Heat of the Night Pt. 03

"No worries," she picked up her handbag, "see you in there."

The bed looked comfortable and she managed a smirk at the lack of handcuffs and leather on the faux brass bedhead. What were you expecting? You know she's not like that. She unzipped her dress and undid the belt. The dress slipped down over her breasts and she let it fall to the floor as she sat down and contemplated her semi-nude body in the dressing table mirror.

"Fuck it," she muttered, "if she makes the first move I won't resist."

Lisa took off her bra and stockings off but left her panties on. It seemed as if every fibre of her being was one with the universe. She was aware of a ticking clock, the rumble of a V8 outside, the sound of the flushing toilet followed by running water. Siobhan came into the room a few minutes later with a crooked smile on her face as she fumbled with one of the straps of the pinafore but that smile vanished a moment later as she looked above Lisa's head.

"Oh, Jesus, not now, please not now."

"What's wrong?" Lisa sat up slowly but Siobhan's eyes were locked on the wall just above the window and when she turned around she spotted the huntsman.

"Oh, is that all?"

"What do you mean is that all?" Siobhan took a step back, "if it's one thing I hate about this feckin' country it's the feckin' spiders, that thing could carry you on its back."

"Get me a glass jar, preferably one with a lid."

"You're not going near it are you?"

"It's harmless but it does have sharp fangs," she swivelled around, "go on."

Siobhan backed out of the room whilst Lisa kept her eyes on the tarantula, it tapped its fangs on the wall and she realised that had been the source of the noise she'd associated with the clock. Siobhan came into the room with a large coffee jar and gingerly placed it on the bed. Lisa grabbed the jar and stood up on the bed.

"Turn off the main light," she murmured, "it soothes them."

"You're the boss."

Lisa approached the spider slowly as she unscrewed the lid, the spider sensed her nearness and began moving but she was faster, her hand snapped forward and the jar trapped the spider. It stayed where it was for a few seconds and she rapped the lid firmly on the wall, the spider moved into the jar and she pulled it away quickly and slammed the lid on and screwed it shut. Lisa turned around to find Siobhan had turned a whiter shade of pale.

"Easy peasy," she grinned, "would you look at your face? You just scored a gram of dope off some random dude down the pub but a teensy weensy spider turns your insides out," she stepped off the bed.

"Don't worry, your secret is safe with me."

"Where are you going to put it?"

"Outside," she shrugged, "I'll just open the lid and let him crawl out by himself," she studied the spider, "assuming it's a he, maybe it's a girl spider."

"Please take it outside, kill it if you want, with fire and brimstone."

"Maybe not," she chuckled, "it does mean it's going to rain in twenty four hours or less, that's why they come inside."

Siobhan didn't reply to that as Lisa went out to the back porch to release the spider and when she came back inside the other woman was sitting in the middle of the bed, she was still fully dressed but she looked pale.

"Relax, they're solitary beasts, the chances of another one crawling inside is pretty remote."

An involuntary shiver went up Siobhan's spine and Lisa squeezed her shoulder.

"You okay?"

"Sorry," she winced, "I just have a phobia about those feckin' things, I'll be twitching all night, the last time I had one of them inside I had to go over the road to get Gavin to kill it."

"Well, I'm here now," Lisa slid under the covers, "but I'll let you into a secret. I had a pet spider when I was a kid, I used to feed him bugs."

"You had a pet spider?" Siobhan turned to look at her, "you didn't fancy a puppy?"

"I had one of them and all," she locked her hands behind her head, "but the spider was my first ever pet, don't worry I grew out of the spider phase when I turned twelve."

"I think you're amazing," Siobhan laid down beside her, "you not only make clothes you also get rid of spiders."

"Yep, I'm a regular girl guide, even though I was never a guide."

"I really should sleep on the couch," she stared at the ceiling.

"Then who would protect you from the killer huntsman?" Lisa prodded her playfully.

"There is that and all," she rolled onto her stomach, "I'd be like James Bond in that film where he's got a spider on his chest, every time I see that film I have to look away when it crawls onto him."

"It's a natural response," Lisa rubbed her shoulder absently, "it's quite normal."

Siobhan didn't reply as Lisa kept rubbing.

"Sorry," Lisa suddenly stopped, "what was I thinking?"

"I have no feckin' idea but it felt nice."

"You coming to bed or are you going to lie on top of the duvet?"

Siobhan sighed and got up on her knees. Lisa felt a slight warmth in her belly as the other woman undid the other strap and unzipped the dress. Their eyes met and Lisa shifted her gaze to the mirror, which just gave her the view of Siobhan's back. There was a sense of déjà vu and she found herself wondering if she'd ever felt this kind of thing before, a mixture of arousal that was mingled with fear.

Definitely not with women, she shifted slightly as Siobhan pulled the nightie out from under her pillow and proceeded to put it on, so what would I do if she did come onto me?

It was a question that was never answered that night. Siobhan was still shaken up from her close encounter with a hairy tarantula and Lisa instinctively put an arm around her. Siobhan snuggled in close and every now and then she twitched. Lisa felt a strong sense of protectiveness as she held her. Eventually exhaustion claimed Siobhan and she fell asleep in Lisa's arms but she stayed awake for quite some time contemplating the situation she was in now. There would be no sex tonight but what about the future? Was it even feasible? Would she destroy a friendship just out of a sense of curiosity? In time however she too fell asleep and when she woke halfway through the night the other woman was lying on her side with her back to Lisa.

It would never be like this with a guy.

She had no idea where that thought came from but it seemed to fit.

Lisa awoke a few hours later with the sun on her face, Siobhan was in the kitchen and she could hear the familiar sounds of INXS drifting down the passageway. Siobhan came through some five minutes later with a tray of food and drink. She'd changed into casual clothes, a tee shirt and jeans, and despite the amount of alcohol she'd consumed the previous night she seemed alert as she set the tray down next to Lisa.

"Breakfast in bed," she knelt on the edge of the bed, "I have to run down to Safeway and grab a few things but I'll be back in half an hour or so. I've left a towel in the bathroom for you."

"Thanks," she sat up, "I don't even get this at mum and dad's place."

"Well, I don't get many guests here, when I sleep with a woman it's usually at her place but if someone stays here I make the most of it."

"What are you doing today?"

"Housework and then chilling out, why? You got a plan?"

Lisa stared out the window as she made a few calculations.

"You all right?" Siobhan asked her.

"Huh?" Lisa focused on her, "um, yeah, I was just calculating how much material I have left. You said you wanted to learn how to make clothes."

"That I did," Siobhan smiled crookedly, "perhaps not a blouse but maybe a skirt."

"That's exactly what I was thinking," Lisa replied too quickly, "we could do it in an afternoon, make a skirt that is, maybe later we could watch a video unless you'd rather," she stopped as the other woman turned to face her and knelt on the bed.

"All right, it's a date," she paused, "about last night, I really hadn't planned for you being here. I was drunk and when I'm drunk I do all kinds of things, some good, some bad and some I'm not sure if they're good or bad but I was very impressed with your spider catching abilities," she pulled a wry grin, "it's almost superhuman."

"It's nothing to me," she lifted the tray onto her lap, "but my mouth feels like the bottom of a birdcage."

"There's a bottle of Coke in the fridge, or cordial if you prefer, see you soon."

She left shortly afterwards, leaving Lisa alone with her toast, orange cordial and coffee but she was gone for over half an hour, it was actually closer to fifty minutes and in that time Lisa had time to have a shower and explore her surroundings. Siobhan seemed to have simple tastes due to the lack of ornaments, but then again she hadn't been in the country that long. Lisa found herself mentally decorating the place with ornaments and pictures, but brought herself back to reality with a start as she stood in front of Siobhan's wardrobe.

What am I doing here?

She stared at the clothes hanging in the wardrobe, most of them looked to be work clothes but there were a selection of dresses and a couple of blouses that definitely weren't appropriate for work. She was about to close the wardrobe door when Siobhan pulled into the driveway and proceeded to carry in bags of shopping.

"Sorry I was so long, I decided to splurge, there are more bags in the boot."

Whilst Lisa carried the groceries into the kitchen, Siobhan ducked off to the toilet, returning with a somewhat sheepish grin on her face.

"Sorry, my bladder was crying out for relief."

"No worries," Lisa placed the last of the bags on the bench, "I have to be out of here myself, so what time will I see you?"

"About one, maybe two by the time I get this stuff put away and do the housework shuffle."

"Make it two," she replied, "I've got to duck out to the shops myself and get a few things done around the house."

"So we'll meet in a few hours," Siobhan leaned across and kissed her cheek, "thank you for taking me out last night, I had a ball."

***

Lisa touched her cheek once more. It had been hours since Siobhan kissed her but she still recalled the softness of her lips and the smell of her perfume. She stared out the car window at the shoppers coming and going from the carpark at Eastland. She had just bought some buttons, two metres of lining and then she'd bought a few more metres of pale pink polyester for no apparent reason than the fact it was thirty percent off. However after taking her purchases back to the car she decided that she needed more food but the thought of wheeling a shopping trolley down the aisles wasn't an appealing one.

I might bump into her again, she pictured the woman in the green-striped blouse who'd been in front of her at the till a few minutes ago. She'd smiled at her in a way that was vaguely suggestive and at first Lisa thought she was merely imagining things but when she came through the food court the woman was sitting at a table with a cup of coffee. She'd smiled again, a secretive smile that Lisa didn't register for a split second until the woman flicked at her hair and glanced briefly away. Only then did it occur to Lisa that the thirty-something woman was flirting with her. Somewhat startled at her boldness she merely returned the smile and continued on through the food court but as she went up the escalator she finally gathered enough courage to turn and have a good look. The woman was still staring in her direction but Lisa felt as if something had passed between them.

She'd knowingly allowed a woman to flirt with her, no words had been exchanged, there was no touching and a casual observer would never have thought anything of it and she recalled Siobhan's tales of women in the past living together without coming out.

I need time to think, she swallowed.

She closed her eyes to the world about and only opened them with a start when her mother rapped on the driver's side window.

"Mum," she wound down the window, "you frightened the shit out of me."

"Sorry," she smiled, "I was going to call out, what's wrong?"

"Um," she bit her lip, "nothing, and everything."

"Well I'm at a loose end for now, your dad is taking a new member to a meeting. How's about we duck inside and have a coffee?"

"Um," she thought briefly, "okay but I have to be back before two."

"Why two?"

"Siobhan is coming around."

"Well it's not even midday, I'm sure we can have you back in time for your girlfriend."

That last word seemed to bounce around the inside of her head as they made their way back inside the shopping complex. On any other day it would have been an innocent statement but this morning it seemed to hold her in its sway. Was Siobhan her girlfriend or was this just some stupid fantasy, a consequence of being outside the dating pool?

As fate would have it the woman who had smiled at her was still sitting her and when she saw them she waved. Elspeth returned the wave and veered to meet her.

"Hello, fancy meeting you here."

"I could say the same thing, how's it going?"

"Fine, this is my daughter, Lisa and this is one of my clients, Nicki."

"Hi," she smiled, "I saw you smiling at me before."

"I wasn't sure if it was you or not, I've seen your picture at your parent's house."

"Would you like to join us?"

"Um, thanks but I've got to keep going, I've got a barbecue to go to tonight and I've got to buy some salad and meat."

They farewelled her and while Lisa found a table, Elspeth ordered coffee and cake. Lisa felt a strange sense of disappointment and relief.

What was I thinking?

"So, who's the special person?" Elspeth eyed the cup of coffee in front of her.

"Huh?"

"You're glowing and yet you haven't been out with any guys since I don't know when, who is he or is it a woman?"

"It's," she looked away.

"Tell me something," Elspeth nudged her hand, "is, Siobhan, straight?"

"Do you really want to know the answer?"

"Huh?" Elspeth murmured, "I had a feeling but thought it was just an idle thought, well, you may not have inherited your father's genes when it comes to booze but you've certainly picked up some of my DNA when it comes to sexual orientation," she propped on her palm.

"What? When?"

"When your father and I were going through a rough patch, you were quite young and he'd been out of the house for nearly two months when I got involved with a woman who was babysitting for me. Jenny was nearly the same age as I, we got involved for about three weeks before I pulled the plug after your father agreed to go to an AA meeting."

"And I'm hearing about it now?"

"Don't be mad at me," her eyes narrowed.

"I was young with a child under six and a two-year old as well, I was pissed off at him and when Jenny showed me some interest I just went along for the ride. To be honest if your father hadn't come back I might have gone further, admittedly it took him a few more years before he threw in the towel but when he came back that first time she decided to look elsewhere. Your father still doesn't know, which is kind of shitty because he got honest about his affairs but I've always kept that one hidden because, well, it was a fleeting thing."

"But you're telling me," Lisa replied.

"Yeah, I'm telling my daughter because she's developed feelings for another woman. Tell me," she paused for a moment, "what do you feel when you're with her?"

"Like," she closed her eyes, "like it was with him but it's much sharper, more painful. I can't even think about her being with another woman unless it's me, but I'm not, mum. I wouldn't know how to make love to a woman, I've never thought that way about women in the past why now?"

"Because the right one came along," she replied, "it was like that with Jenny, I never thought I'd get naked with a woman let alone have sex but with Jenny it seemed natural. I don't regret it but I don't want to go back there or find some other woman. I'm happy with your father, most of the time but you're different," she nudged her hand.

"If you and her, you know, if you sleep together and she becomes your girlfriend then tell me. I won't shut the door in your face. I could never do that, your father might find it a bit strange but leave him to me, he still owes me for some stuff he's done since he stopped drinking."

It was perhaps the most intense and illuminating discussion she'd ever had with her mother, Lisa let it all out, her haphazard love life in the past, her unwillingness to let a more traditional alpha male into her life. Her mother admitted there were times since Jenny when she'd been drawn to women in a sexual manner, all that stopped her was a sense of duty towards her husband and the knowledge that going out on a limb had real world consequences.

When Lisa finally returned home she felt a little better, as if a load had been shifted. For years she'd wondered why she avoided saying yes to dates after breaking up with Kevin, but she'd always had her own excuses. He was too tall, too fat, too skinny, too loud, too quiet, the list went on and on but in a matter of a couple of weeks she'd fallen head over heels for an Irish lesbian.

However the one thing that stayed in the forefront of her mind was her mother's response when she asked if Nicki was gay.

"Gay? To be honest I don't know. She's seeing someone but I never asked if she was gay, it's just not something I ask of a client. I handled her divorce a couple of years ago and she came around just recently when I had to sign a notary for her. Why? Do you fancy her?"

"I'm not sure, maybe."

"Well I've said my piece but if you want to know more about her I can make inquiries."

"Maybe not," she winced, "but thanks anyway."

Siobhan turned up at two o'clock with fresh rolls from the hot bread shop. She looked almost radiant as she put the bag of rolls on the bench.

She'd changed yet again into a long-sleeved Hawaiian shirt tucked into a pair of jeans.

"I came bearing gifts," she cast an eye around the kitchen, "I hope you have cheese or cold meat because I hate vegemite."

"I've got both cheese and sliced ham," she stepped around the bench, "how's about you choose what you want while I change my shirt?"

"Okay," she plucked at it, "did you make this as well?"

"Wrong again," she stepped back, "but the first thing I ever made was a tee shirt when I was sixteen."

It sounded childish like something she'd have said when she was sixteen, but here she was, a twenty-three year old woman flirting with an older woman.

Not that much older, she mused as she pulled her tee shirt off and flung it on the bed. Siobhan was only twenty-five. Lisa flicked through the clothes in her wardrobe, blouses, plain looking shirts, dresses of all kinds. Her eyes shifted as she heard Siobhan moving about the kitchen and in a moment of childish fantasy she imagined Siobhan walking in to find her standing in front of her wardrobe wearing just her bra and jeans.

"Focus," she murmured and then a moment later, "breathe."

A plain white blouse caught her eye. It had long sleeves and a placket to hide the buttons and normally she'd wear it to work or perhaps a night out, definitely not for flitting about the house, but, she took it out. It was something she'd made. It was with a mixture of anxiety and excitement that she donned the blouse. Somehow it felt like she was skating closer to the edge without actually doing it.

What am I doing? Lisa thought as she came back to the kitchen. Siobhan had her back to her but glanced over her shoulder as Lisa opened an overhead cupboard and lifted down two plates.

"Nice," Siobhan spoke quietly.

"Huh?" Lisa glanced down in feigned disinterest, "oh, this old thing? I made this a few years ago, I've worn it to work before."

"It's nice," Siobhan slid her finger behind the placket and moved it upwards.