Going Down a Slippery Slope Ch. 02

Looking back over the last month, Kim felt like she should get an award for patience. Well, she was hoping that there actually would be a reward. Erin was getting comfortable with their relationship but it was taking time. In truth it wasn't that long, but it felt that way to Kim. Despite how frustrating it was, Kim was happy. She and Erin were together.

They were spending a lot of time with one another. It wasn't every single night but the majority of the week. That amount of time had increased each week. Just like the rest of the relationship, the change had been slow but mostly positive. To start while Erin was getting used to being in a relationship with a woman, they stayed in most evenings when she didn't have a game. Even though Kim had homework, she insisted on cooking for them when they had dinner together. "I like doing things for you, Erin," she had said when Erin tried to convince her to let Erin take over the duty. Finally Erin dropped it. It meant that Kim often had to focus on homework after dinner, so they would snuggle on the sofa together. While Kim read her text books or worked on her laptop, Erin would read. It was one of the times that Kim liked best because Erin was quite relaxed and had no inhibitions about touching her.

For a while, the same couldn't be said about when they were in public. Kim still remembered going with Erin to one of her soccer games the first time since they started going out. Even though they had been together for a good part of the day before the game and Erin had been only slightly inhibited with holding her hand, Erin couldn't do that when they got to the ball field where Erin knew a bunch of people. It had hurt, Kim recalled. She wasn't quite sure exactly what the feeling had been. It was almost like shame, that showing how she felt about Erin was wrong. She didn't feel that way in truth, but the moment had been sour and it occasionally still haunted her. She had long ago come to grips with her sexuality and accepted herself. It was unpleasant to have that feeling forced upon her again.

Still it had been a good day. There weren't that many people who came to the game so she didn't have to worry about making small talk and explaining why she was interested. And she got to watch Erin. She admired her strong body and how quick she could move. She watched with a little bit of lust. Unfortunately at the end, the best that she was able to get was a return hug when she congratulated Erin on having been the only person to score.

Back then, Kim felt lucky that she got a kiss to end a night together. Even when they stayed in, Erin wasn't ready for necking. To the couple of friends that she could talk about it, she described it as lovey dovey. Erin liked holding hands as they sat together. And she gave great hugs where she would pull Kim against her and their bodies would mold to each other. At moments like that, Kim was able to go a little further and give Erin soft kisses on her neck and shoulder, but it was only for a few seconds. After that, she could feel Erin start to tense and get nervous, even as there were hints of a growing passion beneath the surface.

Kim wasn't sure she could have persevered if it wasn't for being able to see slow changes in Erin's acceptance. Each time there was a little change, it made her heart soar. There was that night in the second week when Erin had overcome her nervousness. Unexpectedly when Kim had nibbled on her neck, Erin had grabbed her hair and turned her head back for a deep kiss. It seemed like it was almost timeless to Kim. It went on forever. Erin plunged her tongue into Kim's mouth, almost as if it wanted to force its way in despite Erin's willingness. She had moaned as Erin continued to kiss her.

Finally the kiss ended. Kim was breathless. She could feel how quickly she had become wet. She wanted more. She wanted to press her body against Erin. She wanted to hump Erin's leg, grinding her pussy into it. But she held back, waiting on Erin.

Erin pressed her cheek to Kim's. Her arms were still around Kim. Her own breathing was rapid too.

"That was nice," Kim softly said.

"Mmmhmm," Erin agreed. And then she did it again.

It was just as explosive the second time. But this time, Erin ran her fingers along Kim's body. She explored just a little. Her hand found that Kim's shirt exposed just a little skin on her back. Erin ran her fingertips there. She liked how Kim shuddered. Erin did it again. This time it produced a low moan. She lowered her lips to Kim's neck. She took a little nibble, held on and tugged on the skin. Kim hissed as she had a quick intake of breath through clenched teeth.

After taking one nibble, Erin paused. Kim's eyes opened to look at her.

"I'm liking this, Baby, but I think I'm going to stop for now," Erin said after a moment. "I'm not quite ready to go further, and anything more is going to just tease you."

"I don't mind," Kim whispered. It could have been a joke. But her voice was so serious. Her body was trembling. "Erin, you can tease me as much as you want."

"I'm not that cruel, Baby," Erin said as she kissed Kim lightly on the lips.

That night had marked a couple of changes. Their kissing sessions continue to evolve. Erin opened up to more touching, exploring what felt good to Kim and let Kim find what excited her. More importantly, after that night Erin started showing her affection outside the apartment.

That was another of those moments burned in Kim's mind. They were going to one of Erin's games. All the previous games, Kim had to be content with just being with Erin. But this time when they got out of the car, Erin reached over and took Kim's hand. Kim was taken by surprise. Erin gave her a shy smile and just started walking over to where her team was. Kim took a couple of quick steps to keep up before slowly walking the rest of the way alongside Erin. As they came up to the others, she could feel Erin's hand tighten just a tiny bit, but she didn't let go. A few of the other women took a quick glance at the hands being held but then it was ignored. More than one had already figured out what was going on, not that anyone had an issue with it. Erin finally let go when she put down her bag and started to get ready.

As Kim turned to walk over to the seating area, there was one woman who caught her eye and gave her a smile with a thumbs up. Finally Kim allowed her own smile to come forth. The happiness just shone through her.

It was the little moments that kept Kim going. Erin was not impulsive. She was in control. Every step was a deliberate one. And while Kim would have liked the steps to come faster, this was an aspect of the strength that attracted her to Erin in the first place.

As their public relationship evolved, their work relationship grew more complicated. At first, it was easy to keep it secret. But as Erin became more comfortable with the relationship, it became more difficult. They gave each other looks. There were little inside jokes that carried over from out of the office. Erin was always careful never to be inappropriate but even still it wasn't too hard to figure out.

Erin was at her desk when Judy, her boss, stopped by. Kim wasn't in yet.

"Morning, Erin," she said as she sat down.

Erin nodded at her. "Hi Judy." She wasn't sure why Judy was there, and waited for her to say something else.

Judy looked around. No one else was close so she went ahead. "Erin, I don't want to butt into your personal business but sometimes personal and work converge." She paused a second. "You know me, Erin. I could care less who anyone is with. My brother is gay. And well, you know my friends. They are a very mixed bunch." She paused again. "I'm right in thinking that you and Kim are seeing each other?"

If Judy hadn't been such a good friend, Erin might have gotten a little hot. But she had been like an older sister to Erin. "It's only been a few weeks, but yes."

She smiled at Erin. "She is quite lovely, Erin. It surprised me a little. You and her."

Erin laughed. "It surprised me too."

"There are no rules that forbid office romances, Erin. But you can't let them interfere with work either." She reached out and squeezed Erin's arm. "You've been here a while and I consider you a friend. There hasn't been a problem. The stuff I picked up on is no big deal. In fact as usual, when someone is happier, they do better work. So you are doing fine there. Erin, I hope that things go well with Kim. But if they don't, that is where there are work problems. If you stop seeing someone, you can just avoid them. But when you work with them, you can't."

She noticed the look on Erin's face. Judy squeezed her arm again. "I know, thoughts about things not working out are the last thing on your mind."

"Judy, actually it is more on my mind than you might guess," Erin broke in. "It is all very new to me. There are times when it is scary. Most of the time it is great. But I can't tell if it will work out. It isn't like I have the greatest track record with romance, as you well know."

"I know, Erin. I don't want this to be the boss coming down on you, so I will say one thing. Maybe the reason for that was that none of them were the right person. You just need to find that person. I hope Kim is it." Judy gave her arm one more squeeze and then got up and left. Erin looked after her for a few moments, lost in her thoughts. Then she got right back to work.

The other aspect of Erin's life that grew more complicated was her friends. None of her friends had an issue with her being with another woman. While the stereotype of lesbians in sports was overblown, there was enough truth to it that almost anyone involved had long ago gotten over any prejudices. In the tight circles that made up sports teams, Erin found that it was the opposite problem. Just like Judy, her friends cared about her. Instead of being upset, they all wanted to know what was going on. Erin felt pressure from them to clarify a relationship before she was ready

"Okay, what's up?" Erin tried to glare at her friends as she joined them for drinks after work one evening. As soon as she showed up, all conversation had stopped. "You all look guilty!" If anything, saying that caused her friends to look more guilty. They glanced at each other.

Finally one of them spoke up. It was Gail, who Erin had known for longer than any of the others. Although they hadn't gone to high school together, they had grown up in the same town and had often played against each other for years before they became teammates at the University.

"Well, maybe we are a little. This is the first time that we are seeing you when Kim isn't with you. And we were sharing what we know so that the interrogation can be more effective." Gail looked around at the other women, who were trying not to laugh too much. "Yup, that's about it."

"Oh God, give me strength!" Erin groaned. She had an idea that there would be some discussion. It didn't occur to her that she would be the topic of the day.

One of the other women spoke up. "Erin, what did you think? You haven't gone out with anyone in months. And the number of people who you have dated isn't exactly a long list. No matter who it was, we would be nosy."

Another took up the conversation. "And the fact that Kim is a gal. Well, I'm gay and I didn't see that coming."

Gail spoke up again. "Don't misunderstand us, Erin. Everyone who has met Kim likes her. So you don't need to feel like you are going to be put on the defensive! But none of us have had much of a chance to talk to you since it started." She paused and looked around at the others. "We all love you and support you, Erin. Our curiosity is just boiling over. So spill the beans."

That made Erin laugh and the slight feeling of dread that had come over her dissipated. She started telling them about how Kim's feelings had started to come out at the restaurant. It took a little while but she caught them up on what had been happening between them.

The lesbian in the group, Emily, finally asked the question that all of them wanted to ask. "So after all that, you still haven't said how you feel about her."

Erin didn't answer. She just looked at them. It wasn't a defiant look. In fact there was something almost painfully sad about it. Gail got up and came over to give her a hug.

"It's okay, Erin. You don't have to answer if you aren't ready," she said looking over at the others.

"I don't know if I'm ready or not. I am still sorting things out. What I do know is that I am happy. She makes me happy."

They all smiled at her. The newness of it all was adding to the confusion that comes with beginning a relationship. Maybe it was just being outside the situation, but it seemed clear to most of them that she was falling in love.

"What have you told your parents?" Gail wanted to know.

Erin looked uncomfortably over at Emily. "Nothing yet. They don't know anything about Kim. I know I should but it's just one more thing that makes it so much more complicated. It just seems like it isn't quite the time."

Now it was Emily's turn to be reassuring. "Don't worry, Erin. I understand. No offense anyone else but I am sure that I understand better than any of you. It's easy to say be open and accepting. When it is your son or daughter, it usually hurts. Even if they rally quickly, there is that first moment especially if it comes completely from out of the blue. And Erin, I think this will because you have clearly not been oriented this way before. When you are sure, then think about telling them."

The emotions of the discussion had gotten to Erin a little. She wiped at her eyes for a second. "Thanks, Emily. I am sure they will be okay with it if I am happy, but there is that nagging doubt. You know?"

Emily nodded at her. There wasn't much else that needed to be said.

Slowly the conversation turned to other things. Erin was quieter than usual. It had taken a certain amount out of her to have the discussion. She was happy to just listen to the ebbs and flows of the others talking. Plus it had sparked some more thinking to do on her own.

As they finished up their drinks and realized that they all had to get going, one of the youngest women asked one last question of Erin. "So Erin, when I get to meet Kim, how would you introduce her to me? As your friend, or would it be something else?"

Gail turned and whacked Bobbi on the arm. "Leave her alone. We already made her cry once! We don't want to do it again now that we are all leaving."

"It's okay, Gail. I don't know, Bobbi. Beyond figuring out how I feel, there is still the issue of saying it out loud. Putting a label on it has always seemed like a big step to me. Like you open up to jinxing it. I guess you will have to wait and see when you do meet her."

They all hugged as they said goodbye outside. Emily lingered for a few moments after the others had left. "Erin, don't hesitate to call if you feel like talking. I wasn't kidding when I said I didn't see this coming."

"I didn't either. It isn't about being attracted to women. Generally that hasn't changed. It's Kim. There is something special about her, special for me. It could be amazing. I just have to let it develop."

"Okay, sweetie. Be well! And talk to you soon." Erin watched for a moment as Emily walked away. She was lost in thoughts about Kim. What was she? Erin tried saying it to herself just to see how it felt. "This is my girlfriend, Kim." It wasn't as scary as she thought it might be. And in saying it, she knew that it was how she was thinking of it. Someday soon, she thought she would find the courage to say it out loud.

Then she turned and headed to her own car to go home. Kim was planning on coming over for dinner and she didn't want to be late for that. She hoped that Kim had been diligent with her homework so that they would have time that evening to explore the consequences of some of Erin's new thoughts.

Even with hurrying home, Erin still found Kim sitting outside her apartment waiting for her to arrive. She jumped up to her feet as soon as she saw Erin walking down the hallway. As always when they saw each other for the first time in a day, they both had eyes only for each other. Their faces were lit up. When Erin got to where Kim was, she put one arm around Kim's back and the other reached up behind her neck. Their kiss was deeper than normal, especially out in the hallway. Erin pulled Kim into the kiss. Kim melted against her, savoring the kiss.

When the kiss finally ended, she looked at Erin and said, "Wow! That was unexpected but very much liked!"

To start with, Erin's only response was to hug Kim. She enjoyed the feeling of Kim's body against hers. Then as she broke the hug to unlock her door so that they could enter, she spoke. "I missed you, Kim. I have been thinking about you, about us, and that made me look forward to seeing you."

"Mmmm, I like the sound of that," Kim said in a happy tone. She looked particularly fetching to Erin. It had been another nice day. She had on a short skirt and tight t-shirt that ended just a little above her skirt so a little band of skin was revealed. Although not a tall woman, Kim's body had all the right proportions. Her legs looked longer than they were and were shown off in all their glory by her outfit.

Erin was struck again by how good looking Kim was. She was still occasionally surprised that Kim was interested in her. It seemed like she could have anyone that she would want. But she had learned to keep those thoughts to herself. Nothing got Kim so fiery at Erin saying something like that. The last time, Kim had actually yelled at her to stop it. It was the first and only time she had ever raised her voice to Erin. It had gotten across her point. Now Erin limited her thoughts to how lucky she was that Kim felt that way.

While Erin went into her bedroom to change into something less formal than her work clothes, Kim started on dinner. She was quite a good cook and really enjoyed making dinner for the two of them. Tonight she had bought some inexpensive white fish and was busy making a pilaf to go with it. When Erin came back out, she was wearing a comfortable but attractive skirt and blouse combination. That was slightly unusual as she was more prone to wearing a t-shirt and jeans. Kim gave a low wolf whistle when she saw it.

"That looks great, Erin! Are you dressing up for little old me?" she asked in a teasing tone. She laughed at the blush that caused on Erin. "Well I like it!"

"Maybe, depends upon if you have earned it." Erin answered back. "Did you get your homework done, young lady?" Her tone was mockingly severe.

"Yes, Ma'am!" Kim replied.

With a smile on her face, Erin came up behind her and put her arms around Kim. She softly kissed Kim's neck as she pulled her close. The sigh that Kim made was a delightful sound. "I was thinking, sweetie, maybe you would get a little reward for being so patient with me. And for doing your homework of course!"

"I like the sound of that even better," Kim answered and rubbed her rear against Erin's body. "But only if you want to, Erin. You know that."

"I know, sweetie." She twisted around a little so that she could kiss Kim again. It was short and more loving than passionate. But Kim sensed less hesitation and a promise of things to come. For a little bit, they just stood like that, linked together, both enjoying the feeling.

Finally Kim pushed playfully at Erin's shoulder. "Now let me finish dinner or you won't have any energy for my reward!"

Erin smiled as watched her as she cooked. Kim was focused on making the salad. Her attention was on the vegetables that she was cutting up to go with the lettuce. As she looked down at the cutting board, some locks of hair would slide down to obscure her fair. After a few moments, Kim would realize it and push it out of her face. Erin found it incredibly cute, especially since most of the time Kim would look over to where Erin was and blush at the attention Erin was showing.