The Apple... Ch. 02

Chapter 2

Arianna slowly surfaced from the depths of a very refreshing sleep.

At first she enjoyed the feeling of restfulness, then, as her mind came further awake, she realized that she was not waking to the usual internal turmoil, but to an unaccustomed sense of peace.

She felt confused when her senses registered the raising and falling soft surface on which her head rested and the regular sound on a beating heart in her ear. Opening her eyes, she saw a nipple, not an inch from her lips.

She dimly knew she should be startled at this situation, but she felt suffused in such a primal sense of calm and security that she gave a deep sigh, extended her lips to the nipple and sank back to sleep.

**********

Juliette had come awake a few minutes before Arianna. She felt the woman partly rouse then softly latch again on her nipple and go back to sleep.

She remembered the earlier events clearly. As she relived the deep feelings she had felt, her eyes misted, but a satisfied smile stretched her lips. Juliette did not understand what demons could afflict this lovely woman so deeply, but she felt an intense need to protect her.

She tried to make sense of the situation. She had never felt like this for an adult. Yes, she felt empathic when she saw suffering and she did her level best to help where she could, but she had never felt such a deep need to involve herself personally. Neither had she ever felt such a feeling of connection to another adult, even with her beloved Jacques whom she had known most of her young life. She was doubly astonished that she felt so deeply for another woman.

Taking stock of her internal feelings, she wondered what could affect her so much in this woman who was so different from her after all.

As far as society went, they should never have even interacted except in a role as superior to inferior, but she had felt so at ease with Arianna it did not matter. This social inequality only coming to the fore when the woman spoke of her origins or when they had arrived at this beautiful place. At every other time, Arianna was so easygoing, she was just another person with whom Juliette could have grown up.

Physically they were also different.

Juliette was the epitome of the traditional housewife of her social class. Short at 5'3", she was plump without being fat. Her husband had described her as being soft in all the right places. He had loved her D cup breasts with their sensitive dark brown nipples surrounded by large aureoles. He would fondle and suckle them tirelessly for the longest time. As they walked down the street his gentle slap or pinch on her well rounded bottom would elicit a squeak and earn him a mock punch on the arm, but he could tell she enjoyed the attention. Her light brown hair fell to her shoulders in unruly curls when they were not held in a pony tail to keep them out of the way as she worked. They framed a soft expressive face that seemed made for smiling and projecting love and happiness.

She felt she was just an ordinary woman with no special physical quality or appeal while she saw Arianna as a beautiful woman who could have been a top model conquering any runway she walked and making it her own or a successful actress strolling down the red carpet with her head held high like a queen.

At 5'9", Arianna was tall for a woman of her day. She had a lean body with good muscle tone and a smooth skin free of imperfection that Juliette had seen when undressing her for bed. At the lower range of a B cup, her breasts were smaller than was fashionable but they were perky and her small pinkish nipples and aureoles fit her perfectly. As she had sometimes walked ahead of her, Juliette had noticed that her bottom was tight and muscular. Her straight silky black hair falling down to the middle of her back seemed to perfectly accentuate a face that would have been angelic if not for the haunted look in her eyes. She did not look like someone who laughed or even smiled a lot.

At 22 years of age and as a child of her culture with very little experience in adult social interaction, it never occurred to Juliette that she could be attracted to another woman as she would be a man, so she could not explain to herself the deepening sense of connection she felt for this sophisticated older woman of 30. All she could feel was an almost visceral need to hold and protect her.

So it is with this warm felling of inner peace that she fell back to sleep.

**********

When next she awoke, Juliette found that Arianna was laying down beside her with her head resting on her hand, gazing at her with a strange look that she took to be fondness.

"I almost said 'good morning dear', but since we fell asleep with the sun up, I probably should say 'good afternoon, dear'", Juliette said, grinning. "Did you sleep well?"

"I honestly cannot remember the last time I woke up felling so rested. I do not know how to thank you for what you did for me. At first I thought it had only been a wonderful dream where I was again a baby feeling safe and loved in my mother's arms. Then I woke up to realize that it was you holding me. I do not remember how it happened, but I can only offer you my most heartfelt gratitude."

"It's no big thing. I was on my way out when you had this nightmare and I just held you until it passed."

Arianna had to laugh at that. "You are definitely a mistress of the understatement. It is the first time I have woken with my head on a woman's naked breast and her nipple in my mouth."

At seeing the blush coming to Juliette's face and her lowered eyes, she felt she could not allow the other to be embarrassed at her magnificent gesture. Cupping her face in a gentle hand, she raised it so she could look in her eyes.

"This is nothing to be ashamed of. You were there for me when I needed you and you acted selflessly as dictated by your good nature. You should feel proud of yourself for being such a kind hearted person."

The moment held on for a few minutes, both women loosing themselves in the other's eyes.

With a grin, Arianna went on. "And you did not only help with my nightmare, I saw that you also took care of the aftermath of Hurricane Sarah. When I got up earlier, I found Sarah and her most recent conquest in the kitchen drinking coffee. As the living room was cleaned up, I thanked her for this. She then informed me she had not done it and had assumed that I was the one who had."

"I just couldn't leave it like that so I picked up a few things..."

That brought forth another peal of laughter from Arianna. "A few things you say! The place is spotless. You definitely went above and beyond the call. Then I came back to see if you were awake and decided to let you sleep after making you more comfortable."

That's when Juliette realized that she was almost naked under the bed sheets. Arianna had deftly striped her down to her knickers without waking her, much as she had done herself earlier. For some reason she could not have explained, that fact did not make feel embarrassed in the least.

"You looked so lovely when I stretched beside you. I found that I love looking at you as you sleep. You look like a smiling angel. I do not know if you do it all the time, but you were smiling beatifically as you slept."

"I don't know either, but it must have something to do with the dream I had. I felt that I was lying with someone for whom I felt this immense love and I could tell that it was returned multiplied. I say 'someone' because I could not see a face or a body. I guess it must have been a memory of my dear Jacques. It's the first such vivid dream that I remember."

What she did not mention was the deep sense of arousal she had also felt. She could tell her nipples had been filled with blood to their fullest hardness, almost to the point of hurting. A glowing warmth had coursed through her body, raising a sheen of perspiration all over it and leaving her innermost sanctum wet and needing some fulfillment.

Thinking back on it brought heat to her cheeks.

"You look so adorable when you blush. I wonder what brought that about."

As she said it, Arianna leaned down and briefly pressed her lips to Juliette's in what could have been a thank you kiss for the earlier events of the day.

She rose from the bed. "If you want to take a shower or a bath, you are welcome to it. I will get some clean towels for you and breakfast will await you when you are done. Or would you prefer something more substantial?"

"Usually I only have coffee and toasts when I get up. That's all I ever had time for at home before the little ones got up and the habit stuck I guess. I think I will try your shower. We only had a tub when I grew up and I have a small bath in my apartment except that I now have a gas water heater so I don't have to heat it on the stove, but I have heard of those and I would like to try it out."

"You are a peach! You are welcome to use my shower whenever you like."

As she turned to leave, she picked up a robe and slipped it on. Juliette was startled to realize that the woman had been almost naked all this time and that she had taken no note of it.

'What is going on?' She mused. 'Here I am in bed with a woman, both of us almost naked and I don't notice as if it is the most natural thing.'

Still uncertain at this new development in herself she got up and slipped on her work shirt in lieu of a robe.

She made her way to the bathroom where she found a soft bath towel. A brand new toothbrush, still in its wrapping, was lying on top of it. Grinning, she began by relieving herself before proceeding to brush her teeth. Turning around, she studied the shower controls and quickly discovered how to make the hot water switch from the faucet to the shower head.

As she stepped under the spray, she giggled like a kid at the unaccustomed sensation of the water falling down on her head. She found that she really loved the sensation of her body being massaged by the hot water and that it added something to the experience as she lathered and rinsed. She even surprised herself at enjoying the feeling when she rubbed soap over her chest, paying special attention to her breasts and even going as far as tweaking her hardening nipples a little. When her hands moved lower and she soaped her sex, she was reminded of the good feelings her earlier dream had brought about.

Being a good catholic girl, Juliette had never entertained the thought of masturbating. She did not even know the word itself or its meaning. Whenever her hand had brushed her sensitive womanly parts, she had always moved them away quickly with a vague sense that she was doing something wrong.

So it was as she was timidly discovering these new feelings in her body that Arianna poked her head in the door and said "I forgot to tell you that the water heater is quite small and that if you take too long, you will have to finish under cold water."

Lost in her pleasant thoughts, Juliette was surprised and let out a frightened squeak, almost loosing her footing on the slippery floor of the shower.

Instantly, it seemed, Arianna had pulled the shower curtain aside and had her arms around her, steadying Juliette before she fell down and hurt herself.

"Easy there, sweetheart. I did not mean to startle you so."

"I'm okay." Juliette replied. "But now you are all wet and the water is spraying on the floor."

"So I am." Arianna giggled. "I suppose I am getting a head start on my own shower. Do not worry about the floor, I will get a mop and swipe it up."

They stood just so for what seemed like an hour to Juliette, but could not have been more than seconds. Once again lost in each other's eyes, on some level, they were also both aware of Juliette's nudity and Arianna's robe being plastered to her body by the falling water.

If she had given any thought to it, Juliette would have been truly astonished when she leaned forward and softly kissed Arianna. It felt so natural, so much the right thing to do that her only thought was for the softness of the lips pressing against hers, of the warmth she felt for this person with whom she was sharing this intimate moment regardless of the fact that she was a woman.

She had just put her own arms around Arianna's waist, gently pulling her closer to her own body when the hot water suddenly turned to cold.

With a shout both women jumped out of the shower. Standing there, they looked at each other, mouth hanging open, startled by the shock of the freezing spray. Arianna chuckled at the situation which seemed to bring Juliette around. Soon both were laughing helplessly, again falling in each other's arms in support lest they fall to the wet floor.

As the laughter gradually gave room to a companionable silence, Arianna reached over to grab the bath towel and wrapped it around Juliette's shivering body. She proceeded to dry her. Gently rubbing her without any movement being overtly sexual, she still sensually reached every part of the woman's body.

Juliette was now shivering for a different reason. The eroticism of the situation was affecting her innocent mind. The kiss in the shower had been instinctual, but this was deliberate and she was enjoying every second of it for all its seeming unnaturalness.

Eyes closed, not to avoid the situation, but rather in order not to miss any of these incredibly good new sensations.

As Arianna kneeled to dry her legs, she opened her eyes and looked down. She again felt this deepening sense of connection with the woman at her feet. When she put her hand on Arianna's head to caress her beautiful hair, the woman tilted her head upward. At first, all Juliette saw was the sweet smile which brought the corners of her own mouth upward. Then she was shocked to notice that Arianna's lips were white with a bluish tinge.

With a squeal of concern, she pulled the woman to her feet. "You're freezing! Why didn't you say something? Let's take this wet robe off of you." Letting it drop to the floor, she saw goose bumps raised all over Arianna's body. Stretching to reach the towel rack near the space heater, she grabbed the largest one and energetically rubbed Arianna, trying her best to bring some heat to the freezing woman.

Her eyes filled with tears of concern. "Why didn't you say something? You're gonna catch the death of you."

"I really did not feel it." Arianna replied, her teeth now chattering. "I was caught in the moment and I did not realize that..."

She could not finish as Juliette wrapped her in the towel and literally dragged her to the bed where pulled down her wet knickers before telling her to lie down and scoot over. Without another thought, Juliette lay down beside her, pulled up all the covering available just below their chins and, spooning her to share the warmth of her own body, she resumed rubbing her to bring back circulation to the still shivering body.

In her determination to succour the woman, Juliette was oblivious to the fact that, as she was at Arianna's back, what she was rubbing were her arms, then her tummy and finally her chest.

"Hum sweetheart, I realize that your intentions are pure, but you may be warming me up a little more than you originally intended," giggled Arianna.

Juliette was shocked when she realized what she was doing. That is until she also noticed that her own nipples had hardened and were rubbing against Arianna's back. Also that she was warm all over, that her sex felt all wet and tingly and that she was grinding it on Arianna's bottom.

That is the point where embarrassment gave way to desire. "I don't know what's happening to me, but... I like it. Do you mind if I don't stop?"

"No dear heart, I do not mind at all. In fact, would you mind if I reciprocated?" Arianna replied in a husky voice.

Before Juliette could answer, Arianna turned over and put one arm between them, the other on her bed mate's ass cheek. As Juliette felt her soul would surely drown in the other's dark eyes, she felt one hand caressing her bottom and another cupping her breast.

Their lips met with a soft, gentle, tentative kiss. Pretty soon, it grew in intensity as passion took hold of the two women. When Juliette felt Arianna's tongue lick her lips gently, she parted them and her own tongue met the welcome invader, joining it in a sensuous play of thrust and parry.

Instincts took over as lust flared in their loins, taking over their minds, this ultimate of sexual organ. The fact that they were engaging in sexual congress with another woman became irrelevant as if the emotional experiences they had shared during the previous night and morning could have only one conclusion: the joining of their bodies as their hearts already were.

Arianna gently pushed her partner on her back, her leg resting across the other's sex. She resumed the passionate kiss as her hand stroked Juliette's breast, softly at first, then with more insistence. She held the soft mass in her hand, amazed at the sensation and, as her palm brushed against the fully erect nipple, at the gasp this elicited from the woman.

Pulling back, she looked Juliette in the eyes. "Are you sure you want to do this sweetheart? I know that I want only to bring you pleasure as a meagre repayment for all the support and love you gave me earlier, but I do not want to hurt you in any way."

Juliette's answer was direct and to the point. She cupped Arianna's face in her hands and gently pulled their mouths together. At the contact, they both let out a soft moan, expressing their sense of the rightness of their actions.

They each let their hands roam over the other's body, exploring, familiarizing themselves with it.

Juliette pulled Arianna squarely on top of herself. The weight a familiar sensation amidst the sea of new feelings in which she willingly allowed herself to drown. Reflexively, she wrapped her legs around the thighs of her lover which brought their sexes together, sending shivers coursing through her body. Enjoying the sensation, Juliette put her hands squarely on the other's cheeks, pressing her into an even better contact for the grinding action she instinctively had begun.

Wishing to lighten the pressure on Juliette's chest, Arianna pushed herself on her elbows while her mouth drew lines of heat on the other's skin as her mouth kissed and playfully bit its way down her jaw to her neck. As she nibbled her earlobe, Juliette moaned. When her mouth reached the tender skin at the junction of shoulder and neck, she groaned. And when Juliette felt her nipples pinched between two sets of fingers her mind went into sensory overload. Her back arched completely off the bed, her heels and the top of her head the only points of contact with its surface. Her arms tightened around Arianna in an almost painful embrace.

Already at a peak of sensitivity for the strange new experience, Juliette felt as if a torrent of increasingly stronger electrical current was raging through her every nerve. What began as coloured lights resembling fireworks flashing behind the lids of her tightly closed eyes soon became a blinding white light.

A primal scream issued from throat as she experienced the strongest orgasm of her young life by multiple orders of magnitude.

Then, all at once, her body fell limp as her consciousness was overloaded and she faded into sweet oblivion.

Arianna was taken aback by this violent reaction. Worried, she was checking Juliette's pulse when the door to her room burst open and Sarah rushed in, her latest lover on her heels.

"What is going on here? What did you do to her? It sounded as if she was being ripped apart." Genuine concern was evident in Sarah's voice.

"No, she only had an orgasm. I suppose that it was a good one."

"Only had an orgasm? A good one?" Sarah's eyes went wide in astonishment. "I would say so. Hey, since when are you playing for the home team? Aren't you straight?"