Threading the Needle Ch. 10

Thank you Terry, careythomas and snow for all your help in editing and improving this chapter. I couldn't have done it without you.

Like almost all of my series, this one will only be understood if you have read the chapters before it. Thank you to my readers for going along this journey with me.

Threading the Needle

Chapter 10

The sunny weather outside wasn't the only thing making it hard for Marika to focus on work. Unlike most people, she wasn't wishing she was out in it. Instead, it irritated her.

"I don't want to be happy," she truculently said to the bright sun in the clear blue sky. "Why don't you rain, so it's easier to feel depressed?" It was hard to keep her mind on her work. The full impact of the pending breakup of her marriage was beginning to hit her. There was no regret for the end of her relationship with Samuel; in fact, it was a relief that he was on an overnight business trip to Portland. "At least I don't have to pretend that everything is normal for one night," she thought.

It was the idea of being a single mother that made her nervous. Samuel might not be a great father, but at least he shared some of the load. As soon as she was ready to kick him out, that would end. No matter what, Samuel wouldn't be there as much. She had no idea if he would want to share custody. His parenting was usually grudgingly given, but that might change if he might lose out on being involved in Kieran's life. She also wondered if he would fight her for custody just to try to hurt her.

"I wouldn't put it past the bastard," she thought viciously. She hated the idea of sharing custody with him. "Losing out on half of Kieran's life because Samuel couldn't keep his dick in his pants is so unfair," she said under her breath. "I didn't do anything wrong!"

Her thoughts turned to Samuel's trip south. Yamile's friend in the police had a connection down there who agreed to take time off and watch Samuel. "I almost don't want to know how bad it is, but if it gives me some leverage then it is worth the pain," she said. The exact amount of revenge she wanted to extract changed from moment to moment, but she knew that she would give it all up in exchange for Samuel going quietly if that was possible.

"What will happen, though, if I get what I want? I make a good living, but I'm not sure how easy it will be to survive on it. And what about time for me?" she thought as she looked outside. "I don't want to lose time with Kieran, but Samuel watching him is the only thing that let me go rafting." She grimaced as she thought about how at least once, Samuel took Kieran along to meet his girlfriend. "It's such a mess."

"Yamile will help, I know, and so will her daughters. They adore Kieran. There is Liz too," she thought, then suddenly broke off.

"God," she said aloud. "I haven't told her. I kept putting it off, but she'll be hurt if I wait any longer." Pulling out her cellphone, she made the phone call. "Hey, can you talk for a moment?" she said when Liz answered.

"Sure. What's up," she said, sitting up in her bed. She didn't get to bed until late, and only woke up a little while ago. Enjoying laying around in bed was one of those advantages her life offered, that and lots of sex. Last night was no exception. She picked up a woman at the same bar where she met Lena a few months ago. It was fun and delightfully free of complications.

She could have been with Lena. She left a message earlier in the day, but Liz ignored it. Things were already more complicated with Indigo than she liked. Unlike many of her hookups, Lena was someone that she saw frequently. Seeing her a lot during the week felt too much like dating. Picking up someone new at the bar was just easier.

"Well, Samuel is out of town tonight and I was wondering if you wanted to come over for dinner," Marika said. It wasn't unusual for her to ask Liz over while Samuel was on the road. They didn't get along well. Mostly it was because of Liz's contempt for him. She found it difficult to hide it around him. Coming over while he was traveling removed that stress.

"Sure, how about I come over around 7?" Liz asked.

"That would be great," Marika said. "Kieran will love seeing his Aunt Elizabeth. So will I. See you tonight."

She ended the call, holding the phone in her hand as she thought about her friend. "I get what Lena and Indigo see in her. She is attractive and alluring, but I don't know how they put up with her. She doesn't have a love life; it's just a sex life," she thought. Especially after finding out the truth about Samuel, she couldn't imagine being with someone like her. Despite being best friends, rafting was the first prolonged exposure to Liz since high school. Normally it was an hour or two here and there. If anything, she seemed worse than Marika's previous impression. "It's always about her, no matter who she hurts." She sighed and went back to lose herself in her work.

With picking up Kieran on the way home, Marika had just enough time to get dinner mostly done before Liz arrived. The risotto was warming and the salad was dressed. All that remained was grilling the pork chops. She left those until the last moment before dinner. "They won't take long," she told herself as she poured a glass of wine for the two of them. Sipping on hers, she watched as Kieran played with his toys in the family room adjoining the kitchen. He looked up every few minutes to see what she was doing and gave her frequent toothy smiles. Once again, it reminded her that, despite Samuel's failings as a husband, she had a lot about which to feel fortunate. Kieran brought so much joy to her life. The worry surged again that Samuel would use him to get back at her.

"That's why I agreed to Yamile's plan, to protect against that," she thought to herself. If it were just her, ending the marriage would be easy. "I know how nasty he can be. I hate needing to be ready to jump down in the dirt with him, but I've got to be ready for that." She heard a car door slam and sighed. For tonight, keeping Liz from blowing her stack was the chore ahead of her.

When the doorbell rang, the way Kieran excitedly looked up made her laugh. "Who's that?" she asked him.

"Auntie Ewizabeth?" he replied.

"It is! Go let her in!" Marika told him.

"Okay, Mommy!" Getting up to his feet, he ran off in his little kid way to the door with Marika trailing behind. She heard his squeal and assumed that Liz had picked him up and was tickling him. Coming around the corner to the entryway, she was in time to stop her from flipping him backwards.

"No, no! We're about to eat! None of that. You'll get him so wound up that he won't be able to," Marika told Liz. Both of them pouted, but neither one of them dared to disobey. Kieran wrapped his arms around Liz's neck and gave her a big hug, pressing his cheek against hers.

Marika leaned forward and gave her a kiss on the other cheek. "I'm about ready; come on back to the kitchen. The wine's already poured," she said as she went ahead of the other two. While she did the grilling, Liz played with Kieran. She listened as he very seriously explained the game he was playing with his toys. Marika smiled as she watched. If Liz really was his aunt, she couldn't have loved Kieran any more that she did. Knowing that support was there did help her feel better about what was to come.

Dishing up, she put the plates on the table. As she cut up Kieran's pork chop, she called them to the table. It took a couple of tries to get their attention, and when they did come, it was cute how he gripped Liz's hand. He sat on the end between the two of them and enjoyed the attention. It made it easy to keep the conversation light and away from any trouble spots.

Even though it was a little early, she put him to bed shortly after dinner. Just like usual when she visited, Kieran insisted on Liz reading him a story as well as one from Marika. Finally, after refusing another one, Liz watched as she sang a couple lullabies to him.

Liz always enjoyed watching Marika with Kieran. "She is such a great mom," Liz thought. "She is so good with him, especially compared to how Samuel is as a father." Her smile slipped into a frown. Although it was rare, occasionally she did come over when he was home. She almost never saw him pay attention to Kieran. Unless Marika asked him to, he usually was off watching some type of sports or in his office on the computer. It made her wonder about what he and Kieran did when Marika was off rafting. "I don't want to ask. It was hard enough to get her agree, and it's been good for her," she thought to herself. Marika was brushing Kieran's hair with her fingers and Liz could tell he was about asleep. They waited a few minutes more and then went downstairs.

Marika refilled their glasses and they went into the living room. Just in case Liz couldn't help herself, she wanted to be a little further away from the stairs and Kieran. She felt nervous about bringing the divorce up and they fell into talking about rafting. Still, Liz could tell something was up.

"Rikki, something's bugging you. Why don't just tell me?" she said. "I can tell something's wrong."

Before saying anything, Marika took a big sip from her glass. "Yeah, I'm sorry I haven't said anything before, but I wasn't ready to talk to almost anyone. I found out a couple of weeks ago that Samuel's cheating on me with someone at his work, and probably others. It's over between us. I can't get past this. I don't want to!"

Liz felt a surge of emotions as Marika spoke. A part of her understood how hard this was, and her heart felt Marika's pain. Another part of her felt vindication for her attitude about Samuel all these years. "He's a scumbag, and I always knew that," she thought. She wasn't particularly proud to feel this way, but she also felt a forlorn sense of hope. "I know she isn't that way, but maybe this is a chance," she thought.

"I'm sorry, Rikki," she said, but as she did, it was clear from Marika's face that she didn't believe her. Her views on Samuel were too well known. "I know," she said in response to the look. "I mean I hate that he hurt you like this," she said. Despite trying, she couldn't help adding, "Even if it doesn't surprise me."

Marika's face clouded over as she tried to hold back tears. It was to no avail. She felt them start to run down her face. "Right. Thanks a lot," she said. "What I need right now is a big I told you so!" She angrily wiped at the tears, still trying to stop them.

"Sweetie, I'm sorry. I didn't mean that, not really. It's just you gave him your devotion and clearly he doesn't return it," Liz said as she reached out to hug her friend. "It's always about him," she added.

Hugging her back, Marika buried her head into her shoulder. Despite her own pain, she couldn't help thinking about Lena, Indigo and the string of other women that Liz slept with and then disregarded as she felt like it. "Are you that different?" she thought to herself, but she kept the bitter thought silent. She didn't want to strike out like that. In any case, feeling Liz hold her was the comfort she sought in inviting her. "Anyway, she is different. At least, she doesn't promise anything she can't give," Marika told herself. "She doesn't have it in her to give any more."

For the next couple of hours, they talked while consuming a couple of bottles of wine. Marika explained how she saw Samuel coming out of a hotel with another woman while helping Yamile make the arrangements for Claudio, and then the subsequent discovery of his spending on his mistresses. Liz heartily approved of Yamile's plan to use Claudio's cop friend to gather evidence on him, although she felt a vague jealousy about how close the two of them were. She wished Marika turned to her and not Yamile.

Even though it started rocky, Marika felt better as they talked, and not just because of the wine. Feeling Liz's unlimited caring was what she needed. No matter how much she appreciated Yamile, they didn't have the long history that she shared with Liz. There was a reason the two of them were best friends since they were young. As long as Liz stayed away from an "I told you so" attitude, Marika was also perfectly happy to listen to Liz trash Samuel. Nothing that she said was any different that her own condemnations.

Finally, Marika noticed the time. "Shit, it's 11:30 and I've got work in the morning," she said. "I've got to get some sleep."

"Well, I don't, but I should go," Liz said. Attempting to stand up, she fell back onto the couch. They both giggled.

"You're drunk," Marika told her, sounding more self-righteous than she realized.

"No .... Well maybe a little," Liz said as she managed to get up to her feet, and then helped Marika up.

"Well, even if it's a little, you're spending the night. You're not driving like that," Marika told her. "Come on. You can sleep with me. It will be nice to cuddle someone that I love." She grabbed Liz's hand and led her upstairs to her bedroom. "Snuggling up with Samuel is hard, but I don't want to let him guess I know," she said as they walked up the stairs. "Between my period, his schedule, being tired, and some alleged headaches, I've avoided having sex with him though."

"Rikki, did you get tested? His slutting around could end up being your problem," Liz asked. With anyone else, it might be an awkward question. After everything they went through including taking Rikki to get an abortion back when she was 18, there were no more delicate questions between them.

"Ugh," Marika said. "Yes, that was almost the first thing I did. Thankfully, I'm clean. As long as I don't let that bastard fuck me, I'm okay."

The other woman gave her a relieved hug. She knew where to get testing done, but she was glad that it wasn't necessary to have that discussion. Liz went in for testing on a monthly basis. "I guess there really are some things that are awkward to talk about with her," she thought to herself. Plus, reminding Rikki of her own slutting about was a bad idea right now.

When they got into the bedroom, Marika began to get undressed without a second thought. It wasn't just how long they knew each other; rafting loosened her inhibitions as well. None of them could really worry too much about someone catching a glimpse of as they changed. She undid her trousers and stepped out of them. Her blouse hung down over her hips, covering up both her ass and her mound. Walking over to the dresser, she bent over to grab a nightshirt.

"Do you want something?" she asked without looking back.

For a moment, Liz was speechless. Marika was wearing a thong that was nestled between her cheeks. The blouse rode up enough to give her a perfect view. The delightful view caught her eyes and she struggled to look away. Just as Marika started to look back, she managed to turn away and start to undo her jeans.

"No, I'm okay in my t-shirt and panties, as long as that's okay?" Liz responded. Her throat was dry and sounded a little scratchy.

"Of course," Marika said. Facing Liz, she unbuttoned her blouse and shed it. Again without thinking, she pulled off her bra and tossed it in the dresser. "Oh, that feels good," she said. She started to massage them a little. In her tipsy state, she didn't think about it being inappropriate until after a few seconds. "Oops," she thought and pulled on her nightshirt. Now that she was covered, she rubbed at them as she went into the bathroom. She found an extra toothbrush under the sink. After putting a little toothpaste on it, she poked her head out from the bathroom. "Here!" she said, holding it out. Her voice had a lisp a bit like Kieran's since her toothbrush was already in her mouth.

"Thanks," Liz said as she grabbed it and started brushing her teeth. A minute or so later, she heard Marika spit. Starting to walk in to do the same thing, she was almost hit when Marika tossed her thong out towards the bed.

"Sorry," she said, giggling at the dirty look Liz gave her. Marika sat down on the toilet. Leaning over, Liz spat out the toothpaste and retreated out of the bathroom. Feeling the need too, she went out to the other upstairs bathroom. Pulling her panties down, she sat. It was hard to get the fleeting glimpse of Marika's dark pussy hair as she lifted up her nightgown before getting on the toilet out of her mind. Liz sighed. "It could be a long night," she whispered very quietly.

A small part of her worried she would do something without thinking. Years ago, slumber parties and sleeping in the same bed were common. She never tried anything back then. "Rikki isn't that way," was her watchword. It got easier over time, but now she was out of practice. Even worse, now when she went to bed with a woman, it wasn't to get a good night's sleep. "What if I start feeling her up in my sleep? Or even worse, what if I can't help myself and I start to play with her?" She ran her finger very lightly over her trimmed little blonde pussy hair. "Fuck, just that little display has me slightly wet!" She focused and forced herself to calm down. "Look stupid! Right now, she just needs her friend. That's all I am!" she told herself.

Carefully wiping herself, Liz dropped the toilet paper into the toilet and flushed. She used extra soap to get any hint of her smell off her fingers. Looking at herself in the mirror, she nodded firmly. "I can do this," she whispered.

When she came into the room, Marika was already in the bed with the lights off. When Liz slipped under the covers, Marika rolled over and snuggled up against her so that she could rest her head on Liz's shoulder. Her hand lay lightly on her belly. Slightly hesitatingly, Liz wrapped her arm around her friend and tried to relax. It was hard but she managed it.

"Thanks for coming over, Elizabeth," Marika whispered. "I feel better now that you know." She wiggled a little, trying to find the most comfortable spot. Between the late hour and the wine, she already felt sleep pulling at her. Taking in a deep breath, she let it out in a long sigh. It was comforting to feel Liz holding her, reassuring her that she had the support of her oldest friend. As her mind began to fade away, a stray thought passed through her mind. "If this was Winnie, I don't think I'd find it comforting. I'd be too aware of her." She smiled. "Right now, though, this is what I need." The comforting warmth of Liz's body felt so good. It was a seamless transition from awake into unconsciousness. For once, her sleep came easy and was uninterrupted.

It wasn't the same for Liz. The even sounds of Marika breathing softly didn't help her to find sleep. The anxiety she felt continued, but grew even stronger now that she could feel her body pressing against her. It was even worse than high school. Back then, she was inexperienced and still shy about sex. In the intervening years, she became a highly sexual person who habitually seduced women without a second thought for consequences. In high school, she didn't even know the moves to make. Now that she knew what to do, it still didn't matter. She steeled herself enough that she was fairly sure she wouldn't molest her friend; it was simply the overwhelming desire that kept her awake.

Finally, Marika rolled over in her sleep, turning away from Liz and away from her arm. It made things slightly easier, and gradually Liz started to drift off. It still wasn't a good sleep. Unlike Marika, she was restless and woke several times during the night. Finally around 4, she fell into her deepest sleep of the night.

When she felt a light touch on her shoulder, she opened her eyes, not sure if it was real. Then it came again, and she rolled over. Rikki was looking at her. Even in the dim light, she could see the hungry look in her eyes. It was something she always hoped to see.

"I've fought it, but I can't anymore," Rikki said. Reaching out, she touched Liz on the hip. More than a touch, she pulled her closer. The heat from her body washed over Liz helping to unleash the passion she restrained for so long. "I need you, Liz. I need you now," she whispered. She moved closer still until their lips were almost touching, and then she paused waiting for Liz to make the next move.