Marnie

Marnie sucked harder for breath, feeling the humid air of her breath against her face. Pamela's breasts felt surprisingly comforting in this stressful situation. The soft flesh was baby soft. Pamela's breathing quickened and became irregular. She ran her hands through Marnie's curly red hair, capturing a ringlet between two fingers and watching the hair slip through her fingers. This was Pamela's nirvana, being serviced by a beautiful Irish nymph, and holding all the cards.

"Oh yes ... kitten ... yes there ... finger Mommy's pussy ... you ... you ... you slut ... no ... don't stop that ... yes ..."

The wide girth of her hips lifted off her desk chair, her back arched.

"Yes ... yes ... oh fuck ..." Pamela exhorted as she felt a powerful twitching sensation in her pelvis. She was going to cum, and cum hard. She let go of Marnie's head and used her hands to grip the wrist of Marnie's busy hand.

"Fuck Mommy ... " she implored as her head started to expand. There was a cloudburst on the horizon.

"Oh kitten ... " she sighed as an intense wave of pleasure washed back and forth, the joyous blackmailer now cupping Marnie's heavy tits, still inside the student's blouse. Marnie felt rippling muscle contractions against her fingers, and a fresh flood of pussy juice flowing out of Pamela's gaping cunt. Marnie tried not to enjoy that moment, but her body betrayed her intent, and she felt a pang of guilty pleasure as Pamela writhed in orgasm.

As the orgasm subsided, they both froze, wondering what just happened. Pamela came to her senses first.

"You need to go."

Pamela was quickly dressed and checking her make-up while Marnie finished gathering her things and scurrying out, feeling soiled and used.

* * * * *

Chapter Seven

The Uneasy Truce

"So what's Lauren like?" asked Fiona. She was sitting with her best friend at the bar, polishing glasses for the evening crowd. Fiona had started working at the bar when Marnie started back at school, taking some of her shifts. They worked together on the weekends.

Marnie hadn't told anybody about what happened with Pamela Wentworth. She still couldn't believe it herself. She was still trying to figure out if she could do anything. After all, as Wentworth said, it would be her word against Pamela's, and with Wentworth being the department chair with impeccable credentials, including a position on the University's executive committee, she had no doubt who would win. She wanted to tell Fiona, but was embarrassed and unsure.

"Huh?" said Marnie, not remembering the question.

"Dr. Byrne."

"Oh," she said, trying to regain her composure and trying not to cry and talk about Pamela Wentworth. "Really nice. Umm ... super smart. Well spoken ... heavy Boston accent. We hit it off from the beginning," Marnie finally offered.

Fiona thought her friend was distracted, which was unusual for her. "What does she look like?"

Marnie picked up her phone and pulled up Lauren's faculty picture.

"She's pretty," Fiona observed. Taking the opportunity to probe once again at her friend's sexuality, she added, "So do you think she's hot?"

Not wanting to take the bait, Marnie responded as flatly as possible. "She's good looking for a forty year old. But this is a professional relationship. It isn't like that Fee," Marnie insisted, using the nickname most of Fiona's friends used.

"Right," said Fiona, drawing out the word. She could tell Marnie wasn't telling everything.

"How hot?" Fiona asked, not letting go of the point.

"I told you ... I'm not like that," said Marnie. She glared at her friend, telling her that part of the discussion was over.

* * * * *

With Pamela Wentworth's permission secured, Lauren and Marnie scheduled their first work session together in Lauren's office. It had been almost a week since the incident, and Marnie was overly anxious, not having told anyone about Wentworth's extortion. She was fidgeting in the guest chair in Lauren's office as her mentor reviewed Marnie's work plan for her dissertation.

Lauren finished reading the plan and put it down on her desk.

"Looks good Marnie. I think we can go with this."

She couldn't help but comment on Marnie's mental state.

"But you don't look good at all. It looks like you haven't slept in days."

Lauren was right. After the episode with Pamela Wentworth, Marnie felt like she was sitting on pins and needles and hadn't slept well over the past week. She felt like she was going to explode, and suddenly let it all go.

"I haven't." She started to sniffle, holding back tears. "My meeting with Wentworth ..." She struggled to continue.

"Yes, your meeting with Wentworth," Lauren filled in. "I thought it went well. She agreed to designate me as your advisor. I'm sure you were as surprised as I am."

"She ... she ... sort of blackmailed me."

"What?"

Then it all came out. Being late for the appointment. The decision to either defer for a full year or submit to Pamela Wentworth's demands. A graphic description of the "sex" they had. Lauren listened to her story, her mouth agape.

"We need to get that bitch," Lauren concluded after hearing the entire story. Her temper was hot.

"I know Lauren. That was my reaction too. But think about this. It's her word against mine. Who do you think will win that battle?"

Lauren took a deep breath. "She will."

"That's right. And you're not exactly in a position to help me, with Simone's story about your play session in your office. I think everyone in the department thinks that you're morally loose."

"You're right," Lauren conceded. "But it's not over yet."

"Perhaps not, but I think we just move forward. I'm so glad I finally told someone. It was weighing on me. I think I should work with you to finish my dissertation and we should both avoid Wentworth. Maybe someday she'll leave an opening so she can get her just desserts."

"OK," Lauren said with reluctance. Her instinct was to fight, but Marnie's reasoning was compelling.

"Let me just put it out there. I think there's an attraction between us. I know there is. We need to cool it. There's no need to give Wentworth any more ammunition that she already has."

"Agreed."

In their hearts, neither of them believed they could stay apart.

* * * * *

As Marnie got deeper into the school year her time at the pub lessened to allow her more time for her research. Working with Lauren, Marnie had decided to write her dissertation on the influence of literary activism on the women's suffrage movement. Marnie ended up spending many late nights using the school's extensive library and its computers, which had secure access to other libraries as well as its own. The episode with Wentworth was still a raw nerve for Marnie, but now that Lauren knew, she at least had someone to commiserate with, which made it easier to keep bottled up inside her.

Fiona had now taken most of Marnie's shifts, and enjoyed the time there as a welcome relief from her monotonous job at the postal sorting center. She was not only working at the bar, but was also waiting on tables and even taking some kitchen duties. Her presence was invaluable, as the two brothers were often short-handed. The best friends now rarely saw each other, and Marnie's interactions were more with Lauren than there were with Fiona.

Marnie spent more time at the University, accessing books, articles and papers that weren't available on the internet. Most of the books were rare, and were kept in a locked cage on the second floor of the library. It had been two months since she started, and having decided on a topic, she was eager to complete her research.

They met "by chance" on the second floor. Marnie was sitting at a table with a pile of books heaped in front of her and Lauren came plodding up the circular metal staircase.

"Marnie. Fancy seeing you here."

Their meeting wasn't an accident. Lauren knew that Marnie went to the library around seven and it was half past seven. She was tempting fate, and she knew it.

"I'm always here. That is when I'm not at the pub. I need some the books that are here. Plus the internet connection is lightening quick. It crawls at the pub and at my house." She smiled at the seeming happy coincidence.

Lauren told herself not to say anything more. Somehow her brain was overruled.

"I'm heading over to the cage. Need anything?" she asked nonchalantly, hoping Marnie would say no.

There wasn't an assistant on that floor. If Marnie wanted something, she'd have to go to the ground floor and locate a librarian who had a key. All faculty members had keys.

Marnie thought for a moment. There was something that was cited in an article she was just reading. She thought there was a collection of out of print magazines that might have it.

"Sure. As long as you're here, I can take a quick look."

Marnie followed Lauren to an aisle of bookshelves. They went through a narrow passageway with shelves of books higher than they could reach. They arrived at a wire mesh door that protected a secure area containing the library's most valuable books.

Lauren pulled out a keychain with at least twenty keys on it.

"Damn, they give you keys for everything here. I don't know ..."

Marnie gripped Lauren's wrist. Lauren fought with herself. Not to give in.

"Here," Marnie said, picking the key out of the bunch, temporarily breaking the mood. She recognized the shape from having been through that door so many times. She didn't let go of Lauren's wrist. Lauren didn't try to pull it away.

Marnie felt the sense of the forbidden. Lauren was off limits. But she wanted her. And not being allowed to have her made her want her more. Any thoughts about Pamela Wentworth, and the trouble they were flirting with, were a million miles away.

They looked at each other, this time longer than before, and Lauren leaned forward and kissed Marnie on the lips. Marnie's lips parted, inviting more, and their tongues touched for a moment before Lauren pulled away. It wasn't before they both felt the sizzle.

"No ... this isn't right ..." Lauren said, coming to her senses. She knew it was against department policy to fraternize with a student, and she also knew her passion could easily overwhelm reason. Suddenly the specter of Pamela Wentworth became real to her.

"You're right," said Marnie, much more caught up in the moment but also realizing it wasn't the right thing to do. But it didn't feel wrong ... kissing a woman ... it felt right. It felt so right she wanted to do it again. Lauren had already stepped away, chiding herself for taking a stolen kiss.

Marnie went to retrieve the periodical she was seeking, her heart thumping wildly in her chest.

* * * * *

Chapter Eight

Breaking the Ice

Their first meeting after the encounter in the library was stiff and awkward. Neither wanted to acknowledge the strong attraction to the other and neither wanted to contemplate the dreadful consequences of giving in their darker urges. Lauren already went through a painful divorce as a result of her impulsiveness and lack of good judgment and didn't want to reprise that role at the hands of Pamela Wentworth. Marnie had sacrificed plenty for the opportunity to earn her PhD, wanting more than ever to finish as an homage to her deceased parents. She too didn't want to give Wentworth any more leverage than she already had.

But of course it goes against the true nature of people with strong feelings for another to suppress ... to deny. Those emotions couldn't be held in check forever, but Lauren and Marnie did their utmost to bottle up their feelings for one another. During that meeting they kept their discussion to Marnie's dissertation and dispensed with the usual small talk. They avoided eye contact. They kept their physical distance. The tension was palpable. They left the meeting proud that they had been good, but also feeling a deep emptiness, as if they had denied themselves something special.

Weeks passed. Lauren let her mind wander when she was meeting with Marnie, imagining what it would be like to kiss her again, to taste her, and to sate her repressed hunger. Marnie could sense Lauren's attraction to her, making her skin prickle as if she was being experiencing a low voltage electric current. Yet nothing transpired -- only pursed lips and halting goodbyes.

The icy relationship continued until the sun warmed the rain soaked city. It was during Dalkey's annual authors' festival, where well-regarding local authors gave impromptu readings from their latest works, and booksellers from all over Ireland gathered to set up temporary stalls filled with hard to find volumes. Streets were closed for the fair, including the street on which the Ramblers End was located. It was a busy time for the pub, with people crammed in and flowing out into the street. Marnie was manning the bar when a familiar figure came in.

"Lauren!" Marnie called out over the throng packed into the pub, waving her hand. Lauren craned her neck and spotted Marnie. The American pushed her way through the crowd toward the bar. She squeezed into an empty barstool between two burly men.

"Marnie ... so this is your pub," she half shouted over the din.

"Not exactly mine, but my brothers do own it. Why're you here?"

Marnie had time to look at her visitor more carefully as Lauren put her purchases on the floor. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a pony tail. She was wearing a pale yellow cashmere sweater and tight fitting jeans. She looked more like a college co-ed than a college professor. The excitement of the day and the moment made Lauren irresistible.

"I'm interested in the authors' festival," she said in a raised voice. "Thought I'd come in and get a drink before I go back."

"Get anything?"

Lauren leaned over and retrieved a popular book by a local author from her striped canvas bag, showing it to Marnie as if she was holding a trophy.

"First edition ... nice," said Marnie. Then a thought popped into her head, and she started talking before thinking through the potential consequences. Lauren wasn't the only one who was occasionally impulsive.

"My grandmother left my family a small cottage about an hour south of here, not far from the water. It's great for hiking, and we can also get a nice view of the water on the way down." Marnie paused so she could assess Lauren's reaction. "Are you interested in seeing it sometime?"

Marnie realized the import of what she was saying as she said it. It was too late to take it back.

Lauren was surprised by the offer because she knew what was likely to happen, but her good mood and Marnie's thoughtful (and tempting) offer was too good to pass up. "I'd very much like that."

So much for restraint. Now they'd have to keep their hands off each other in one of the most romantic settings in Ireland. Marnie had to make good on her promise, but truth be told they had been dancing around their attraction to one another and there was only one good way to find out.

The teacher and student sat silent for a moment in an island surrounded by a wall of sound. They were both thinking about giving in, and what it would be like to make love.

Their reverie was interrupted by Fiona. She was serving a nearby table and spotted Marnie talking to who she surmised to be Lauren. From the back, Lauren displayed a classic figure. As Fiona approached, she was taken by Lauren's stunningly good looks.

Fiona edged closer and Lauren pivoted in her stool to see a young heavier set barmaid.

Fiona extended her hand in friendship. "Lauren?"

"Why yes," said the blonde.

Fiona wiped her hands on a dish towel tucked into the waistband of her pants and studied Marnie's friend.

"Ahhh ... the Dr. Lauren Byrne ... I'm Fiona. My friends call me Fee."

"Please to meet you Fee. So my fame precedes me," Lauren responded in jest.

"Marnie's told me all about you."

Marnie was leaning on the bar, lovestruck. The look wasn't lost on Fiona.

"So how's the fair?" Fiona studied Lauren's clear blue eyes.

"It's been fun. I want to go back out there. Good young authors. I'm impressed."

Fiona could see her customer waving to get her attention.

"Good meeting you." Fiona went back to the table she was waiting on, wondering if there was something between the two of them. She saw the way Marnie looked at Lauren. She hadn't seen that look before. Marnie usually shared everything, but she was uncharacteristically tight lipped about Dr. Byrne.

Marnie looked out the plate glass window to the street. Even though it was starting to get dark, the street was packed with people with festival lights now illuminating the numerous stalls. Marnie wanted Lauren to stay, and it wasn't a hard sell.

"Why don't you hang for a bit. I'll get you a local beer and you have to try one of our meat pies."

Guinness had been patrolling for food dropped on the floor and found his way to Lauren, wedging his blocky head between her and the bar. His wet nose was extended up above the bar top, searching for a pat on the head or a scrap of food.

"I guess there's somebody else who wants to say hello," Lauren said with a giggle, opting to rub the chocolate lab's snout.

"Meet Guinness, the newest addition to our family," Marnie said with pride.

He licked her hand in gratitude. She patted the top of his flat head.

"So how about it ... the meat pie I mean?" Marnie asked, refocusing the conversation after a doggie break.

Lauren thought for a moment before giving in. "Sure. I'd love to try it."

Marnie put down a placemat and a set of silverware. Lauren scooted up closer on her barstool.

"I'll be back in a minute," said Marnie, eager to please her guest. Her attraction to Lauren was fierce, and the upbeat atmosphere only made it stronger.

There were a half dozen meat pies in the oven. Marnie picked up one with a pair of tongs and put it on a plate. She put her nose next to it. Savory notes from the cubed steak and potatoes floated up through the slits in the flaky pastry crust.

Marnie came out of the kitchen and immediately noticed that Lauren had taken off her sweater, revealing a sheer blouse, with two buttons unbuttoned, and generous cleavage revealed. Marnie ignored the distraction and put the plate in front of Lauren. "These are made by a local shop. It's a specialty from this area."

Lauren looked at the forked edges of the golden brown pastry and inhaled the rich, appetizing aromas.

"It smells and looks delicious."

Marnie drew a pint of their local ale to accompany the meat pie.

"Enjoy," she told Lauren. She tried to watch her eat, but her eyes wandered to Lauren's blouse, which revealed a fine sheen of sweat on the exposed skin between her two generously sized breasts. Lauren couldn't help but notice the focal point of Marnie's eyes.

Blaine called for Marnie. She stepped away, and before long she was immersed in the crush of people crowding into the pub. Aidan and Blaine were both there, as well as Fiona, but even with all four they couldn't keep up. Marnie finally had a temporary slow spell and went back to check on her friend. The two men on either side of her were unabashed in staring at the beautiful woman sitting between them, filtered sunlight giving her fine blonde hair a luminescent appearance. Marnie tried to be calm, but she could already hear the blood rushing in her ears.

"So how's the food?" she asked, wiping her hands clean on a bar towel, and trying to stay calm.

Lauren pointed to her empty plate. "The meat pie was fantastic. Thank you." Marnie saw that the pint was gone as well. Her body was reacting in ways she didn't understand. She had to tell herself to breathe normally.

"Umm ... you liked it?" she asked, somewhat tongue tied.

"I really did. I loved the flakiness of the crust and the rich flavor of the meat."