Rebuilding Faith Ch. 13

Holding onto Faith's hand a few seconds, Kate said, "I'm sure you can't wait. It must be hard to deal with all of the stares and whispers."

Untangling her slender legs, Kate walked over and put her arms around her roommate saying, "Luce, you get out the cheese and I'll open the wine," and then leaned in for a kiss.

Lucy stiffened noticeably during the public display of affection.

"Here, let's finish my wine, before you open yours," said Faith, picking up the plastic cups from the desk and filling them.

Lucy busied herself with laying out paper plates and extracting cheese from a cooler.

Kate picked up a cup and raised it to Faith. "Here's to your health," and sipped the golden liquid. "Mm, this is good."

Faith moved over to Lucy, and handed her a cup. Then helped by unwrapping some wheat crackers and laying them out on a plate. "So, Lucy, you were in an abusive relationship?"

"Yes, I was married to a monster for three years."

"How long ago was that?"

Lucy seemed to squirm a little before answering, "Six months."

Kate moved next to Lucy, so close their legs touched as she prepared a plate. The contact would've appeared incidental, except for the way Kate rocked the leg back and forth to brush against the other woman.

Faith said, "I was attacked four days ago, and I don't think I will ever feel normal again." Pausing briefly, she asked, "How long did it take before you felt better?"

Lucy drank a few swallows of wine, before answering. "It's a gradual healing. You don't really notice you're feeling better, until one day you realize you didn't jump at a loud noise or been afraid to go out in public. It took about a month, before I started doing things without the thought of asking permission. That's when you say to yourself, 'I'm going to make it.'"

Lifting a square of cheese to Lucy's lips, Kate said, "Try this, Luce. Doesn't it taste Gouda?" and made a goofy face.

Lucy chewed. "Very Gouda!" she said, and seemed to relax a smidge.

Faith changed her mind about Kate. She wasn't domineering. She seemed sympathetic and protective. Faith decided she liked Kate.

"How did you two meet?" she asked, unconcerned about broaching the subject.

Everyone moved to a bed and sat down, Faith on one, Lucy and Kate on the other. Neither woman spoke at first. Kate tossed a cheese cube in the air and fell back, catching it in her mouth. Lucy watched and smiled at her success. Kate grinned back, laying her hand on Lucy's thigh.

"We met in the grocery store," said Lucy.

Kate sat up quickly. "Yeah, we were in the produce aisle. When I saw the way Lucy squeezed the melons, I had to have her."

Faith was caught swallowing, and spritzed wine through her nose. "Give me a warning."

They all laughed -- Lucy shyly.

There were many questions Faith wanted to ask Lucy about switching sexual orientations, but it wasn't any of her business.

'If I let myself,' Faith thought, 'I could be with a woman.'

The alcohol had lowered her inhibitions and this attractive couple tweaked her curiosity.

As she watched Kate's hand caress her friend's leg, Faith thought of Bill and missed him.

'Would I be as satisfied with a woman?' Lifting the cup for a sip, Faith considered hetero versus lesbian sex and decided, for her, loving a man was like being on the varsity team and being with a woman would be like an intramural sport. Loving a woman would have the same rules, the same outcome, but it wouldn't count. You'd shake hands when it was over and say, "That was fun. Same time next week?" But loving a man, now that's a dangerous and risky challenge, filled with intricate strategy and understanding that leads to creating a family.

For some reason, the picture of a lion tamer popped into Faith's head. 'A lion could lick your hand one minute and eat you alive the next.' Then the erotic image of Bill's face eating between her legs burst into her mind's eye. Crossing her titillated legs, Faith was confident she preferred being eaten by the lion and enjoyed the perilous liaison.

Lucy's voice broke in on her daydream. "Faith, do you want to tell us what happened to you? Would you like to talk about it?"

For the next half-hour, Faith detailed everything that'd happened to her, beginning with the death of her husband, Lou, and ending with the present. She hadn't planned on opening up and revealing everything. The wine and the sympathetic strangers combined to ease open the floodgate of her welled up pain and the story just poured out. Occasionally wiping tears and cursing her emotional weakness, Faith couldn't stem the flow. It just felt too good letting it all go.

When Faith told of being burned while trying to put out the first fire, she broke down. Lucy and Kate moved to her bed. They stroked her hair, rubbed her back and whisper sweet encouragements.

When she finished her narrative, Faith rested her head on Kate's shoulder, quietly weeping.

Lucy moved behind and massaged Faith's shoulders and neck. "Sounds like you and Bill have a wonderful future together."

"Does it?" Faith wanted to believe it was true, but life seemed so out of control, how could she be sure of anything?

Suddenly self-conscious, Faith stood. "I need to go. I'm sorry for laying all of this on you guys, when you're here to relax."

Kate and Lucy stood beside her.

Surprisingly, Lucy kissed her cheek, saying, "I invited you, remember? So relax. I'm glad you came. You're a strong woman, Faith. And it's been wonderful to meet you." She walked to the desk, and as she was writing, said, "Here's my phone number. If you ever want to talk again give me a call."

Faith took the offered paper, saying, "Thanks, Luce." Then turning, she said, "Kate, it was great to meet you. I hope you enjoy the rest of your time here."

There was a strange disappointment when Kate didn't move to kiss her goodbye. "It was nice meeting you too. I hope everything turns out well."

Once in the hallway, Faith ran to her room, emotionally drained. Safely inside the bedroom, she stripped to her panties, crawled under the covers and quickly fell into a dead sleep.

The room was dark when Faith's eyes fluttered open again. The smell of food woke her. Smiling, she thought, 'Bill's back.' After stretching and assessing her physical condition, she wandered into the bathroom and washed up. Leaving her panties on the tile floor, Faith put on a robe, before strolling downstairs to greet her lion.

Bill sat at the table, eating pizza. The overhead light cast shadows across his face. His smile looked tired.

"Hi, Babe," said Bill.

"Hi, Leo."

"Leo? Why am I Leo?"

"Because you're a lion," she answered, as she pulled the small table away from him.

"Okay..." he replied, in a slightly confused tone.

'He needs me,' thought Faith, moving around to his side.

Any lion tamer worth their whip knows how to use a chair for training purposes and Leo was already sitting on one. She took advantage of the opportunity.

"Welcome home," Faith cooed, spreading her legs to straddling his lap. She cupped his face with both hands, and her lips lavished it with kisses. He tasted deliciously like sausage and mushrooms.

While Faith nuzzled into his neck, Leo asked, "Is this like shooting off a flare? Because this sure feels hot like a flare, but I don't want to get my signals crossed."

Untying the robe and exposing her body seemed answer enough.

His hands cupped her bottom and squeezed playfully, before they slid up her back to massage.

While he carnivorously nibbled her collarbone and neck, Faith's hands worked to open the button on his pants. Dismounting his lap, she commanded, "Stand up."

He did, baring his teeth.

Shamelessly, Faith stripped every vestige of human apparel from him and then dropped her robe to become equally animal. She pushed him, and he sat. She sat on him, and he held her. She slipped sideways onto one hairy thigh and rubbed her sex against it while her mouth controlled his mouth, her tongue battled with his tongue for dominance. Pressing her palms against his chest, Faith toyed with his nipples.

Following her lead he fondled hers, too gently.

"Harder," she commanded.

Bolts of hot pleasure shot to her clitoris, as the excitement increased under his obedient pinching and squeezing, the bruises contributing an exotic twinge.

Leo's erection had sprung up between them.

Faith repositioned herself to rub against it, making the shaft slippery. The arousal from room 205 rekindled, and added fuel to the current fire burning in her belly. Grabbing his shaft, she impaled herself. Momentarily resting her head on his shoulder, Faith enjoyed the fullness, as he petted her, hugged her, loved her.

When her cool tears drip onto his skin, he stopped. "Are you okay, Babe?"

Quickly, Faith pulled his mouth to hers in answer, while slowly lifting from his lap and then dropping, beginning warm ups. 'Who's the animal here?' crossed her mind.

Tiptoed on the floor, she repeated the lift and drop motion, just a little faster. Abruptly, two helping hands cradled her seat, fondled her flesh, and assisted in the next lift and drop.

Nose to nose, she praised, "Oooh, Leo, you are such a good fucking lion," the reward integral to any successful lesson.

Leo growled in her ear and bit her lobe, his paws still worked in unison with her legs to increase the ferocity of their coupling.

Faith's legs began to ache. "This feels unbelievably good, but I'm getting tired."

Leo, sensing weakness, did what all lions do -- attack. Clutching her to his chest, he stood and sat her on the table edge, never leaving her body. He was dominant now, and she knew the end would soon come, as he pressed in and out, clawing her breasts, scratching her clitoris.

And then he was gone.

"Awww, don't stop, Sweetie," she groaned.

Faith looked down, just as Leo's mouth descended between her splayed legs. He was eating her. His claws were inside, digging into the core of her. The sensations overwhelming, Faith gave up. The end came and she screamed in shuddering fulfillment.

But the lion wasn't satisfied.

When the waves of climax ceased, Leo stood over her, pulled her up and carried her remains to his lair. The couch felt soothing after the hard tabletop, as she sank into the cushions and he sank into her wet folds. Still hungry, he tasted her breasts and savored the feminine flesh.

Knowing escape was impossible; Faith hastened the end by clutching the lion's hips, forcing him to pump faster, faster, faster, until she felt it again. The niggling tingle grew and grew, and suddenly peaked in another explosive release, shooting out to encompass her entire being.

And then the lion roared -- a loud magnificent satisfying sound.