The Yoga Instructor

Jen could imagine what the patrons thought of them as they entered. Three attractive women, all in great shape, no males accompanying them. Fresh meat.

They received a few looks from some of the male patrons, and few a long stares from others. A few hard glares came at them from the handful of women in the bar, and while Jen noticed the chill in the air, Marcy and Debra seemed oblivious to it. The sole waitress sauntered over to their table and took their order. Jen decided on a screwdriver, while Debra and Marcy each had a Seven-and-Seven.

Through the first few drinks, talk remained simplistic, chit-chat about the Tae Kwon Do class, the yoga classes, and business in general. But as midnight approached and each of the three began to feel the full effects of their drinks, the talk became more personal, sometimes peppered with innuendos and drunken puns. Jen also noticed light flirting between Debra and Marcy, and if she had wondered before if Marcy had been the other woman in the shower, she stood convinced now.

She felt just brave enough to poke around a bit and find out.

"So how did you two meet?" Jen said.

"In a previous Tae Kwon Do class," Marcy said. "Debra was on of the assistants, and since I was so terrible at it, she spent extra time after class training me."

Debra rolled her eyes. "Yeah, because of you, I never got home at a decent time," she said.

"Bitch." Marcy slugged Debra in the arm.

Debra mocked pain for a moment then said, "Wow, I think a mosquito bit me."

"Kiss my ass," Marcy added.

Debra feigned indifference. "Not now, maybe later."

"Order me another drink, dammit," Marcy said as she stood, "I'm going to the bathroom."

Jen watched as Debra's eyes locked on Marcy's ass as she walked away. When Debra turned back to the table, she saw Jen had caught her.

"I think she has a great ass," Debra said casually. "I can't help but watch it."

For the second time that evening, Jen wondered if her surprise showed on her face. Debra obviously felt comfortable enough with Jen to say something like that, but Jen wasn't sure if she was ready to hear it. She felt intrigued though. A part of her craved to know more and wanted to ask questions, tons of questions, but she also feared looking ridiculous. She feared her questions would be naïve and stupid, feared that they had probably heard them a thousand times before. She decided that now was as good a time as any to practice one of the most basic social party skills she had learned long ago. If you don't know what you're talking about, and if you don't want to say something stupid, simply smile and nod.

"You think so too, eh?" Debra said.

Jen stuttered for a moment before she answered. "No, I didn't mean that," she said. "I just meant I never looked."

"Oh." No expression, no emotion. Debra waved over the waitress and ordered another round of drinks.

Over the next hour, the flirting increased so much that others close to their table picked up on it. Soon, word spread, and all the patrons in the bar seemed to pay even more attention to them now. Jen caught herself studying the two. She watched their gestures, listened to their speech patterns, examined the way their lips moved as they talked. Jen had always studied people, but at this drunken moment, found Marcy and Debra the two most fascinating people she could remember. She could almost understand what attracted each to the other, and while still perfectly content with her single status, envied that they each had someone to turn to.

Marcy flirted more openly than Debra, but by Debra's movements, Jen could tell she was the drunkest of the three. Playful slaps to a shoulder missed, crossing their legs became a test to not bump the bottom of the table and spill their drinks again, laughs became louder and longer. When Debra threw an ice cube at Jen, only to send it flying over her left shoulder to land with a crack on the floor, their waitress gave them a look that indicated they tried her patience.

"Maybe we should go before we piss off the crew," Marcy said.

"Yep, God knows we don't want to get thrown out of this high class joint," Debra said.

"You picked it," Jen said. "I thought you'd been here before."

Debra shook her head. "Nope. Never. Just spotted it on the drive over tonight."

Jen rolled her eyes.

They paid the bill and staggered their way outside. Only a few cars passed by on the streets, and streetlamps provided a huantingly dim illumination. Debra put an arm around each of them, pulled them close to her, but their feet became entangled and they nearly fell to the concrete sidewalk.

"Watch it, ya damn drunk!" Marcy said with a smile.

"Yeah, yeah." Debra waved her off. "I only wanted to tell you two what a good time I had tonight and that we should do this again soon."

"It was fun," Jen said.

"And you," Marcy said, pointing at Jen. "I got to see a side of you I've never seen before. Ms. Calm, Ms. Serene, always with the soothing voice at the front of the class. I got to see you throw back a few screwdrivers and laugh at dirty jokes."

Jen nodded her head, a grin on her face. "Yeah, actually, I haven't laughed like that in a long time," she said. "Can't remember the last time."

Marcy smiled at Jen with an expression that lit her entire face. Her eyes squinted delicately, her chin cocked slightly, and Jen instantly knew what Debra saw in Marcy; this bright beautiful face that showed genuine happiness so easily.

In front of Jen's building, Debra leaned against the wall, while Jen fished the key out of her pocket.

"We gotta come in and get my car keys," Debra said.

"No way," Jen said. "You're not driving home tonight."

"I have to!" Debra said. "Marcy's had way too much to drink, and we've already shown we can't walk."

"Look who's talking, lush," Marcy said.

"Nah, you both are crashing here tonight," Jen said. "I don't care if you have to sleep on a yoga mat, you're not leaving." Jen wondered how to work the sleeping arrangements. She owned one bed, one couch, and a partially broken, uncomfortable recliner that didn't recline straight anymore.

"Have anything interesting to drink?" Debra said.

"I think so, yeah."

"Well, it's decided," Debra said, then with a big flourish of her arm added, "Marcy, we're sleeping here tonight."

Jen led them inside and locked the door behind them. Other than the red EXIT light, the bottom floor was completely dark.

"Wow! I've never seen this place this dark," Marcy said.

"Just stay close to me and I'll lead you up to my place."

"Better hold my hand," Debra said to Marcy. As Jen led them through the darkened room, she nearly jumped when one of the two took her hand. She couldn't immediately tell who is was, but she believed it might have been Marcy. Jen could picture the three of them in her mind, holding hands through the darkness like little girls in nursery school. Keep up with your partner, don't break the chain, and no pushing. By the time they were half-way up the stairs, when the light from the hall became bright enough to see by, the hand that held Jen's quickly let go as if it had never been there.

Jen led them in to her apartment with the usual apologies about whatever mess she had, and turned on a lamp near the kitchen, still keeping the lighting low, but bright enough to navigate. She felt a little tired from the day and night's activities and didn't want bright lights at this moment.

Debra plopped down on the couch, kicked her shoes off, and set her feet up on the low table in front of her. Marcy, though, scanned Jen's apartment, eyed the walls and the furniture, glanced at the books on her shelves and the CDs in her collection.

Jen opened the refrigerator door. "Well, I have some light beer and half of bottle of vodka."

"Sure, I don't care, whatever you feel like," Debra said, but Jen wasn't sure who she was talking to.

Marcy came into the kitchen and peered into the refrigerator beside Jen. "Got anything to mix the vodka with?"

"Orange juice, of course," Jen said.

"I could use some vitamin C," Marcy said.

Jen made drinks for them while Marcy talked with Debra. Debra's eyes were closed and Jen couldn't make out a word she said. Apparently though, neither could Marcy. When Marcy sat on the tall stool next to the kitchen counter, she said, "I think we're losing her for the night."

Jen sat on the stool next to Marcy and watched while Marcy took a tentative drink. Jen observed the way her full lips formed around the edge of the glass, saw the way her throat moved as she swallowed.

"Mixed okay?"

"Yeah," Marcy said. "I'm not really a vodka fan, but at this point, I'm willing to go with it for a while."

A moment of silence descended, not uncomfortable silence, but one that still made Jen feel like she needed to say something. Marcy looked at her and she looked at Marcy. Jen had been fascinated studying these two tonight, and hadn't thought about much else. Her mind raced as she tried to think of something to say, something that didn't sound stupid, but she continued to come up blank.

Debra's snores broke the silence. They both laughed.

"Debra's been wanting me to meet you for some time," Marcy said. "She always speaks well of you."

She smiled demurely. "That's nice of her," Jen said. "We really don't talk too much unless it's about the business. And other than her qualifications, I really don't know much about her."

"Yeah, you pretty much have to wrestle anything out of her," Marcy said. "And she wrestles well."

Debra's snores crescendoed, then broke off as her own rumbling noise woke her. She settled herself again and fell back asleep.

"Maybe we should stretch her out on the couch," Jen said.

They both moved over to Debra, and Marcy pulled her feet over to the couch while Jen put a pillow beneath her head then a thin blanket over her.

"Are you tired?" Marcy said.

"Only a little," Jen said. "I had a morning class today, but I grabbed a nap this afternoon."

"Are you drunk?"

"Yeah, I'd say I'm drunk enough," Jen said with a sly smile.

"Good, I was hoping we could stay up and talk some more," Marcy said.

"Sure," Jen said as she back down on her stool. She watched as Marcy used the counter for balance while she pulled herself up on the stool. Marcy's short legs rested on the bottom rung of the stool, and Jen realized Marcy's feet couldn't touch the floor when she sat up straight.

"You're shorter than I realized," Jen said, blushed with embarrassment at her verbal blunder, then added, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean that to sound so coarse."

Marcy laughed as she poured more vodka into Jen's glass. Jen noticed Marcy didn't add any orange juice. "That's okay, I'll get you back somehow."

"Great," Jen said as she rolled her eyes. "Should I be worried?"

"Nah, I'm easy."

The silence descended again, but Marcy broke it sooner this time.

"I do see why Debra likes you so much," she said. "You're a really great person. Fun and attractive, too."

Jen thought if she blushed any more her face would remain a permanent red. Her suspicious nature wondered about the motives behind these compliments, but she did feel a swelling of her ego as well. Yes, maybe Marcy was a lesbian, and maybe Jen found her and Debra fascinating, and just maybe there was a part of Jen turned on by this experience, a cat-and-mouse game of who's flirting with whom if at all. If things continued just as they were, she wouldn't know for sure.

Jen's confusion reminded her of the dating confusion she always experienced when going out with a guy for the first few times. What were the true meanings behind the words? What did this other person want? Was she being measured, and weighed, and evaluated?

Marcy seemed to have a look of pure admiration on her face, but did that translate into attraction?

"You're straight, right?" Marcy said.

"Yes," Jen said almost too forcefully, surprised that maybe Marcy had been thinking the same thoughts, asking the same questions.

Marcy chuckled a little, leaned forward a bit. "Even though you're straight, have you ever kissed another woman?"

"No."

"Ever thought about it?"

Jen weighed her response. She had thought about kissing another woman just two nights ago after she had witnessed Debra and Marcy in the shower. But as she recalled her fantasy from that night, it wasn't her kissing a woman, but Marcy kissing her body. She decided to give Marcy an honest but vague answer, and wondered if the alcohol had made her more bold than she normally would have been.

"Kind of," she said softly. "I've never really been attracted to women, so I don't know what to think about it."

"Just because you've thought about what it might be like to kiss another woman doesn't mean you're a lesbian," Marcy said. "It just means you're curious. And curious is good."

"Maybe."

Marcy leaned forward a little more. Jen's heartbeat quickened, and she found it difficult to breathe. She needed to take deeper breaths, but feared Marcy might misinterpret this action somehow.

"I was completely straight until my junior year in college," Marcy said. "Then one night at a party, there was a girl there I had had in a few classes and seen around campus. We got to chit-chatting, nothing important, just the usual crap, then one moment when we were alone, she just laid one on me. Open mouth, full tongue, the whole bit. For the briefest moment, I resisted, but then I gave in because it felt so wonderful."

Marcy sat back. "I've been bi ever since."

"So you're not just lesbian?"

"Oh no," Marcy said. "In fact, up until three weeks ago, I had a boyfriend. He loved it because occasionally, I'd share Debra with him."

"The three of you?"

"Oh yeah," Marcy said, then stopped when she saw the expression on Jen's face. "You're sex has been plain vanilla all your life, hasn't it?"

Jen stuttered for a moment, then said, "I guess so."

Marcy put a hand on Jen's knee. "Oh, honey, that's not a bad thing," she said. "Nothing wrong with that, you just haven't had opportunities that others have."

Jen shook her head. "No, my family and my ex are a repressed group, and they've kept me sheltered."

"Hey, that happens," Marcy said, and Jen noticed Marcy still hadn't removed her hand from her knee. Jen could feel herself shake with nervousness, a part of her wanted to run, another part wanted this to continue. She thought of her family and of Kyle, and knew exactly what they would think of this. With their closed minds, Jen would be immoral just to talk to a lesbian, let alone employ one and go drinking with her and her girlfriend. She had always hated their closed-mindedness, and out of a sense of spite and personal freedom she now had, she decided to explore where Marcy might take this.

"Want another drink?" Marcy said.

Jen pictured Kyle and the embarrassed look on his face after she made a negative, but honest, comment to one of his co-workers at friend's social party. She remembered the shrill in his voice, the redness of his face, and the way his neck muscles stood taut when he screamed at her that she drank too much and that from now forward he would monitor her drinking.

"Yes."

Marcy smiled and mixed Jen another drink, although Jen noticed Marcy gave her more vodka than she gave herself.

"You keep that up and I'm going to pass out on you too."

"Oh, sorry," Marcy said. "I thought you really liked these and I wasn't thinking."

"That's okay," Jen said with a wave of her hand. "I know you're just trying to get me drunker."

Marcy smiled. "I just might be."

"I should probably take that as a compliment," Jen said as she tested her drink. Nope, it wasn't too strong. In fact, considering her state, it was as perfect as if she were throwing back shots of vodka.

"Yes, you should," Marcy said. "You know you're attractive. All us girls need reminders from time to time. So I'm reminding you."

"Thank you," Jen said. "You know, I do think you're exceptionally cute. I bet everyone is trying to get their hands on you."

"Not to sound full of myself," Marcy said. "But, yes, they are." She laughed. "God that sounds terrible, but it's true. Someone is always hitting on me. Mostly men, though. Debra was the first woman to flirt with me in a couple of years. I think that's why I hooked up with her so easy. It was a nice change from the typical male methods. Plus, she's really great in bed." This time a look of embarrassment flashed over Marcy's face. "Oh, shit, I'm sorry, don't mean to -"

"It's okay," Jen said. "I mean, you two are a couple. I assumed you sleep together. You don't have to hide your relationship from me." But of course, they hadn't hidden anything from Jen two nights ago. She had seen it all, and she suspected that very sight was what allowed tonight's conversation to get as far as it had.

"See, that's the kind of thing Debra tells me about," Marcy said. "You're always so nice, always understanding, not judgmental."

"I think it's the yoga," Jen said and chuckled to hide the slight guilt she felt. She wasn't trying to be understanding, she was being curious, and more than a bit nosey. She wanted to glimpse what their relationship was like, what the sex was like, what the non-sexual moments were like. But to Marcy, her desire to learn more came off as kindness and understanding.

"Well, whatever it is, I appreciate it."

Each took a drink and the silence descended once again. Marcy set her glass on the counter and hopped down from her stool. She stood in front of Jen and looked deep into her eyes. Jen could instinctively feel what was about to come next, knew it as sure as she knew anything. The look in Marcy's eyes made her intentions clear, and Jen knew that if she wanted to back out, wanted to stop what was about to happen, this would be her moment. But instead she sat frozen in fear, nervousness, and excitement.

Marcy pressed her body against Jen's legs, placed her hands on Jen's knees, and languidly leaned forward, tilting her head slightly, giving Jen every opportunity to stop her, to push her away or turn her head.

A moment later, their lips met.

Marcy's full lips were soft and wet, her breath smelled of the orange juice and vodka, her tongue slipped into Jen's mouth and roamed. Jen responded as their mouths worked together, their tongues moving to each other's mouth. The kiss was soft, sensuous. Tender and passionate. Completely different from kissing a man.

When they parted, Marcy's lips lingered for another moment, adding one last soft kiss to Jen's lips.

Marcy looked deep into Jen's eyes again. "Did you like that?"

Jen didn't speak. Her pulse continued to pound, and breathing remained difficult. She could feel her hands, her arms, her shoulders shaking, wondered if Marcy could feel it.

She nodded her head slightly. Marcy smiled.

"Would you like to do it again?"

Jen started to say yes, but then stopped. "What about Debra?" she said. "Won't she get jealous?"

Marcy chuckled lightly. "No, she'll probably be happy for you."

Jen didn't understand what she meant, but Marcy gave her no chance to respond. She kissed Jen again, longer this time though, and Jen felt Marcy's hands slide almost imperceptively a few inches up her legs. Jen's crotch became warm with excitement, and the light pressure of Marcy's hands felt stimulating.

Marcy moved her kisses to Jen's check bones and down her neck, Jen panted with the excitement, the feel of Marcy's wet lips and the heat from her mouth. The sensuousness increased as Marcy worked down to Jen's collarbone then back up to her mouth.

"You're wonderful at this," Marcy said between kisses, and Jen became more excited by the encouragement. She placed her arms around Marcy's neck, rubbed the back of her head and stroked her long hair.

Marcy's hands moved further up Jen's legs, until they were firmly planted on Jen's hips. She felt Marcy pulling her forward, pulling her down from the stool, and they stood together, Jen leaning down slightly due to her height to continue their kisses. Marcy pulled her body against her, slid one hand up Jen's back to bring her closer. She couldn't seem to get Jen close enough to her, like she wanted to completely absorb her. Jen could feel Marcy's full breasts pressed up against her, could feel her own breasts against Marcy.