Seducing Zoe Pt. 01

THE WOMAN ACROSS THE ROAD

Seeing as many of us are quarantined, (including myself) I've been able to sit at home and write to my heart's content. I hope you are all doing well and getting by as best you can, and without further do let's get on with the story. This one is set in Melbourne in the present day and the character Stella who is mentioned is the same Stella from one of my earlier Literotica stories, Delicate Touches. She will make a reappearance in part two.

NB: An op shop is an opportunity shop, also known as a charity shop or thrift store.

Shaima.

Lisa stared at the letter in front of her. It had been brought in from the letterbox along with three other letters, one was a phone bill, another was an invitation to update her house insurance and the third was from the local Liberal candidate standing for the seat of Casey in Melbourne's outer eastern suburbs. She'd already binned the latter, she had never voted Conservative in her life and had no intention of changing tack now. The insurance offer could wait until she was good and ready to look at her finances and come to a decision.

The one she'd opened first however was from Rita, the woman who'd walked out of her life in order to 'get my head together.' Judging by the tone of the letter she'd done more than that, she'd found someone else. Kelly was a mutual friend, scratch that, an ex friend now, as far as Lisa was concerned. Rita had moved into Kelly's spare room and just to give her space, Lisa had stopped dropping in on Kelly. Back then Kelly had been happily straight and seeing a guy or guys, she'd never inquired too deeply into Kelly's love life. But three months with Rita had changed all of that and Rita was at great pains to point out that it was early days.

Lisa raised her eyes as she heard crunching on the gravel strip in the driveway. Saying it was just early days was Rita's way of asking her to leave a light on in case things didn't work out. Her eyes flickered to the insurance blurb and with a sigh she picked it up and tore it open.

"God grant me the fucking serenity," she pulled the brochure out of the envelope.

Just as she started reading the doorbell rang and she glanced up, wishing she'd opened the curtains a little although it seemed unnecessary now that the sun was going down. She got up from the white, L-shaped couch and padded across the carpet to the front door, pausing at the baseball bat tucked in between the bookshelf that formed an artificial wall and the wall itself. She peered through the spyhole and found herself looking at a young blonde woman wearing large glasses standing under the porch light, dressed in what looked to be office attire.

She still positioned herself closer to the baseball bat before opening the door. Mooroolbark was a relatively safe suburb but one couldn't always be too careful and she half suspected she was from the Jehovah's Witnesses, although the aforementioned tended to hunt in pairs. Maybe it was someone trying to sell her something and in that case, she yanked the door open and stared through the flywire screen.

The woman on the other side took a half step backwards. She had a thick mane of blow-waved blonde hair that framed an aquiline face set with bow shaped lips, her cheekbones were set high and when she smiled Lisa could see a perfect set of white teeth along with dimples. Her office attire consisted of a grey jacket and trousers, and a white blouse open at the collar.

"G'day, I'm Zoe," she spoke first, "your new neighbour from across the street?"

"Oh," Lisa looked past her at the triple-fronted brick veneer that had been empty for the last six months thanks to a depressed housing market. She'd noticed however that the sign had been taken down a week or two ago, but she hadn't seen anyone moving in. Its porch light and house lights weren't on however.

"I haven't actually moved in yet," Zoe glanced over her shoulder, "I'm moving in at the weekend but I just wanted to introduce myself and offer you some wine," she held up a Dan Murphy bag at the same time.

Lisa stared at the bag as if it was a bomb. She knew it contained just one bottle and in the brief moment she'd had to glance at the contents as Zoe raised it she knew it was red wine. The age old mantra rose instantly.

It's the first drink that gets you drunk, followed by think, think, think and lastly she pictured her sponsor's face and heard her words.

"Every time I see a bottle of wine I imagine that the label reads, poison. If swallowed seek medical advice because I will be hospital if I drink again."

Lisa stared at the bottle as something akin to serenity began to assert itself. It's only going to hurt me if I open the fucking bottle.

Zoe was taking another step back and Lisa swallowed. The woman had no idea that the woman on the other side of the flywire door was an alcoholic. She had friends who wouldn't refuse a bottle of wine and besides she was cute.

Lisa blinked and opened the door wider, "okay, sorry, I just got home. I um, I knew the place had sold but I hadn't seen anyone in there yet."

"Oh, I'm not the buyer," Zoe took another half step back. Another step in that direction and she'd bump into the porch railing.

"It belongs to some retired English couple, it's their investment portfolio. I'm just renting the place at the moment."

"Huh, okay, I see," she took a step back, "I'm Lisa, I work as a lawyer, property law."

"I work for an employment company, can I come in?"

"Of course," Lisa took two steps back, "please come in."

As she stepped inside, Lisa caught the whiff of Allure and then Zoe was closing the door behind her, she held the bag out with a smile. Lisa took it and lifted out the bottle.

"Thank you," she stared at the label and thought of a skull and crossbones, "um I'm not much of a drinker though"

"That's cool," Zoe smiled, "save it for a special occasion or a present."

"Maybe," Lisa studied her. She looked to be in her early twenties but it was hard to tell through the makeup, Zoe's eyes widened and she noticed they were green.

Cute eyes, she smiled.

"Um, would you like a coffee or tea?" Lisa led her past the bookshelf, "I've got six brands of coffee, and instant coffee, that strange decaffeinated coffee, and I've forgotten how many different kinds of tea I've bought," she paused by the couch.

"Just instant coffee, white with two."

"White with two it is," Lisa nodded at the couch, "pull up a pew and I'll be back in a minute."

She only remembered the opened letter on the coffee table when she reached the kitchen but by then it was too late. She felt momentarily paralysed between the need to protect her privacy and plain old fashioned trust and courtesy. She elected for the latter as she set the bag on the bench and flicked the button on the kettle. A ringtone caused her to raise her eyebrows and then she heard Zoe's voice as she answered the call. Hopefully that would distract her long enough to put the letter back into the envelope when she brought the coffees back into the living room.

A watched kettle never boils.

The old proverb came back to her as she finished putting coffee and sugar into one cup and just plain coffee into the other one. Zoe was still talking however and she decided to take a chance and go back to the living room. The living room was in an L-shape with the smallest part taken up by a kitchen table and chairs, the couch sat at the entrance to the living room, forming a small wall but with plenty of space between the end of the couch and the wall. Zoe was sitting with her back to Lisa and she was still talking. Lisa looked past her to the letter, it hadn't been moved although it was possible she'd read something. She was just about to return to the kitchen when Zoe suddenly ended the call.

"Okay, bye, bye, love you too," she looked down at her phone and then straightened up and turned around to look at her.

"I noticed your books, you've got quite a selection."

"And there's more in the spare room," she smiled, "four bookshelves, I seem to collect books the way my mother and sisters collect shoes," she inclined her head.

"So, feel free to check them out."

"Thanks, I will," she rose and unbuttoned her jacket, "I love books, um do you mind?"

Zoe tugged at her jacket, Lisa glanced down momentarily.

"Do you want to hang it up?"

"No, no, that's fine," she rose and arching her back, slid the jacket down her back and worked her hands through the sleeves. Lisa felt a slight weakness as she noticed her slim waist, and the largish breasts, she looked to be the same size as herself, although one could never tell with push up bras. A crooked smile nudged her lips as she recalled her sponsor's words.

If you can't smell them you can't tell them. People only know as much about you as you tell them, you don't need to announce yourself to all and sundry.

Zoe smiled at her as she dropped the jacket onto the couch and fluffed her hair out. Lisa returned the smile and then watched her advance across the floor, she had that classic hourglass shape and Zoe glanced over her shoulder as she pocketed the phone.

"You can tell a lot about people from their books, DVDs and artwork," she spoke quietly.

"I'm curious," Lisa sat on the end of the couch, "what can you learn from that bookshelf?"

Zoe didn't reply for the better part of a minute and just as the kettle stopped boiling she pulled a book out of the shelf.

"You're organised," she looked at the cover.

"You have the Koran, the Bible, the I Ching, the Talmud, the Rig Veda, and," she looked down, "the Norse sagas all grouped together. Your philosophy books are the same," she opened the book in her hand and squinted at the words, "you like philosophy."

"You could say that," Lisa stared at the door leading to the hallway. Her Big Book and some other AA books were in a smaller bookshelf in her bedroom.

"And history," her eyes travelled further along the shelf, "if my parents could see me now."

"They don't like the Koran?"

"No, they don't," she adjusted her glasses, "this is a book I've always wanted to read. Not that I'm thinking of converting but you know what they say, keep an open mind."

"I'm not the religious type," she replied, "but I find the study of religions fascinating."

"Ex Catholic or Protestant?"

"Neither," she rose and dug her hands into her trouser pockets, "my mum was a nominal Anglican and dad was an atheist," she went on.

"Pretty normal these days," she murmured, "but I'm impressed, you've got an inquiring mind, so many people I've known live in a bubble."

Lisa opened her mouth to reply and then shut it again as she retreated to the kitchen to make the coffees. Her earlier anxiety had strangely dissipated despite the presence of the bottle of wine in the bag and that either had something to do with a few years of sobriety or perhaps the calm nature of the younger woman in the other room.

Zoe came into the dinette a minute or so later, she'd put the book back and now she was checking out the pictures on the wall.

"You like women."

She was staring at a black and white photograph of a woman dressed in a white blouse and knee length skirt leaning against a bridge.

"Venice?"

"It is Venice," she put the cups on the table, "and yes, I do like women."

"So do I," Zoe replied and then glanced over her shoulder, "not like that though."

Lisa opened her mouth to reply and then shut it as she sat down. Zoe moved further along the wall to another photo of a woman. This portrait was of a woman sitting at an outdoor café with a copy of Le Monde in front of her.

"Paris," she murmured, "I spent six months in Europe," she glanced over her shoulder, "have you been there?"

"Once a year if I can manage it although it's been eighteen months since my last visit," she sipped her coffee.

"So, what do you do when you're not working or introducing yourself to new neighbours?"

"I play the violin," she turned around and looked at her, "I'm in an orchestra. It's not a famous one but we play for mid sized functions," she stepped over to the table and pulled out the chair opposite to Lisa and sat down, "but it's a full sized orchestra, we have to dress up in formal clothes for functions."

"How long have you been doing that?"

"I've been with this one for nearly eighteen months but I've been playing musical instruments since I was in high school. I was in the church band as well, my parents are in the Salvation Army and they wanted me to become a full time band member when I turned eighteen but there's not much call for violins in a Salvation Army band," she chuckled.

"My first act of rebellion was buying a second hand violin with my first wage packet. My parents were," their eyes met, "horrified," she smiled.

"How old were you then?"

"Eighteen," she slid a hand beneath her blouse, "my parents wanted me to become a soldier, my dad and mum are both captains but uniforms aren't my thing," she looked up and studied a black and white photograph of a WWII Wren.

"Although uniforms are smart," she stood up and walked to the photograph behind Lisa, "is that one of your relatives?"

"Uh, no, I saw it at the Vic market in the city and it just took my fancy."

Zoe didn't reply as she studied the photograph and then she turned around to look at the other photographs on the dinette wall. She then noticed a framed picture just above the television on the living room wall, it showed Marlene Dietrich dressed in a tuxedo and top hat, it was beside a movie poster, also in a frame of Jodie Foster in Silence of the Lambs, her eyes narrowed as she suddenly made the connection.

"Are you?" Zoe bit her lip, "into women?"

"Yes I am," Lisa leaned on the table, "I'm gay."

"Oh, okay," Zoe nudged her glasses up her nose and turned to look down at her, "I'm so sorry, I should have guessed, I'm not homophobic either," she stared at the chair she'd just vacated and then at the one closest to her. A moment later she pulled it out and sat down suddenly.

"Please don't be offended," her eyes widened, "I've never met one before."

Lisa nearly burst out laughing but restrained herself with a smile as she angled to face her.

"It's okay, honestly. I'm just a gay woman who tries to live a normal life. I don't have whips and chains in my bedroom, and I definitely don't have a red room."

Zoe winced at that and then propped on her palm. Her eyes narrowed as she processed this new information about her neighbour.

"So tell me," she traced the design on the tablecloth, "how long have you been, you know? Into women?"

"To be honest I think it was something I fell into gradually, I was married for three years and when that died a sudden death I started dating again just to clear the pipes so to speak," she glanced for a moment and then continued.

"Eventually I went out with a woman and discovered that I actually preferred women to men, which tells you everything you need to know about my failed marriage."

"Interesting," Zoe mused, "it's not something I've ever thought about. I'm kinda going out with a guy at the moment, he's from another church though so my parents are having kittens at the thought of me marrying someone from another church."

"So much for brotherly love," Lisa smirked, "sorry, I just had to slip that one in."

"No need to apologise," Zoe returned the smile, "I happen to agree with you."

Silence fell as they sat at the table and yet Lisa didn't feel threatened by it, now that she had outed herself to a total stranger. Zoe took a couple of sips of coffee but then put the cup down and fiddled with her watchband first and then she pulled the cuff back on her other arm to fiddle with a plastic wristband. It was instantly familiar to Lisa. The small segments had the Palestinian flag on them, she reached out and touched it.

"I have one of those in my jewellery box, I went to a few marches a couple of years ago."

"You're a Palestinian supporter?"

"Oh yeah," she smiled, "big time, I went to Israel a few years ago on my way to Paris and spent time with an Israeli woman. She took me to meet some of her Arab friends in the West Bank, they're the friendliest people you could ever meet," she picked up her cup.

"They're dirt poor but they'll invite you in and feed you until you can barely move, and the coffee is to die for. Not that instant crap, this is good Turkish coffee, probably bought on the black market but I wasn't arguing," she took a sip and glanced at Zoe.

The other woman was staring at her as if she'd appeared from some holy mountain in a pillar of fire and then she exhaled.

"I would love to visit there, it's on my bucket list. My boyfriend, Grant hates them. He's always going on about the end of the world and Armageddon. With that last outbreak of violence he was literally praising Jesus, thinking the world was going to end."

"Which church is he from?"

"It's a Pentecostal one out in Chirnside Park," she replied.

"I think I know it, not that I've ever been but I've driven past it often enough," she paused, "but it'd be very different to the Salvation Army."

"I thought so too, it's why I went at first. It was different, there were no brass instruments, they had drums but it was an actual rock band but the speaking in tongues and healing the sick is a little odd, so right now I'm kind of skirting around the edges not quite sure of what I want."

"We've all been there," Lisa framed the next question carefully, "when I was twenty one I was halfway through a law degree but I wanted to throw it all in and study art instead. Have you been to university?"

"I did a professional writing and editing course at RMIT for two years," she leaned back in her seat, "it's actually a one year course but I wanted to work at the same time."

Which meant she was probably twenty, Lisa mused.

"I went travelling for six months after I graduated but when I came back I had to move back into home and get another job. I've been with this employer ever since," she leaned on the table and stared at the bench that divided the dinette from the kitchen, "I'm twenty three years old."

"Turning thirty next month."

"What date?"

"The first of May."

"I'm an October baby, the twenty first," she glanced at the phone, "I'll put it into my phone, if you give me your number of course."

"No worries," Lisa rose and glanced at the couch, "let's emigrate to the couch and do the phone number swap dance."

Zoe rose as well and followed her back to the couch.

"I saw a couple of dance books in your bookshelf," she sat down and picked up her phone.

"I went to a dancing school for about a year," she picked up her own phone, "it was a lot of fun but I haven't had much time for it lately."

"What kind of dancing?"

"Jive," she glanced at her, "rock and roll dancing for the most part but they taught us the waltz, the samba and other dances but jive was always my favourite."

"I'd love to learn to dance," she tapped her screen.

"Well, the school I used to go to is running a promotion. You can sign up on one of those two for the price of one deals."

"Like a partner deal?"

"Yeah," she squinted at Zoe's screen as the younger woman held the phone out, "although you don't have to be actual partners. They've run these deals in the past," she tapped the number into her phone book, "I got it in my inbox last week but ignored it," she saved the number.

"But if you're really keen I'll dig it out of my trash," she sent a blank message to Zoe.

Zoe smiled as she tapped out a message and sent it.

Zoe: I'll think about it.

"I'm serious, I will think about," Zoe angled towards her, "there would have to be boundaries of course."

"Of course there'd be boundaries," Lisa closed the messaging program down.