The Beat Pt. 04

Elizabeth shrugged her shoulders, "I don't know if it is or isn't being unfaithful, Mary. I not offering you a romantic lifetime together, I have no idea where you got that idea from. But I will tell you what I do know, and I know a gay woman when I see one. And you sweetheart say one thing but in your heart you know it isn't so."

At that point in time, the two women got out of the spa, naked, they were in their mid to late 30s Mary guessed, and she watched them intensely, she saw how they helped each other dry, how they laughed as they touched each other in intimate places. She squeezed her legs together as a familiar feeling crept between her legs into her core.

Elizabeth didn't take her eyes off Mary and then brought her back to the conversation. "Hey, you are staring at two naked women, yet you are telling your lesbian friend, you aren't gay. Do you see the hypocrisy here?"

"That's different Beth and you know it. I can admire pretty naked women and not be gay, surely."

"So, tell me what you were feeling when you saw them dripping wet getting out of the spa?" She asked.

"I thought, wow they look so nice." She replied, blushing and with a bit of a giggle.

"But you still saying you're not gay, not much. Yet I am gay and didn't bat an eyelid at them or give them a second glance, that doesn't make me straight you know."

"What does it make you?"

"It makes me who I am, that I am enjoying the company of the woman I am with not a couple of others, it should tell you that I am more interested in you, than two others who will most likely disappear into a change shed together and reappear totally exhausted in about half an hour.

"Can we just leave it please, let's enjoy the afternoon here and take it one day at a time shall we?" Mary asked smiling nervously.

Elizabeth nodded and changed the conversation. "You know they have some famous paintings here, don't you?"

Mary looked at her and answered, "Do tell."

"Yes some works by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, yes there was a hell of a scene about them and the whole story associated with them, way back before the club opened. It is one very interesting story, you should read about it. There is a book on it downstairs in the library, called 'The OWLS Club' I think young Emily and Mia wrote about it."

Mary looked at Beth and with a look of confusion on her face, then stated, "Prints you mean?"

"No, the real deal, oil paintings by the master himself."

"Show mw babe." She asked.

"Only on one condition, you hold my hand."

Mary looked at her new friend took a deep breath, kissed her cheek and agreed. "But nothing else, OK."

Elizabeth shrugged her shoulders as if in agreement.

They looked at each other and hugged, "Still friends are we, Beth?" Mary asked.

"Hell yeah, I don't give up that easily." Came the reply.

They walked down the grand staircase hand in hand, Mary once again felt comfortable but confused. Part of her enjoyed Beth's company and her forthrightness, getting her to face what had been hidden for so long. As they reached the ground floor they took in the splendour of the old building. Elizabeth presented her guest card and asked the concierge where they could see the paintings.

Once pointed in the right direction, they descended the stairs to see the wonders of the Lautrec paintings.

The room was called the Mary Ambrose Room, it was subtly lit, and the walls were adorned with love letters between a European royal and a local girl. In a glass case an old-looking rifle, and in another a bottle of wine, with an asking price of over $12,000 Australian dollars.

They stood there looking with their mouths open. They went and sat on a soft ottoman stool in front of the paintings, and looked, they couldn't believe their eyes, surely not, this must be some hoax. Mary slowly turned her head to whisper into Beth's ear and at the very same time Elizabeth turned her head to face Mary. There they were in front of some very erotic paintings, facing each other, their lips almost touching. Mary grabbed Elizabeth by placing her hand on the back of her head and pulled her into a kiss. A kiss full of passion and desire, of lust and longing.

Beth returned the passion, their tongues dancing with each other, their moaning filling the room with the sound of impending amour.

They were disturbed by someone making a discreet cough, they stopped and giggled, before turning to face Emily.

Mary spoke first, "Sorry, we got carried away. These paintings and those love letters, oh wow. And the young woman in the paintings looks remarkably like yourself."

Emily waved a hand at them, "No need to apologise, I am certain you two are not the first to sit there and make out. Yes, my great-great-grandmother, it seems I carried the Ambrose genes fairly well."

They both nodded and said in unison, "Yes you do." Then they laughed and Mary rested her head on Beth's shoulder, as natural as can be.

Emily sat with them and explained, "This whole concept of a safe place for women to be themselves away from those who find it hard to accept that women can fall in love with other women, and be perfectly happy. The place in town is going to be very similar but a little more geared towards the younger set, those who work and live in the city and not the suburbs. There is a waiting list for membership stretching out to two years now."

My aunt or great aunt actually, came up with the idea after a discussion with a man she thought was her friend. Anyway, the building was empty, so she decided to make it a club for us girls."

Mary blushed, looked at Beth, and squeezed her hand. "Aaawww that is so nice."

Mary looked around the room and towards the opening called 'The Tunnel', "What's down there?"

Emily looked at them both, and with a smile on her lips, calmly told them, "That is a place where you go if you like to be watched or like to watch if you like to be restrained if you enjoy your sex a little rougher than most of us. But to get there it is a maze and if you meet someone along the way you will most likely be groped or taken into a side room to have an encounter." She said all of that with a straight face. "Mia has said I'm not to go there without her." She then laughed.

Elizabeth whispered into Mary's ear, "Not a place for you then." Knowing that to be told she shouldn't go she will most likely insist on going.

"I know what you're doing Beth," She said with a smile, "you don't know, I might like to see how others enjoy themselves."

Elizabeth smiled at her and told her to do it.

She shook her head, "You first. Then I will go."

Elizabeth stood up and held out her hand to her, but she shyly refused. "I'll stay here for now and keep Emily company. You go on and tell me all about it."

Elizabeth shrugged her shoulders and took a deep breath and entered the room called The Tunnels.

Mary looked at the paintings again and remarked about the remarkable resemblance with her ancestor.

Emily smiled, "I can still remember the very first time I saw them at my aunt's place, we had just found them when we were doing the renovations here, right in this room. Well, I just burst into tears. Thankfully everyone was there, my mum and gran, my granddad and Mia of course. I was lost for words, it was like looking into a mirror and everything made perfect sense to me."

Mary saw a sign of a tear appear and she hugged Emily, "It must have been a wonderful moment for the whole family. Did you know all about your family history, I mean having a member being gay in the 1800s would have been difficult, then there's the age difference, and the different classes, no offence, but back then I don't think royalty ever mingled with those that weren't, I'm guessing of course."

Emily listened and explained that her aunt had always been gay, but before her, she knew of no one in the family that was. "Just us two." She said laughing. "well three actually."

"I had only come out the week before to my aunt, and she was fantastic. Told me how to go about dealing with my mum and the oldies."

Mary smiled. "Maybe I should ask her for advice." She said laughing but was half serious.

Emily took her hands, and held them, "Trust me, there is no hurry, just do what feels right for you and your family, don't let anyone push you before you are ready."

Mary hugged her once more, "Such wise words coming from one so young."

Emily laughed loudly, "Trust me not so wise if you asked my family. Come on, let me show you another couple of paintings, one that is half finished and one that is somewhat 'naughty' it may help you relax a little."

Emily took her by the hand and led her into the room where the other paintings were housed, the dimly lit grotto showed the painting of a very young Mary Ambrose on her hands and knees, wearing a collar and on a lead, while her Mistress stood over her resting a foot, housed in a long leather boot, on her backside, a riding crop in her hand and some tell-tale red marks on a pretty but pink rear end of the much younger woman. Her very royal private parts were on display for all to see.

Mary looked on aghast but enthralled, her eyes covering every detail, the look on the young Mary's face, her pink backside with 3 red marks, then staring into the black bush of a European Princess, looking at the loveseat in the background, which was now sitting there right in front of her as she reached out and let her hand run along the back of it. Her breathing was slow and deep, yet she felt her heart pounding inside of her. She felt a tingling in her core, as she squeezed her legs together. She looked into the eyes of the old European royal and saw the sadness, the longing, and the pain. Her heart felt for her. She instinctively put her arm around Emily's shoulders and pulled her into her.

Emily patted her hand on her shoulder and told her that this painting of them all, had made the most impact on everyone who had ventured down this far to see it. She pointed over to a small narrow doorway, "That is where your Beth is right now. It is dark and narrow so that when you have to pass someone, you are pushed very close together, which normally means you end up feeling the stranger very intimately."

"Have you ever been in there?"

"Only with Mia leading the way." Said Emily, pointing to the painting.

Mary didn't understand the meaning at first, then said "oh, OH!!! Really oh my lord, I could watch you two." And giggled rather insanely.

"Well we don't normally sell tickets, so it is purely by chance if you get to see us. We are spontaneous like that." Emily told her.

At that moment Elizabeth came out of the doorway, looking very flustered, and dishevelled as both Emily and Mary looked at her they tried to stifle their laughter, but couldn't.

"You look delicious," said Emily, "But I think you might have been eaten already."

"I think you might be right, is it that obvious?" She asked, "I think I lost my knickers along the way." She told them.

Emily explained it was par for the course, "You won't be the first or last to lose them and that is just today." As they continued to laugh.

Mary held her hand out to her and then patted the seat next to her, Elizabeth sat down, and Mary looked into her eyes, smiling at her. She kissed her gently.

"Tell me all about it, what was it like?" Mary was excited and encouraged her friend to tell her everything.

Beth sat there looking into Mary's eyes, "Why did you just kiss me so?"

"You looked too good not to be kissed,"

"There is too much to tell to be honest, you have to experience it for yourself," Elizabeth told her.

Mary laughed, "Was that a dare, Elizabeth Higgins? OK, I will," She went to stand up and Emily put her hand on her knee.

"Mary, not today, you might get 'tied' up in there for longer than you planned." She was told. "Look why don't I give you two a guests pass for a whole month, but don't tell Aunt Kathy. That way you can come and go at your leisure and explore everything in your own time."

They looked at each other and agreed, "That way Beth we can plan a whole day here, get a massage and enjoy some quiet time." They walked out of the grotto and into the Mary Ambrose room then ventured up into the lounge, Emily guided them into the member's section to take care of the necessary paperwork.

As they closed the door to the office, Mary's daughter Sally left the grotto with a very well-known and mature woman and left the club via the rear access so special members can leave the OWLS Club and remain anonymous.