Seducing Zoe Pt. 03

After the meeting however we got talking and she filled me on on Delilah who had been a root rat for years before she got sober. Now she was a sober root rat. To cut a long story short we started doing meetings together but on the proviso that we don't have 'house' meetings and that was a bloody relief to me because for the first time in nine months I felt as if I was free and in due course I started seeing other gay women and discovered that their sexual antics were as normal as mine. Women and men like Delilah are found all over the world in both gay and straight relationships, sex can be a weapon but it's also the closest we will ever come to reaching the divine plane.

Well that's my story. I don't know if it helps but it's the absolute truth.

Lisa.

Zoe blinked and pulled off her glasses as she finished reading the story. It wasn't quite what she'd expected, the story had touched a raw nerve. Things like that happened in churches and she wasn't thinking of the usual child abuse scandals but older more mature Christians who took advantage of younger Christians. How many times had she been invited back to a guy's place to read the bible or pray, only to find he wanted to sit with his arm around her. They'd kiss, sometimes it would get quite passionate but then she'd feel uneasy and pull away. Guilt had a lot to do with it along with the fear of getting pregnant because for a woman that was tantamount to spiritual death and of course she'd be exiled. The men however got away with it because they confessed their sins and assigned the blame to the woman, who was descended from the biblical Eve.

Zoe picked up her phone and put her glasses back on. She opened her phone book and scrolled down to Grant, her finger hovered over the entry as she thought about what to say. They hadn't seen each other for a week and she'd felt as if she'd been set free.

"Just do it," she muttered.

The phone rang and she flinched as his name appeared on the screen, a moment later she swiped it and put the phone to her ear.

"Grant, I was just about to call you."

He didn't reply at first and then, "well, that's God's work for you."

She bit her lip and looked at the door.

"I've been thinking a lot about you and about us," he went on, "and I've been trying to find a way of saying this without hurting you because I love you, as a sister in Christ but God spoke to me last week and I've been weak, the flesh is weak," he paused.

"So you want us to stop seeing each other?"

"I think that's for the best, I've tried but even I can see you aren't happy in my church and I'm not happy in your church even though I've only been once. I'd look terrible in uniform."

She actually laughed out loud.

"I agree, you would look terrible in uniform, Grant and yes, I think that while we had good times for a while it's not working for me either."

"Praise Jesus," he breathed, "praise his holy name."

"Amen to that," she replied gravely, "I won't ask if you're with someone now but if you are I hope she's the one for you."

"Likewise," he replied, "I'll pray for you."

"Thank you," she stared at the couch and waited for his final goodbye.

She stared at the phone as the emotion bubbled up inside her and then she suddenly burst out into a fit of laughter as she threw herself back onto the bed and spread her arms wide.

"Thank you Jesus, thank you."

With that burden off her shoulders, Zoe finally felt motivated enough to pick up her violin and rehearse for tomorrow.

Now I am free.

***

Charlie stared at the gram bag of marijuana on the coffee table in front of her. She'd never been much of a smoker, alcohol was her drug of choice but Lauren had been a lush for it. Lauren shifted in her seat and fiddled with her phone.

Her former drinking partner had just dropped in out of the blue. She'd known Lauren since high school and although they had eventually fucked it was a stormy one night stand but they had two things in common, drinking and picking up one night stands. They used to pick out likely targets at the start of a night and put bets on them, a virgin was worth six rounds of Bundy and Coke, an older woman was further down the list with a couple of beers. It was a highly organised game with definite rules and they'd compare notes and even pass their catches onto each other. Their biggest prize had been two blonde twins who agreed to a foursome.

Charlie stared at Lauren. She was much the same as when she'd last seen her but she looked as if she was on fire and it wasn't religion and she hadn't gone the Twelve Step route. She'd fallen head over heels in love with another woman and given up her free wheeling pickup lifestyle and given up the dope completely. She'd gone around to as many smokers as she could find within a ten mile radius and sold her supply back to them.

But Charlie was different, they'd been so pissed or stoned they could barely walk let alone drive home and in certain parts of Melbourne two inebriated women were a prime target. The one gram bag was her way of saying thanks.

"Look, if you want the money instead," Lauren looked at her, "I'll take it but this is for old time's sakes. I can't live like this anymore. I mean if we see each other in the street or at a party then fine, we can chat but I'm not the same woman."

"She must be some special woman," Charlie eyed the bag, "I suppose I could sell it too, I could use some money."

"Or smoke it with someone," she grinned, "it's a guaranteed leg opener."

Charlie straightened up slowly as she thought of Zoe.

"Who is she? Or don't I want to know?" Lauren grinned.

"You don't know her," she leaned back into the couch, "but she's as straight as a die," she smiled, "and a virgin."

"How old is she?"

"Twenty three."

"Jesus," Lauren winced, "that's six Bundys for sure, although you've turned over a new leaf as well," she smiled, "every dog has its day."

"Well she's started writing a lesbian love story but she needs my expertise so the jury's still out on that one," she picked up the bag of dope, "I get the feeling she's curious but I could be reading too much into it, you know how it is?"

"One way to find out," Lauren stared at the dope, "have a smoke and see where it leads."

Charlie's eyes widened slightly and then she leaned forward and picked up the bag.

"Okay, I'll take it off your hands. Are you sure you don't want something for it? I've only got ten bucks but it's yours if you want it."

Lauren did want it, she saw the shifting eyes but then she shook her head.

"Tempting but no, you bought enough of the stuff and this is me making amends for all the shit I put you through."

"I put you through shit too," Charlie countered.

"Noted," she picked up her handbag and stood up, "all right, I've got to get back to Jenny. Good luck with your new woman," she nodded at her.

"Thanks," Charlie replied.

After she'd farewelled her Charlie picked up the dope and examined it. AA members had told her it was a slippery slope and she tended to agree on that one, but on the other hand, she glanced at the door leading to her bedroom, Zoe wasn't an alcoholic.

She stepped into the bedroom a few minutes later and dropped the dope into the top drawer of her bedside drawers, it landed beside her old hash pipe. She hadn't used that since she stopped drinking and she stared at it for a moment before moving to her computer.

Her phone beeped and she read the message.

Zoe: Grant and I just broke up. I'm so over the moon!

Charlie: Hey there good looking, congrats! What you doing now?

Zoe: Rehearsing for this concert tomorrow, what about you?

Charlie: Another story.

Zoe: What about your resume? Have you thought about redoing it?"

Charlie: Kind of stuck there, it's all blank, might be better to go back to the story.

Zoe: Maybe I'll come over after the concert, won't be until the evening.

Charlie: Sure, anything you can do to help would be great.

Zoe: Still smiling over Grant, I actually like him now!

Charlie: Where's this concert?

Zoe: Sending the link.

The link came through a split second later and she copied it into her browser and went to the sight. The banner had a photograph of the orchestra and she saw Zoe dressed up in formal clothes. There were links to the individual musicians and she swiftly found Zoe's page. The picture took her breath away. Zoe was dressed in a white, double-breasted blouse complete with black bowtie and a jacket, she was also wearing black skirt. Her mouse pointer turned into a finger and she clicked on the picture. It loaded into another picture and the pointer turned into the magnifying glass.

When she downloaded the picture she clicked on it and stared with hungry eyes at her, memorising every detail from the blonde hair and those kissable lips to the blouse with its two rows of buttons, she counted fourteen in all, a lump came to her throat as she imagined unbuttoning her blouse and she went to her Facebook page.

There were a few new pictures of the party, one which she had seen because she knew Linda but then she inhaled sharply as she stared at a picture of Zoe sitting at a garden bench next to a woman Charlie knew from AA.

"Lisa," she held the icon over Lisa's face and the name popped up and then she read the short comment someone had written below.

What happens to two single ladies at an LGBT party!

Charlie enlarged the studio picture of Zoe to full size and retired to the bed to contemplate it. She found herself recalling her former glory days with Lauren. A women like Zoe would have earned her an entire night at a club, their betting system was highly variable. Hot looking women tended to fetch higher odds but there was a fly in the ointment, Lisa.

She frowned as she went over her possible solutions and she examined each one in detail over the course of the night as she made dinner and surfed the internet checking for any pictures and information about Zoe. A fair part of her time was spent on her social media pages and slowly but surely the plan began to evolve.

"I've got to have her," she murmured later that night as she settled down to sleep.

***

Lisa hadn't seen her ex best friend, Kelly since Rita had moved in and promptly seduced her. She had been torn between anger, resentment and some degree of jealousy. However her length of sobriety combined with support from AA members and her other friends had kept her on the straight and narrow and one of the suggestions she'd taken on board was the need to up her meetings and keep her distance from Kelly and Rita. In time the wounds would heal but first she had to heal. However she'd thought that length of time would be considerably longer, like five years into the future instead of right now.

Kelly had knocked on her door at nine o'clock and at first she'd thought of slamming the door in her face but the frantic look on Kelly's face had changed her mind and at first she thought Rita had died in her sleep or been taken ill but the truth was far closer to home. Rita had become a problem drinker.

She'd always been a drinker and it was one of the rules Lisa had laid down when they first got involved. She could drink on the property but it was always outside on the back porch and she had to take her empties and leftovers with her. It had been a source of contention and it was arguably the reason Rita finally moved in with Kelly. Prior to that she'd stayed some nights here and the rest of the time she was with her sister in Eltham, close to where she worked.

It had all blown up in a spectacular fashion on Thursday night when Rita borrowed her car to get some groceries but after buying some booze at the drive thru bottle shop, drove up to the top of Mount Dandenong for a quiet drink. That drink had lasted two hours and by the time she headed down the mountain she was well over the limit, and she'd also smoked a joint. It was a lethal combination for someone trying to negotiate the winding mountain roads but fortunately for her, she'd come down the road from the restaurant and swerved violently to avoid a police car coming along Mount Dandenong Road and run into an embankment.

The damage to the car was minimal but she'd been breathalysed and then taken back in a police car to the police station at Ferntree Gully for a blood test. Her licence had been taken away and Kelly had been informed that her car was now parked at the Lookout carpark and because the headlight was now smashed she'd have to call a tow truck.

By the time Kelly returned home in Rita's ageing Toyota, Rita was sitting with her head in her hands and weeping. She had admitted she had a problem with the booze but she wasn't as bad as that bitch Lisa, but she needed help.

However that had begun to change after Kelly actually secured a place in a drug and alcohol unit at Maroondah hospital and by Saturday night she was beginning to think that perhaps she might not have that much of a problem. The tension had ratcheted as she vacillated between giving in and the shame because alcohol wasn't the whole problem, she had other issues too.

Lisa stared at Kelly as she contemplated her last words.

"What makes you think she'll listen to me? I'm the ex girlfriend."

"I'm at my wits end," she rose and walked to the window, "if she doesn't go then I'm going to throw her out in the street."

"Assuming she'll go of course, and there's her stuff too."

"I can put that into storage but I'd have to call in favours from an ex boyfriend who might have his own price," she turned around, "but to be honest I want her out of my fucking life. I made a huge mistake letting this happen and it hurt you and it hurt me and I'm not even talking about my kids because that's another can of worms," she wiped her eyes.

"I know you must hate me and I totally get it, I'd hate me too but once she's out of the house and in a rehab then I can get back some fucking normality. I won't bother you again unless you make the first move and even then," she bit her lip.

"I know it'd be different and I'll wear it gladly, this has been a wake up call for me. I used to listen to your stories and think maybe you'd had some childhood issues that made you drink like that but now I know different."

"You never saw me drunk," Lisa countered, "so you can be forgiven for that misconception," she eyed her phone, "look, I can't make promises but let me make a couple of phone calls," she rose from the couch.

"I'll be in the office for a few minutes but you know where the coffee is kept," and with that she left the room.

Fucking Rita. The bane of my life!

***

Zoe finished tucking the blouse into her skirt but just as she reached for the belt the phone rang and she smiled as she picked it up.

"Lisa, good morning to you too!"

"Zoe," she sighed, "good morning to you but I've got a problem here."

"Oh, okay," Zoe frowned, "what is it?"

Lisa laid out the situation as briefly as possible while Zoe sat on the end of the bed, her heart went out to the older woman and she frowned as she tried to find a solution.

"I could make some phone calls myself. We've got some Salvation Army members who put people up in their homes."

"Thanks but I think we need a hospital for her, she's been on medication in the past although when I was with her she'd come off it but now she's back on it and if I know alcoholics she's probably not following the right dosage. I couldn't put her into a suburban home with a normal family, she needs medical help as well."

"Okay, no worries. Look, you have to do what you have to do, I totally understand."

"Thanks, I wish I didn't have to do this. I feel like just letting it all go by and letting Kelly deal with this shit by herself. Maybe I should just do that anyway."

"But then you'd have to live with your conscience," Zoe reminded her, "no, go and do what you have to do."

"Thanks, I may be able to come in later, but that depends on Linda. She's making other phone calls to try and find alternatives but I can't promise anything. Um, do I owe you anything for the ticket?"

"No, it's just something they give us, it's free but it won't go to waste, I'll find someone to give it to, don't worry about it."

"Fine, that's good. Look, I gotta get going, I'm saying sorry again and have a great day. Call me later and if I'm not home when you get back feel free to just come in, you know where I keep the back door key."

"I do," she fiddled with the belt, "you take care."

She ended the call a moment later and stared at her phone to see the source of a missed phone call, it was from Charlie and she tapped the screen. The call was answered on the third ring and Charlie sounded out of breath.

"Sorry, I had to dash from the toilet, um, I might catch the train into the uni."

"Don't bother," she smiled, "change of plan, Lisa can't make it, she's got a twelve step job so the free ticket is yours," she stared at the door as she continued.

"It's half past nine now, so I'm getting ready but I'll drop by about half past ten. Can you be ready by then?"

"Uh huh, I can do that."

"Okay then," she replied, "I'll see you then, see ya," she ended the call and stared at the door once more, the news had been a disappointment and she frowned as she picked up the belt.

"Let's just do this," she started threading the belt through the belt loops.

Hair, makeup and then go.

***

Perfect.

Charlie stared at her reflection in the mirror. The phone call had sent her into campaign mode now that Lisa was out of the way. She felt a surge of relief as she showered and washed her hair, she'd already picked the outfit out in her mind's eye before she stepped out of the bathroom. A white shirt, black trousers that clung to her hips, a black jacket, and a black tie, she adjusted the knot and turned to look at her reflection in the mirror.

She turned to view another part of 'Operation Zoe.' The AA sayings had been hastily typed up and printed out, and stuck to the wall along with a copy of the Twelve Steps, the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous was on top of one of the bedside drawers, she crossed the floor to push down on a ball of wall putty that had come loose.

The creaking of the back door caused her to turn around. It was 10:00 and Zoe had specified 10:30, so who was this? Surely not Zoe.

"It's only me," Zoe called out, "where are you?"

""Bedroom," she called out as she undid her top button and pulled the tie down.

Zoe came into the bedroom as Charlie adjusted her collar. Charlie turned around and her eyes softened as she stared at her outfit. She'd had that picture frequently on her screen as she switched between different browser windows. Zoe wore a white, double-breasted blouse adorned with a black bowtie, the blouse was tucked into a black, three-quarter length pleated skirt, a black belt with gold-coloured buckle matched her black jacket. The black theme continued with black heels that contrasted with white stockings that shone dimly in the light.

"You look beautiful," Charlie stroked her throat.

"Thank you," Zoe ran her eyes up and down her, "so do you, very smart."

"What do you think? Buttoned up or leave it undone," she pulled her top button together.

Zoe smiled as she stepped closer and reached out for the knot.

"Do it up," she waited for Charlie to fasten the top button and then she put her finger behind the front of the collar, "yeah, there's plenty of room there," she pushed the knot up, "there," she stepped back.

"Okay," Charlie turned to look at herself again, "yeah, I wasn't sure, I've never been to one of these fancy things before."

"It's okay, just smile and nod, you're a friend of the violinist," she inclined her head.

"You ready?"

"Absolutely," she touched her shoulder, "thanks for the invite."