, pull out before it goes too far. Once you're over the line it's hard to take it all back."

"I know," I bit my lip and glanced up as Emma came back into the room.

"Okay, okay," Emma said, "and it's cool, I totally understand... okay... love you."

She hung up and sat on the other side of the couch.

"Talk to you soon, thank you."

"Likewise, call me if you need a listening ear," Saoirse replied.

I hung up and stared at the screen.

"Well, this is awkward," Emma spoke up.

"What is?"

"I now know why Roxy was so funny with me," she stared at the wall.

"She was still trying to get back with her ex boyfriend, which is why she went cold on me but he's gone and hit her after he found out she'd slept with me."

"Oh my God, he did what? Fucker," I put my phone down, "she should have him charged."

"She's already called the cops but this leaves me in a difficult spot, considering what we've just been doing," she looked at me, "she wants to see me again."

"Uh huh, so, it might not be over after all?"

"Maybe, maybe not. We have to talk, she needs to talk to a woman and apparently she's decided that I'm the woman to talk to, but maybe she's on the rebound."

"And maybe you two need to talk things through and come to a decision, which means you and I need to sleep in separate beds tonight but speaking of talking," I frowned, "when it comes to you and I, if we break up we'd lose a lot more."

"I know," she muttered, "I was about to say something like that next."

"Were you?"

She stared at me and I blushed and bit my lip. "Sorry, I had to ask."

"I know, it's cool. I'd have asked the same question. We should've talked first before we started to you know?"

"It happens, but at least I answered one question. Am I? I think I know now."

"We're like two peas in a pod, both as weird as each other," Emma smiled crookedly.

"It still could happen regardless though," she continued, "but we'd need to talk things out first and not just fall into bed together."

"Absolutely," I started buttoning my blouse again, "absolutely."

To be continued...