If Things Had Been Different Ch. 04

Sarah sighed wearily as she saw the blinking light telling her there was a 'chatter' waiting and clicked on 'enter chat.'

The whole thing was a new venture for her law firm in an attempt to connect with the younger generation. The idea was that people could go to the corporate website and if they couldn't find the information they needed then they could 'chat' to a live person to discuss their legal questions. Sarah remembered her boss's words when they launched the 'chatty lawyer'; she still cringed when they called it that. 'This will put us at the forefront of modern technology, after all this is 1999 and the next millennium is just round the corner.'

"Not the only thing that is round the corner," muttered Sarah under her breath thinking of her 40th birthday that was just a few months away, as she typed into the box. 'Hi I am Sarah and will be your chatty lawyer today, please could you tell me your name and the nature of your requirement?'

Sarah threw her hand to her mouth and bit hard to stop herself from screaming as she read the words that appeared, 'Hey Short Stuff, you see it all started back in 86 in this gym in Convent Garden, London when this trainee dyke picked me up and stole my heart.'

Sarah read the words over and over not believing what her eyes were seeing and her brain was telling her, then typing one word 'Julie???'

'Wow,' came back the words, 'you remember me. I am honoured.'

The memory hit Sarah like a car crash as she remembered the day over three years ago when Julie had collapsed in front of her in Central Park Zoo, rushed to hospital only to vanish without a trace from the hospital bed leaving her confused and hurt. A few weeks later that year she had cried for most of the day when no card had arrived for her birthday, as per her agreement with Julie, leaving Sarah with a sinking feeling that maybe this time Julie had gone forever. At Christmas when no card arrived again Sarah started to accept her heart that Julie was gone forever.

Turning back to the screen Sarah wrote in a frenzy, 'remember you, of course I remember you, you are the one that tore my heart to little pieces. You are the one had me sobbing over an empty hospital bed wondering where you had gone. You are the one that ripped out a little piece of my heart every birthday and Christmas for the last three years when no card turned up, AS WE FUCKING AGREED.' Sarah put the last words in caps to show she was stamping her foot, which she actually was, then she carried on, 'and if you were here right now, I would make dam sure you remembered me as I throttled your stupid wonderful beautiful sexy gorgeous neck ...'

There was a pause before the reply came back, 'sounds like I am in the shit a bit.'

'A BIT!!!!!!,' Sarah put in capital letters adding exclamation marks to show how angry she was, ' you are in a whole world of shit and one day I will show you just how much.'

'Want to pick up where we left off? I guess I have a bit of explaining to do and have that list of questions to answer.' Julie typed.

"Where and when?' Sarah typed and back came the reply.

'Same place, good ole Gus is still there and as you are on you lunch break at 12 o'clock shall we say as soon after that as your little legs will carry you.'

'Today?' typed Sarah as she glanced at the clock and saw it was quarter to twelve.

'No time like the present,' came back the reply before the chat connection was terminated.

Opening her purse Sarah searched for the many times folded piece of paper that she had started three years ago with a list of questions one day she would get the answers to. Every time something had occurred to her over the years, even random things like 'who owned the flat in Covent Garden?' to 'why three passports?, who the hell are you?' with the last question underlined and in heavy capitals, 'pregnant?'.' Sarah added another question in her neat handwriting, 'and how did you know about this list?' before folding it back up and putting it away as her brain whirred at high speed planning what was going to happen next.

Walking over to her supervisor's desk she looked at him hoping she had the right degree of pleading without seeming over needy. "Excuse me Mr Delfont, I have just had a call from my sitter and it would seem that my Mitchie is running a bit of a temperature and she would like my opinion. " Sarah mentally chastised herself for her lie but rationalised to herself it was the greater good after all, before she went on. "Would it be possible for me to take a personal day to go and check, I do feel a little guilty." Mitchie was three, nearly four and a healthy and robust child full of happiness when she had left this morning leaving her in the more than capable hands of their nanny.

Mr Delfont looked up and considered Sarah's request silently as he stared at her over his glasses, then he spoke, "Don't be silly Mrs Lynch," Sarah felt her heart drop, "it's your lunch break so let's just call it a half day, so I will see you tomorrow and hopefully Mitchie will be back to her bouncing self."

"Thank you so much Mr Delfont, you are very kind," and with that skipped off in search of old Pete the janitor who she was fairly certain had an item she needed to borrow. Arriving at the basement Sarah glanced at her watch and knew she still had time as technically she still had five minutes before Julie was expecting her to leave. Knocking on Pete's door he smiled at her as she was always one of the nice ones in the office who would always say hello and be polite to him, "Hello Mrs Lynch it's an honour to see you down in the dungeons," as he laughed which developed into a cough.

"The thing is Pete, I need an urgent favour, I need to borrow something from you that I can let you have back in the morning." Sarah said in her best coy voice.

'Whatever you require," said Pete and his eyes opened wide with surprise and humour as Sarah leant close to his ear and whispered her request. "Mr Lynch's birthday soon is it?" as he rummaged round in his desk and the handed Sarah two packages that she thrust in to her large handbag before giving him a peck on the cheek.

"Thanks Pete will let you have them back to tomorrow, but don't breath a word to anyone," said Sarah as she rushed towards the exit.

"Oh you will need the other..." his final words lost as Sarah had already left by the service entrance and was hurrying towards Central Park.

*****

Julie sat on the same park bench where she had collapsed three years ago and glanced at her watch. It showed a couple of minutes before midday and Julie breathed deeply to control the butterflies in her tummy as she recalled how she had come to the decision to put herself in this situation.

*****

It was six months earlier, in the hilly regions of Japan far above the hustle and bustle of Tokyo, where there nestled a small isolated house and Julie had stood outside nervously wondering if she had made the right decision. It had taken her most of the day to get here and now she was wondering if the owner was in, and if he were in whether he would remember her, or perhaps she should just leave it and try to hitch a lift back to somewhere where she might find a bed for the night.

As she was about to turn on her heel a voice from inside spoke, "surely you have been outside for too long to make the decision to simply leave without at least saying hello to your old sensei." With that the door was slid open and a small wizen man with wispy grey hair and eyes that sparkled in his wrinkled face looked at Julie and smiled showing the few teeth that remained in his mouth.

"Master Takumi," Julie breathed softly as she bowed deeply to show her respect for the man who had guided her on the path for her lifelong love of martial arts. This was a man who had been a father figure to her after she had left home. After he had left London to return to his beloved Japan they had kept in contact by the occasional meetings when he was touring lecturing at various universities around the world and more often by letter as he refused to use modern technology.

"Come, come," he said as he shuffled into the room, 'and how is my yugana yanagi?,"using the Japanese words for graceful willow, a name he had bestowed on her when she had wandered into his martial arts school over thirteen years ago. Then looking at her face announced, "we eat, then we talk of your problems, then we sleep, in morning all gone." After the rice and fish meal simply but beautiful prepared they sat facing each other, cross legged sipping tea as Julie explained what had happened from the day she had met Sarah. When she got to the end of her story tears were pouring down her cheeks and Takumi looked at her and said, "Why do you cry?" Julie stared back and mumbled, "because ..." then trailed off. "You cry when you hit foot like clumsy child, you cry when you have made decision for wrong reasons, or even worse made no decision, but tears for making the hard right decision is just soft." Before Julie could respond he went on, "now you come seeking for me to make your next decision so you can blame me when you cry rather than making your own for the right reasons." Julie was stunned into silence for a few moments as the words slowly sank in, she knew in heart what she wanted was Sarah when she could, but for no one to get hurt and then answer dawned on her. Smiling as he saw her face Mr Takumi smiled, "good you have made decision now you must go and make it happen, now I must sleep old man is very tired." "Don't you want to know what my decision is?" said Julie to her Sensei's back but her question was answered with a snore. Unrolling the spare mat Julie settled down to sleep and began planning her next steps.

*****

"Julie? Oh my god it really is you?" Sarah's shriek of joy jerked Julie from her thoughts as Sarah threw herself into Julie's arms and hugged her tightly. "I thought you were dead, I thought I would never see you again, how long are you here for? where are you staying?" Sarah gushed as the questions tumbled out of her mouth.

Julie laughed, "slow down short stuff and breath, and in answer to your last question first a few days maybe and in some hotel just over there," she said as she waved her right hand over her shoulder towards some buildings.

It was at that point Julie heard a click and felt the snap of a handcuff round her left wrist as she looked and saw Sarah had snapped a handcuff on her wrist and had attached the other to her own right wrist, "what the hell short stuff?" Julie spluttered.

"This time you are not running away until I get all the answers I want," said Sarah trying to fold her arms then realising she couldn't while cuffed so having to contend with drawing herself to her full 5 feet 1 inch stature. "I demand answers and I will torture it out of you if I have to, so take me to your hotel room and you and I have some discussing to do."

Julie smiled then put on a mock scared face as she adopted a false Cockney London accent, "you have me banged to rights copper, though I ain't squealing or grassing on no-one, you are gonna have to squeeze it out of me."

Sarah just stared at her and couldn't help laughing as she said, "what was that in English?"

Julie laughed as she said, "doesn't matter let's go to my room."

The hotel was non-descript but perfectly respectable four-star tourist hotel that surrounded Central Park and the first point of minor panic for Sarah was that they were cuffed together as they walked into the lobby. Julie just simply took Sarah's hand in hers and they strolled casually to the lift. As the lift rose to the 10th floor Sarah looked round and said, "well this isn't the Waldorf."

"Nope," said Julie," it can't be as you have knickers on, and you don't wear knickers in the Waldorf lifts ... well so I have heard."

Before Sarah could reply the lift doors opened and a couple got on and pressed for the roof top bar. They travelled up in silence and Sarah saw that look of devilment pass across Julie's face that could only mean one thing. The ping announced they had arrived on the 10th floor and after they had stepped and the doors started to close Julie said in a voice clear enough that the couple inside would have been able to hear, "so are you sure my husband won't find out about this lesbian sex orgy Miss Whiplash."

"Julie you crack me up even after all these years, but I am still mad as hell at you." Sarah said as they entered the room that was nice, but certainly not a presidential suite. "Definitely not the Waldorf," Sarah said as she looked round the nicely furnished but bland chain hotel room., "blown the budget have we?"

"Just wanted to travel a little more low key this time, easier to stay away from prying eyes." Julie said then held up their joined wrists, "and do you want to take these off now?"

"Not so fast young lady," Sarah said looking at Julie, "I know your tricks, I take off these cuffs and instead of going to the bathroom you will vanish like a puff of smoke. You want this set off you put this other set on with you attached that table." Pointing at the steel and tubed desk that sat against one corner of the room.

"Seriously?" said Julie, "surely you can trust me?" but the look on Sarah's face told her that there was no compromise and allowed Sarah to cuff her other wrist to the desk before releasing the set that held them together.

"OK short stuff," Julie said, "question and answers time, but every question has a price, so for each one you ask you remove an item of clothing."

"I will be naked very quickly then as I have so many questions," Sarah laughed, "so how do I pay you then?"

Julie smiled, "with 60 seconds of rubbing, and none of this slow sensual stuff I mean proper down and dirty rubbing, but if you cum answers stop."

Sarah looked at her for a few moments not considering her options but wondering how quickly she could get naked and perform for this woman who had haunted her dreams for so long.

"OK deal," said Sarah, "question one which I have been bursting to ask you, pregnant?"

Julie gave a low sad melancholy laugh that sent a shiver up Sarah's spine making her have a chilling premonition that perhaps she was going to wish she hadn't asked the question after all "Yes I was pregnant, though it wasn't planned, more forced upon me if you understand what I mean." Sarah wanted to weep as Julie went on, "always the danger after rape, but when the complications set in I ended up losing the ability to ever be in that position again."

Sarah was unsure now if she wanted to go on as the first question had left her numb inside at the thought of her friend being abused and hurt like that. Julie snapped her out of it, "OK that's question one, so let's have that jacket off please."

Sarah stood and duly obliged as she looked at her list and said, "next question, McGuire, McGlone or Burns," naming the three Julies on the passports she had found, which one of them is you?"

Julie put her head back and laughed, "none of them, and to save you a question, Cooke... Julie Cooke, now that skirt needs to come off."

Sarah stood and eased the skirt over her hips and stood with the tails of her blouse covering her brief black lace panties. Why she had worn such a nice lingerie set today Sarah had no idea but thanked the heavens she had, maybe she had a premonition.

"Who did own that flat in London? Even after you left there was no rent to pay, no bills it just kept getting paid for," Sarah blurted out as she remembered Julie telling her why she had left before.

"I think you want to get naked short stuff," laughed Julie.

"Wait," Sarah said wishing she could suck the question back.

"I owned it, well in fact still do among other properties, a gift from the lovely Mary to try to woo me back, now bra," Julie said licking her lips.

Sarah knew she had no choice and reaching in the middle of the bra at the front she unclasped allowing her breasts to swing free. As Sarah saw Julie's lust ridden gaze she felt herself get even wetter between her legs and without thinking cupped a breast and rolled her nipple between finger and thumb making each one stand out.

Sarah was starting to get a little breathless, as she panted, "Why didn't you come in after Mexico?"

"Because you wouldn't have accepted that we weren't going to work and would have done something stupid ...." Julie's voice trailed off as she bent her head down before looking up and saying softly, "no that's a lie, I couldn't trust myself not to make a fool of myself by trying to tear you away from everyone and keep you for myself, because my heart was breaking at losing you."

Sarah stared as she saw a tear trickle down Julie's cheek and said softly, "Now my panties love." Hooking thumbs into the sides Sarah did her best impression on what she thought a stripper might do until they sat in a lacy puddle round her ankles.

Pulling a chair close Sarah held Julie's face in her hands, "after you collapsed and the mysterons whisked you away why did you stop contacting me, why did you let me think you were dead?"

Julie looked deeply into Sarah eyes as she said, "that's two questions so that 120 seconds to start," and as she said it she unfastened her watch from her handcuffed wrist, and after pressing a few buttons laid the watch so both could see it. Pressing a button twice the counter went from zero to 60, then 60 to 120, and then as Julie said. "OK start rubbing," it began it count down to zero.

Sarah's eyes were fixated on the watch as she watched the counter race away as Julie started talking. "Well the mysterons, or my employers as they prefer to be known, had a lot of questions for me after you set of so many alarm bells walking in clutching those passports."

"Sorry," panted Sarah as she watched the clock and couldn't believe that only ten seconds had passed and already she felt tingling inside, Her fingertips were already slick with her own juices as she rubbed her clit that was standing proud away from the hood. She was tempted to slow just a little but Julie was on her movements like a hawk,

"No slacking, no slowing," Sarah moaned softly and rubbed willing herself to stay on this planet as Julie went on, "After they had patched me up, removed bits and put me back together again they sat me down and wanted to know who the hell you were." Julie giggled to herself watching Sarah face start to screw up as she continued; "I just told them that you were a New York dyke who was trying to pull me for wild sex and apart from that knew nothing about you."

"And the believed that?," Sarah said gasping as she squirmed in the chair, her juices dripping down her ass crack.

"Yep eventually and that's another question so 60 seconds on the timer." Julie laughed, pressing a button causing the counter to rise again, as Sarah gritted her teeth rubbing her clit that she thought might explode any second.

Julie watched as Sarah stood a little and half crouched one hand actually pulling her lips open as she rubbed with the other hand. Her breathing laboured as she started to moan, as her orgasm was about to burst when the shrill electronic beep... beep... beep... filled the room. Sarah slumped onto the chair not sure whether to cheer because she had lasted or cry because she hadn't cum.

With her hair starting to become bedraggled from the effort Sarah tried to catch her breath as she panted, "So why haven't you contacted me for three years? And why now?"

Julie was starting to enjoy this now, and putting on her best game show host voice said, "well folks that's two questions from short stuff dyke so it's 120 seconds on the old rub-om-meter."

Sarah felt like an electric shock passed from her fingers to her pussy at the first touch as she started to rub knowing she had little hope of lasting this time but had so many more questions screaming in her brain.