Road Trip: Musikfest, PA (revised)

I saw a TV ad about Musikfest, a 10-day celebration of music held in downtown Bethlehem, PA, in early August. I went online to learn more. A band was performing, the Rob Stoneback Big Band, that I had heard and danced to before and enjoyed. It is a "brassy" band that plays "tight" music. Its leader, Bob Stoneback, is an outstanding trombonist and music arranger. They would be playing in early afternoon, mid-week. Dancing was encouraged. I decided to attend. It is a short drive, about 45 miles, from my home over good roads.

I like to dance, jitterbug/East Coast swing, Fox Trot and slow dance, to the big band music of the 1940s and 50s. The music sets a mood rather than makes a statement, as does most of today's music. I enjoy being in the arms of a dance partner, man or woman, who can lead or follow well. I have learned how to do both. When the mood of the music is right, I can lose myself in the moment.

Upon arriving at Musikfest, I found the venue a ballroom setting, the band in front, a dancing area, and tables, in a solid row, angled out in a sunray pattern, seats on both sides. I arrived early enough to have my pick of seats where I could see the band without interference and be readily accessible to the dance floor.

The room filled quickly.

When I saw the young woman enter, I was awestruck. Something about her resonated within my whole being, my body and my mind. We made eye contact. I smiled. The young woman smiled in return and started walking towards me. My heart began to beat faster.

She sat down in the seat next to me. She extended her right hand. "I'm Naomi."

A few years back, I had thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail. In Hiawassee, GA, I shared a room in the Holiday Inn with three other women thru-hikers. By morning we had all become close friends, very close friends, intimate friends. We continued to enjoy one another along the Trail as we hiked northbound. I like women especially those who can keep me in an orgasmic state for an extended period.

I shivered, hopefully, not noticeably, as I extended my hand. "I'm Stacey."

It wasn't a quick handshake. Neither of us seemed eager to take our hand away. I know I wasn't. It was only when we sensed others watching us, did we part hands. I was confused. Something was happening that was new and different, something, for me, which seemed "good".

"Strange," Naomi offered.

"Yes." I uttered.

I was aware of such things happening. A friend of mine had described some experiences that he had had. He claimed that one could radiate energy that will resonate within another very much like how a radio receiver works. His experiences he shared were compelling.

The band was introduced and began to play.

Sitting next to one another, we watched and listened as they played their first number. Some people had gone out to dance. When the band began to play their second number and I recognized the song as one that I enjoy dancing to, I turned to Naomi, "Would you like to dance?"

Naomi, smiling warmly, rose from her seat and offered her hand to me. "Lead or follow?" she asked.

"Well, since I asked you, I'll lead this time. You can lead next. OK?"

"Nice to see that you go both ways." She was grinning.

The tempo was medium. Early on in the dance, I led Naomi into a throw out move. Upon coming back together, though, Naomi took me in her arms and held me in the closed position as the leader. For the next few moves, Naomi led before I took the lead again. We kept changing leader/follower roles throughout the dance. Each time we transitioned smoothly between leading and following. We were smiling broadly and, oftentimes, one of us laughed aloud. I was enjoying myself. I was happy. When the music ended, we walked back to our chairs holding hands. For me, it seemed the natural thing to do.

When we returned to our seats, a woman from across the table, leaned over, "You're wonderful to watch. It is obvious that you enjoy dancing with one another."

"Thank you. Yes, I do very much." Naomi responded.

She looked at me, winked and smiled.

We continued dancing like that until the end of the performance. We danced nearly every dance. I loved it.

I couldn't stop myself, though. Naomi felt so good in my arms. When the tempo was slow, I brought Naomi into me very tightly. I led with my right thigh pressing against her mons. When the tempo had been faster, I held her far enough away that our breasts would rub against one together. She didn't resist. She smiled whenever my lead was pronounced or our breasts rubbed lightly. Dancing like that always arouses me. I have to remember to put a mini-pad in the crotch of my panties. I really get wet when I'm aroused and don't like wearing wet panties. The gusset of my panties bunches up and rubs my clit. It becomes a constant distraction.

Late into the performance, we danced to a romantic, slow song. I held her tightly, my thigh forcibly against her mons. As we danced, I felt her body shudder and she felt heavy in my arms for several seconds.

She whispered into my ear "Nasty, nasty you."

I whispered back, "nasty good or nasty bad?"

"Nasty good" and she kissed me lightly near my ear.

I pulled her in even more tightly.

After the performance, we went to the Pavilion, bought a pint of Yuengling larger each, sat, and talked.

While walking to the Pavilion, I noticed that she had some discomfort walking. As soon as we found a place to sit, she excused herself to go the Ladies room. On her return, she walked more comfortably. She seemed to be grasping something in her hand.

"That's better," she declared, handing me what was in her hand. "These are for you." They were her panties bunched up. A "shit eating" grin filled her face.

"I know the feeling," I quipped. "That's why I always wear a mini-pad when I go dancing. I can't dance like that without getting wet myself."

"Just wait until next time," she threatened jokingly.

We shared our personal stories. There seemed to be an urgency in both of us to share. I know that I felt it.

Naomi began. "I attended Lehigh University here in Bethlehem, receiving my Masters in Information Technologies. In my senior year, I started a company to help local businesses have presence on the Web. We design, install and support Web sites. My company is successful. We now provide services to companies in nearby Allentown and Easton. I have a staff of six. My life revolves around my company and living in the city."

I shared my story. "I was married but divorced when my husband wanted a child and I was unsure if the life style I was living was the one I wanted. A few years later I thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail, 2160 miles in 5 months, during which I was introduced to girl-girl sex. I liked it and now pursue it. I maintained a blog while hiking the Trail that led to an offer to write a book about my experiences. The book was successful. Now, I write travel pieces as a freelance writer. I travel extensively in my minivan, either car or tent camping. I like the ambience of camping and not being bound by motel reservations. When I camp in my minivan, I don't cover the windows. Sometimes during the night, I'll awake and lay on the cot looking out the windows up at the stars. I'm awed by the immensity of it all when I see the Milky Way. The longest road trip I've taken is 17,000 miles in 54 days to Alaska via Yosemite NP. Hiking, camping and road-tripping are important to me."

When I finished, Naomi asked, "Are you a lesbian?"

"No, I'm bi. I enjoy the company of men. I enjoyed lovemaking with my husband. I enjoy sex especially with women. I've found that I can have emotions for a woman as strong as I can for a man. I loved by husband." And, looking Naomi firmly in her eyes, added, "I feel strongly about you."

"What about you?" I asked.

"What about 'me' what?" asked Naomi.

"Are you bi?"

"I don't know. I've been intimate with men and women, not that many women, but enough to appreciate the difference. What I've found is that I'm drawn to women. There is something about women that I feel deeply. When we made eye contact earlier, I felt something that I've never felt before. I'm open." She was smiling warmly.

We each reached out to squeeze the other's hand, palm-in-palm.

We are about the same height and build, reasonably attractive. There is no question in my mind that when we are dressed to the "nines", we each would turn heads in a room of both men and women.

We spent the rest of the afternoon and into the evening going to different music venues. We walked close to one another oftentimes holding hands. It is not that our hands accidently touched but one would search out the others.

As we would look at one another every now and then, it was obvious to both of us that there was something between us and we both liked it. I know that I wanted it. I was happy for it.

At the end of the night, as we were parting, I leaned in and kissed Naomi on her cheek. As I turned to leave, Naomi placed her hand on my forearm, "Would you like to come down on Saturday and stay the night? There is a group performing Saturday evening, the Slicked Up Nines. I think you'd enjoy them. They play swing danceable music. If you come down early enough, we could drive up to the AT and hike. Sunday, if you want, we could hike out of Hamburg Reservoir to the Pinnacle."

I recalled the section of the AT from Lehigh Gap to Little Gap, about five miles. I had enjoyed hiking it. "I'd love to, what time would be good to come down?"

"About 10," and handing me her phone, adding, "put your phone number in and I'll send you directions to my place."

When I handed Naomi her phone back I followed it with a hug and a brief lip-on-lip kiss. When we broke it, we both wore happy smiles.

Secretly I was hoping that Sunday would be spent in bed.

On my drive home, I felt a "lightness of being". I was elated. Naomi later told me that she seemed to skip home with a definite bounce in her step.

Saturday, we both enjoyed being outside together doing a reasonably challenging activity. Hiking is not a handholding opportunity. Upon returning to her apartment, our relationship jumped forward.

I took the first shower. As I was showering, Naomi came into the bathroom looking for something. She was wearing a long shirt.

"Did you come to join me?" I asked. I was teasing her if nothing else.

Naomi paused for a moment and slipping off her shirt, smilingly responded "Yes! I was hoping for an invitation."

I didn't feel that she really was but I surely wouldn't deny myself the company.

She entered the shower and we stood facing one another under the showerhead, eyes locked upon the others as the water cascaded down our bodies cleansing the world from them.

I slowly washed her shoulders and breasts with soapy bare hands, gliding them smoothly over her skin as she did the same to me, all the while locking eyes. It wasn't sexual. It was an act of communion.

She pulled me to her, coming together in a slippery hug. I felt her soapy breasts caressing mine. We kissed committedly, not lustfully, fully recognizing the intimacy of the moment. The water cascaded over our heads, anointing our togetherness.

We didn't dally in the shower. There would be time later to get to "know" one another better.

Over dinner, we discussed our individual situation. We both quickly recognized and accepted that our life styles were different. I am a "meanderer"; she is a "city girl". My time is my own; she is bounded by the needs of her company. We both recognized and admitted that we had feelings for the other that were more profound than any that we had had with anyone else. Neither of us could explain why but we knew that we wanted to continue somehow.

"When I was going through my divorce, I became aware of the concept of 'living apart together'. It is when a couple who are in a committed relationship, live apart. We live about 45 miles apart and there are good roads connecting us."

"That would work for me," Naomi offered, "but there is another thing. I have a few relationships within the area that I would like to continue. Do you have any with women that you'd like to continue?"

"Yes," I said.

Neither of us was seeking a monogamous relationship but we both wanted a relationship.

"What about a polyamorous relationship?" broached Naomi, "Are you familiar with polyamory?"

"Yes, what are you thinking?"

"Our relationship would be the primary one and we could each have secondary relationships. Is it worth a try?"

I reached out and brought us together in a full body hug and we kissed deeply and prolongedly. The kiss answered the question for each of us.

We went forth to celebrate our union dancing to the music of the Slicked Up Nines on the street in front of Hotel Bethlehem.

As we walked to downtown, I asked, "When you entered the ballroom the other day, did you experience anything strange?"

"Yes, it was strange, very strange. I looked around the room to determine where I was going to sit. As I scanned the room, I saw you. You didn't realize it, I'm sure, but from where I was standing, there were rays of sunshine illuminating the area behind you. When we made eye contact and you smiled, I felt like I was ensnared by a net of energy that pulled me towards you. When our hands touched, I tingled. I didn't want to release your hand. What about you?"

"When I saw you, I was awestruck. I felt energy throughout my body and mind. When we were about to shake hands, I shivered."

We were walking holding hands. We squeezed each other's more tightly recognizing that something special brought us together.

The Slicked Up Nines were everything that Naomi said they would be. When we danced, we continued to change leader/follower roles with every dance. We were laughing. Every dance was ended with a brief kiss. When Naomi led to a slow tempo number, she led me with her thigh pressed into my mons and moved me so that our breasts rubbed.

"Now, who's being nasty?" I teased.

She chuckled. We both had remembered to insert mini-pads into our panties.

She pulled me more firmly against her thigh.

During a break in the music, an elderly man came up to us, politely intruding, and told us how he and his companions, as well as others in the audience, were enjoying watching us. We both leaned in and kissed him on his cheek, Naomi on his left, me on his right. He left smiling. I was sharing my happiness with him.

The music began again. We were aware now that people were watching us. They all wore happy faces. At the end of the dance, we kissed but this time with a lot more passion. There was applause. We turned towards them, raised our outside hands high in the air, our inside hands were grasping the others tightly, and we mouthed, "Thank you."

While the night was young, I wanted to express my feeling physically, sexually. All the dancing, with our bodies touching and pressed against the other, only heightened my needs and wants. As soon as the Slicked Up Nines finished their performance, we rushed back to Naomi's place. As soon as the front door closed, we began stripping as we headed to the bedroom. We fell onto the bed together hugging and passionately kissing one another. I had a hunger. It would be a week or two before we'd be together again. I wanted as much physical love making as I could give and get.

As we kissed, our hands sensually caressed the other's back and facing side ultimately finding their way to the other's pussy. Our fingers gently explored the other.

While continuing to kiss passionately, our breasts mashed together, we fingered each other to an orgasm. We came quickly. We had consummated our union. We fell to sleep holding one another tightly.

About an hour later, Naomi awoke, untangled herself from me and went to the bathroom. Upon her return, she found me awake with the covers turned down and my arms held out and open. "Come my love, my lover."

Naomi sat on the edge of the bed and leaned in as I captured her into my arms and brought her down into a deep kiss. She sank into the kiss. As the kissing continued, she brought her body into the bed lying atop of me. I rolled her onto her back, lying across her chest.

"Let me show you how much I love you, how much I need you, how much I want you," I whispered to her.

I kissed her lightly, purposefully on her face, first, on the tip of her nose that evoked a small giggle from her, then, upon her eyes. I nestled my lips against her ear before inserting the tip of my tongue. I followed that with gentle nips on her earlobe before flicking them with my tongue, as I would later do to her aroused nipples. She murmured. I then bit her chin gently. She moaned.

She pushed my head away and looked at me with a serious face. She pulled my face down and kissed me hard. She pushed her tongue into my mouth. Our tongues met and caressed one another's. We continued kissing until I sensed her growing needs from how she was pushing and grinding her body against mine.

I knew where I was going. I just did a little detour.

I kissed down her chest. Arriving between her breasts, I kissed over one to her nipple and brought her nipple and her areola into my mouth sucking on them strongly. I dragged upon them until only her nipple was in my mouth. With my lips hiding my teeth, I bit hard on it until she pulled away. I released it and after a second or two, did it again, continuing until I saw that her nipple was fully engorged and red. I flicked it with my tongue as I had done to her earlobe.

Her breathing and murmurs guided me. She is easy to read. I then did the same to her other breast.

My next stop was her lower abdomen. I had intended to pass it by but when I realized how sensitive it was from the way she flinched, I decided to visit it to build her sexual energy. It was close enough to her womb, an energy center, a "chakra". Considering what a woman's womb accomplishes, to fill it with sexual energy and then release that energy in an orgasm is awesome. I caressed her lower abdomen with my lips and cheeks, skin-on-skin.

When I arrived at her pussy, she pushed it into my face. She sat up a bit to be able to grab the back of my head and pull it into her. I engulfed it into my mouth but waited until she eased up a bit on my head.

Then with the tip of my tongue, I began to trace lightly along her labia beginning at the bottom, working up, around and down. I did it again but this time, lightly sucking on her labia and then again but sucking harder to engorge them as I did her nipples. I traced just inside the labia with the tip of my tongue. When I arrived at her clit, I circled it with the tip of my tongue and caressed the nerve sheath. When I sensed that she wanted her clit touched, I responded. She moaned. She was ready! I give her clit and the area around it my complete attention. She started rambling telling me how good it felt, here, there and anywhere that I caressed. She convulsed into one of the more muscle wrenching orgasms that I've ever enabled. I smiled inwardly.

I scooted up and held her. We fell off to sleep.

When we awoke next, it was mid-morning. We were hungry. We were hungry for food and, still, for each other. As we prepared a simple breakfast, we couldn't help but touch or caress one another whenever it was convenient. On one hand it was to answer the question "Is this real or am I dreaming?" and, on the other, to tell the other "I want you. I'm patiently waiting."

After breakfast, we moved into the living room. The sun was shining in. We sat on the couch in the sun.

We sat in a corner, Naomi in the back, me in front snuggling against her. We were naked. She nestled her face into my neck. I felt her warm breath on my neck and ear. Her arms were wrapped around me, her hands having free reign to meander, as she'd like. One hand was lightly caressing my lower abdomen and, with the other, she played with my pussy. She wasn't focused. She softly exclaimed, "Wow, you're wet!"