Just One Kiss Pt. 01

Carmen Rivera checked her watch as she let her car door close on its own power, only taking a moment more to click on the remote to lock it. It had been a long week of projects, exams, and presentations that had pushed her tolerance to the very limit, making the party she was heading to an absolute necessity! She looked down and smiled at her perfectly painted toenails and cute shoes, as well as the tight jeans that accentuated her natural Latina curves. As Carmen passed the last car, parked on the curb just outside the house, she caught a glimpse of the silky brown top that hugged her body and displayed her best assets perfectly. Sadly, she knew it would draw a fair share of drunken college boys fawning over her breasts, but they had absolutely no chance with her. She was gay and exclusively into women. 'Some poor girl won't know what hit her," she mused with a smile., headed to the huge oak door just up the steps.

Keri, one of Carmen's classmates, had arrived about an hour earlier, having caught a ride with a friend and was already on her second drink. She typically never dressed for attention, but with most of her clothes in the laundry, she had chosen a short, ribbed white tank top that revealed her perfect abs for all to see. Several guys had already flirted with her, two that Keri found utterly repulsive, one that was reasonably good-looking, and Chris Anderton, a gorgeous fair-haired boy she had been crushing on all year.

Carmen worked through the crowd as she made her way to the bar, swaying her hips and flirting incessantly, as well as saying hello and hugging friends. Probably because of her vivacious personality, she always ended up the natural center of attention wherever she went. Pouring herself a strong rum and coke, she caught sight of Keri alone, leaning up against the wall, looking around as if trying to avoid contact with anyone.

She suppressed a shiver, because the blonde girl matched "her type" in nearly every way, from her emerald green eyes, wavy light hair, fair skin, and perfect body. Her slightly shy demeanor just made her seem all that much cuter, but Carmen was aware that Keri was as straight as an arrow, as far as she knew. Her flirting and innuendo had been met with friendly declines and reminders of how straight she was. She was by no means a predator, but that had not stopped her from slipping into fantasies of gently bending her preferences until she was between her legs making her cum endlessly. 'Yeah, that'll never happen, but that's life," she told herself, surveying the room.

"Hey, beautiful..." one tall, brown-haired guy started to say.

Carmen rolled her eyes. One seemingly undeniable fact was that she would inevitably endure a fair amount of men hitting on her who had no clue that she was gay. Sometimes a polite decline was in order, but something about his tone pissed her off. She raised her right hand and extended her middle finger upwards without even bothering to turn around.

"Bitch." he muttered, causing her to turn, but once he saw her steely glare, it led the way to a hasty retreat. She took no prisoners when someone tried to treat her that way, particularly guys. Not that she was a man-hater, he adored her, and two older brothers could do no wrong. Besides, the point of a party was to have fun, not fight off unwanted advances.

Keri watched Carmen work her way through the crowd like a superpowered social butterfly, in awe of how easily she did it. She had met a lot of outgoing people during her experience at college, but not one of them had the incredible finesse that the Latina did. When they hung out in social settings, it felt like Carmen spread her wings and made her feel much more comfortable, even with strangers. They both had been in numerous classes together, ran in some of the same circles, and bumped into each other in social gatherings.

Keri knew full well that her friend was madly in love with girls, and while she had no problem with it, she had no intention of ever going down that road herself. A couple of times, she had intentionally gotten an eyeful of Carmen passionately kissing another girl. On one occasion, she had been nursing a healthy buzz, making her inhibitions far lower than usual. At that moment, her friend and a slim redhead girl were passionately making out in a semi-dark corner of a bar that the college had rented out for an end-of-year celebration. For a split-second, Keri had found her eyes riveted to the scene, eyes following their kisses and tasteful caresses, but then she shook it off after. Carmen had playfully offered to guide her through an experience, but when they both burst into laughter it all seemed to be in fun.

With a fresh drink in her hand, Carmen inched slowly toward the dance floor, having to slide in between several guys who left her no room to maneuver. Her subtle nudge made them move apart without even catching their attention, and she caught sight of another Latina dancing alone. 'I don't recognize her, she must be new or someone brought her along. She's cute, maybe she is into girls," she said to herself.

With a flexibility that her curvy figure seemed to make impossible, Carmen began swaying her hips and moving her body to the music, slowly moving closer to the unsuspecting brunette a few feet away. 'Best not to startle the poor thing,' she whispered, so quietly that no one else could hear her. Acting as if purely by accident, her left hip bumped against the other girl, whose head turned immediately to look at her.

"Oops, sorry about that," Carmen said, flashing a toothy smile.

The other Latina let out an adorable giggle in response. "No problem, it's gonna happen often on a dance floor this tiny."

Not sensing any objection, Carmen moved over in front of the other girl and began dancing with her. "Hey, you're pretty good. By the way, I'm Carmen," she said, taking a generous sip of her drink.

"I'm Callista. Before you say anything, my mom has probably forgotten every bit of our Spanish heritage. I swear she got my name out of Cosmo or something," she replied, eyeing the drink.

Carmen often gravitated toward fair-skinned white girls, but Callista's slim build made her equally attractive, with modest breasts and a slightly lighter skin tone. "Hey, I like it. Mind me asking if you are a full Latina or a mix?" she asked, almost regretting it the second she asked.

"My mom is half Guatemalan and half Scottish, so yeah, it dilutes the genes a bit. Been told it gives me some kind of exotic look, whatever the fuck that means." Callista said, still dancing.

Seeing her eyes flash to the drink again, Carmen held it out to her. "Here, go ahead and take mine. I usually have to tell guys my eyes are up here, but yours have been leering at my drink," she said, laughing. As Callista accepted the drink from her new acquaintance, her eyes obeyed the subtle suggestion and rested on the generous amount of cleavage in her friend's silky brown blouse.

Callista blushed when she realized she had been staring and even worse, had been caught doing it. "Fuck! Sorry!" she said, almost in a whine.

Carmen smiled, gratified with the attention, hoping it might hint at some sapphic interest on her part. "Oh don't sweat it, you weren't giving me the sleazy look that I get from guys, but I appreciate the...admiration," she said with a playful wink, fighting the urge to lick her lips.

Callista snickered and swallowed the rest of the drink at once. "Well they are lovely, no doubt about that, and while I may certainly envy you, I am purely into guys," she responded, fearing she might offend her.

The curvy Latina leaned forward, deepening the already full view of her breasts in the blouse, making them sway without much effort. "Oh, you say that now..." she said, giggling.

As the song ended, Callista's face went even redder than before, knowing that the other girl was teasing, but still felt emotionally off balance. "Wow, you have flirting down to an art, Carmen," she said, smiling and turning to leave the dance floor.

Carmen reached out and touched her arm rather than grabbing it, wanting to make it clear that she had not been flat-out hitting on her. Grabbing her arm would have come across as aggressive, but that gesture was fairly benign. "Hey, flirting is all in fun, no harm, I respect your orientation," she said. The other girl smiled and nodded and vanished into the throng of people nearby. She wasn't worried, as the night was still young. Anything could happen.

Keri practically felt anchored to her spot against the wall, not feeling adventurous enough to dance by herself or engage strangers in conversation. Chris had come by and said hello, and even lightly flirted after bringing her a drink, but that is about all that happened. She sipped the last of the liquid from the glass in her hand and reluctantly started to make her way to the bar.

Walking off the dance floor, Carmen saw movement from the place where she last saw her friend, wondering if she had moved from there at all. 'Poor thing, I bet she is lonely over there just watching everything like a detached spectator. I should at least help her break the ice or something,' she thought. Within a few seconds, she reached the spot, making Keri pause in her steps.

"Hey, girl, how have you been?" she asked, not wanting to draw attention to the other girl's self-enforced solitude. Carmen was struck again at just how sexy her friend was, from her blonde hair down to her feet, and all points in between. It wasn't even lust, it was just an honest appraisal of her beauty, which made her smile.

Keri was caught a little off guard by her seemingly sudden appearance but knew her well enough to know it was just friendly. Truthfully, it felt reassuring, knowing that someone already in her circle of friends seemed happy to act as a buffer with others in the room. "Oh, Hi Carmen. Wow, that top looks amazing on you!" she responded, genuinely complimenting her friend, trying not to eye the breasts she envied a bit.

Carmen smiled inwardly at the reluctant attention, not presuming it to be sexual, but attention all the same. There was something oddly gratifying about a straight girl noticing her body even if it was platonic and innocent. "Let's get you a fresh glass, what are you drinking?" she asked, starting to slowly move in the direction of the open bar.

Keri saw the nonverbal cue and started following the Latina in the direction she was leading. "Jack and coke," she answered flatly.

Carmen was surprised at her answer, assuming that a fruity drink of some kind suited her personality more. "Wow, really? You surprise me, I had no idea you liked that kinda thing, Keri," she replied, chuckling.

"It really wasn't my choice, some other girl just handed it to me. So yeah, not what I would have picked. What would you recommend?"

"Oh if I was mean I could tell you that you walked right into that one...but...I would go with a margarita, I can have them use the better tequila. Being Mexican, I am a bit of a snob about that." Carmen said with a smile, as they reached the small bar.

"Okay, I kinda like them anyways," Keri answered softly.

Carmen whipped her head around, making her wavy hair dance as if it was alive. "OK, two margaritas, doubles, and use the stuff I brought!" she said in a demanding tone.

"Oh, and make damn sure no one else gets any of it ok?" she added a moment later.

Within moments, both girls were holding colorful drinks in their hands, walking away from the crowd to an open area near the wall with several chairs, none of which were occupied. They sat in chairs catty-cornered to one another and started casually sipping their beverages of choice.

"Have you been having any fun so far? You seemed to be keeping to yourself a bit." Carmen said in a tone that was affirming and not scolding. The world would be a loud place if everyone was as outgoing as she was!

Keri broke into a slight smile as she took a healthy sip of her drink, finding it delicious and satisfying. 'Wow, I can't even taste the alcohol,' she thought as she drank. She shrugged, licking her lips to capture more of the taste. "Yeah, been watching the room a bit before venturing out," she said quietly.

"Bullshit," Carmen said with a giggle, before adding, "More like you have been eye-stalking your crush all night!"

Keri felt her face get red. "Yeah, maybe a little bit. He sure is nice to look at," she said, avoiding eye contact.

Carmen leaned in a bit to whisper into the blonde's ear. "Nothing wrong with that, not only is he nice looking, I have it on good authority that he has a heart of gold, an actual nice guy," she said before pulling back.

"Good to know, thanks for the info, I mean it."

The two of them chit-chatted for several minutes, long enough to drain their glasses and feel the effects of the alcohol. "Wow, that hits hard," Keri remarked, unable to suppress a giggle. She felt her inhibitions sliding off of her as if shedding a coat or sweater. It was a nice feeling, dissolving her anxieties and letting her open up more.

Carmen noticed the change in her demeanor, which pleased her since it meant a better experience for the evening. "I call it stealth mode," she replied, casually taking in the beautiful girl's curves. 'Fucking pity she is straight,' she thought.

Catching a glimpse of Chris on the other side of the dance floor, Carmen felt the urge to help things along for her overly shy friend. "Before the buzz wears off, let's dance, ok?" she asked, grabbing the other girl's hand.

Keri laughed. "Oh, I haven't had enough to be that brave!" she said, incredulous, but feeling too self-conscious to pull her hand away. 'Is she hitting on me or just being friendly?' she asked herself.

Carmen felt the hesitation but was having none of it. "Just trust me, your would-be boy toy is close by and your cuteness is sure to grab his attention!" she said in a reassuring voice, punctuated with a warm nonthreatening smile.

Under normal circumstances, Keri would never even consider such a thing and suspect ulterior motives, but the freeing feeling of the margarita washed that idea away completely. "Why the hell not?" she replied, letting Carmen pull her to her feet and the dance floor.

The young Latina began swaying her hips in time with the music and nodding in her friend's direction to prod the girl to copy her movements. When she hesitated, Carmen gently put her hands on Keri's hips and started guiding them. "Just like that...back...and forth...and don't read into this, I am not hitting on you," she said loudly, to overcome the noise around them both. 'Much though I would like to, but I don't push myself on anyone,' she thought.

Keri smiled and pushed her anxieties aside, letting the moment happen, and casting a sideward glance to where Chris stood a few feet away. They made eye contact, making Keri smile, and then looked away before gazing at him too long. "I think it's working," she said directly to her dance partner.

Carmen had long ago learned to look out of the corner of her eye, and she could tell that the guy was definitely looking at Keri, which made her smile and wink at her. She was so caught up in the moment that she forgot to let go of Keri who had begun dancing well on her own, but it didn't seem to be an issue so she kept it up.

As the song played, the girls laughed and carried on, letting their bodies fall under the spell of the musical beat, and just letting the motions follow. There was nothing sexual or nefarious about the moment, it was just plain clean fun and pleasing to the both of them. While the song was not unusually long, it did last a few minutes more than they expected, but when it finished, they shared a platonic hug. What's the harm in that? Unfortunately for some of the slightly inebriated horny college guys that were watching them, it got their attention in a less-than-healthy way.

There were three of them standing a couple of feet away from where Chris had been watching Keri, so he wasn't among those leering. They varied in height and build, and the guy standing in front was mostly good-looking, but they would learn moments later that his personality would render that null and void. "Damn, you girls look fucking sexy together!" he said, clearly not drunk but also feeling no pain.

"Thanks, but we're not together, she is straight," Carmen said sharply, accompanied by a glare. Keri fidgeted but stayed quiet, hoping they would go away.

"So? That's even hotter!" the loud dark-haired guy almost shouted.

Carmen knew that the guy was an idiot and not even worth talking to, but also got the impression that they were not going to leave on their own. "Look, I have no idea what your game is here..." she started to say.

"Dare you two to kiss!" he said, waving his hands enthusiastically, his equally clueless friends chiming in with boisterous whooping and hollering.

Keri felt a wave of panic stab her inside, she had no intention of participating in something like that, fearing that Carmen might agree to it because of her sexuality. 'Oh my gawd, they cannot be fucking serious, no damn way!' she shouted in her mind.

"Ummmm" she started to say, her mouth drying more by the second.

Carmen looked over at her, shaking her head, a very serious look on her face bordering on a scowl. Turning back to the gang of fools and stood up and crossed her arms. "Just because I am gay does not mean I just kiss any girl that I might find hot. What a fucking homophobic insult, you pieces of shit!" she said, almost shouting herself now.

The expression of shock and surprise, maybe even fear, flickered across their faces before the idiotic masculine bravado slipped back in. "Oh, get a damn grip, chica, it's all in fun. Fuck!" the nameless idiot retorted.

Chica. Carmen had heard the word in so many contexts, from racist conversations to casual discussions, and of course from some of the girls she had brought to orgasm with her talented tongue. Her anger burned in response, knowing that at the very least it was intended as an insult or brush off, and she had no intention of letting it slide. 'Oh am I going to call your bluff, asshole," she thought. Leaning down, she whispered in Keri's ear, "Trust me, not gonna let it happen but don't believe what I say ok?"

Keri nodded, her stomach tightening, uncertain about what her friend was up to, and naturally suspicious of her motives. Even so, she had never once pushed her to do something she did not want, so she figured it would be all right. "Okay," she whispered back.

"Good girl," Carmen said, too low for her to hear. She meant it playfully of course, but realized the meaning could easily be misinterpreted, especially in light of the circumstances. She stood upright, her arms crossed in a closed posture, and with a pose that looked positively confrontational.

"Ok, tell you what, we'll do it, but I get to say what you do when you lose, got it?"

"Fine, whatcha got?" the so-called ringleader sneered. Even his tone of voice was vile.

'You really are an idiot, you just handed me a blank check. You are in such trouble now," Carmen thought, a wicked smile forming on her full lips. "Okay then, since you dared a straight girl to kiss, then if we win, two of you guys have to kiss the same way," she said, inserting a dramatic pause for effect.

As if obeying an invisible cue, the eyes of all three guys went wide and their jaws dropped, making them look positively idiotic. The silence was deafening, just making her smile broaden even more.

"Fuck no!" one of them shouted angrily, having stayed silent until that moment.

Both Keri and Carmen burst into a perfect duet of raucous laughter in response to the vehement refusal from the formerly blustery and cocky trio. "I thought so, you chicken shit assholes, big on talk but without the balls to back it up!" the Latina said disdainfully. Feeling like a triumphant warrior princess, Carmen turned away from them and began to sit back down, thinking the matter was now all but closed.