Threading the Needle Ch. 11

The three rafts floated down the river side by side as someone from each boat held on to the raft beside them. The customers chattered amongst themselves, some of them vowing to get revenge later. The three women guides leaned back and just relaxed. Every minute or so, one of them would look downstream and make sure they were still clear to keep drifting.

Looking over at Lena, Rikki noticed she no longer had her foot in her foot strap, and was instead just lying back with her feet up so she could soak in the sun. A broad smile broke out on Rikki's face. She slowly picked up her paddle. Still moving slowly, she extended it towards Lena. When she was close, she gave it a little shove right into Lena's side. Her life jacket absorbed the impact, but not the momentum. With arms flailing, she tipped over the side of the raft. Rikki couldn't see her, but she could hear the sputtering from swallowing a mouthful of river water.

"Revenge is mine!" she crowed, as Lena splashed into view. The scowl in her face vividly expressed her attitude.

"I was warm! God, this water is cold!" she complained as she came around beside Rikki's raft. "That was mean!"

"So was nailing me with a bucket of water when I wasn't expecting it!" Rikki said. Her smug tone was proof that she didn't have much sympathy.

Lena looked over at her raft and discovered they were laughing over her plight. "Traitors," she told them. Bobbing in the water, her dark hair was plastered to her head with a few strands over her left eye. Rikki though she was even cuter than usual like that. "Hey, help me in," Lena called up to her. She took a couple of strokes and came up alongside Rikki's raft. "Come on; it's cold!"

Turning around, Rikki leaned over to take hold of the shoulder straps of Lena's life jacket. Suddenly, Lena grabbed her wrists and used her feet to push off the raft tube. Rikki tried to stop herself, but she was completely off balance. Lena pulled her almost effortlessly into the river. It was her turn to cough as she spit out river water, although the weight of her body also dunked Lena underwater. Unlike Rikki, she was ready for it and just held her breath. Letting go of her, she kicked away. It was clear that Rikki would want to get back at her. She swam for her raft with Rikki in pursuit. She grabbed the safety line around it, dunked down and then came up with as much force as she could. As she flopped into the raft, she felt Rikki's hand brush her leg but miss getting a grip on it.

Laughing, she scrambled onto her knees and looked down at her friend. "Poor Rikki, you're all wet!" she said. Once again, all the customers were laughing, enjoying the antics of their guides. Lena looked up and saw they were coming around a bend. "Uh oh and here comes Rock and Roll. No revenge for Rikki!" she snickered.

Looking around, Rikki realized she was right. The next rapid was coming up. She splashed Lena in the face and then swam over to her raft. She got in just as easily as Lena. Even as she was getting into positions, she called out her commands to set up for her run. This was a much bigger rapid, with a big hole just to the right of center. The best route was to go right alongside it, coming close enough for the customers to look right down it while riding the biggest waves.

Following closely behind Winnie, she ran it perfectly despite a crew that still wasn't capable of working together. It didn't matter to them. It was a great ride with the raft bucking up and down. The river gave the boat all the momentum it needed and Rikki kept them right on the line she wanted. She looked back and saw Lena was having a similar run. She gave her a thumbs up and got an impish smile in return.

"She's too much. It's hard not to be in a good mood with her around," she thought. Like the rest of the float, she was bringing her raft over to the right side of the river. They needed to avoid a small irrigation dam that wasn't safe to run. They'd pull out and carry the rafts a hundred feet or so around it. One by one, the rafts beached and the crews carried them downstream. As usual, there was a line and Rikki had them put her raft down.

"There is a sanican here if anyone needs it," she said. Both of the kids and one of the women from her raft went over to wait their turns. As she watched the line, she felt a pair of arms wrap around her and give her a hug. Looking over her shoulder, she smiled at Lena, and then pressed back against her.

"Forgive me?" Lena said in a little voice. While the impish grin was missing, the sparkle in her eyes compensated for it. Rikki rested her own arms over Lena's and she squeezed back.

"Ah, sweetie, of course I don't," she replied. "I'll get you back."

Lena fluttered her eyelashes at her. "I was just having fun and entertaining the customers. Plus it wasn't that cold." The sexy undertones of her voice grew as she spoke. Despite the lifejackets, Rikki easily felt the curves of her body against her back. With all the people around, it was better to ignore that sensation. "How would I react if it was just the two of us?" Rikki wondered. She felt the prickles of excitement throughout her body.

"And I'll help," Winnie said as she joined the conversation. She hid it well but the way Lena was leaning into Rikki bothered her. "No, be fair," she thought, "It's what I wish I could do to her." Winnie could see that Rikki was enjoying herself, which she needed with everything going on in her life. Still, she wished Lena wasn't coming on so strong, or that Rikki didn't seem to be eating it up quite so much.

"Ganging up on me?" Lena said as she stood on her toes and looked over Rikki's shoulder. "Mmmm, I think I'd like that!" She almost purred the words. Both Rikki and Winnie blushed, and neither one of them could come up with a good comeback. Fortunately, the line started to move. Winnie ran back to her boat, while Lena gave Rikki one more hug. As she let go, she brushed her lips on her cheek. "I'll be waiting for you," she said with a giggle.

As they started to move, the rest of Rikki's customers showed up and helped to carry the boat down to where they could put it into the rushing river. Once they were lined up, the rafts launched in quick succession. The next rapid came up quickly. The customers loved crashing through the rolling waves. For the guides, it was mostly about just staying in the train of waves and avoiding hitting pilings as they went under a bridge.

From there until lunch, Rikki kept looking for a chance to get Lena. Unfortunately, her intended victim was well aware of that, and kept a comfortable distance between their rafts. Every time that Rikki started to close the gap, Lena gave her a smile and put her boat into a slower part of the river. As they approached the lunch spot, Rikki sighed and gave up for now. "She's too tricky to get at lunch too," she thought.

In any case, there wasn't much of a chance. She needed to help with lunch, even though Weston hired someone to get most of it ready. They kept the food in a cooler until the last second to protect it from the heat. As soon as the raft was beached, she jumped out and headed over to where a pretty woman was waiting. It was one of the other guide's girlfriends. It was a nice way to earn a little money while her boyfriend was on the river.

"Hi Heather," Rikki said.

"Hey, Rikki," Heather replied as she opened the cooler. Several of the guides crowded around and took the food she handed them. It was fixings for sandwiches, and they quickly had out all meat, cheese, and condiments. There was also freshly sliced pineapple and cookies for dessert. It wasn't fancy like some companies, but it filled the hungry customers up. As usual, the guides waited until everyone else had food before getting some of their own.

Once they had their food, Winnie and Rikki found a sunny spot up on some rocks. Winnie expected Lena to join them, but her paranoia about Rikki getting her back was too strong. She stayed down with the boats; picking a spot where it was easy to keep Rikki in her sights.

Winnie didn't mind, although she conveniently forgot about her jealous feelings from earlier. It gave her a chance to ask about the pending separation. Rikki still hadn't told Lena about it, so the topic didn't come up during the ride over.

"So how is it going, Rikki? Any closer to getting things settled?" she asked.

Before answering, Rikki looked around to make sure no one was close. "I don't know why I'm keeping it so quiet," she said. "It's going to be out there soon. I worked everything out with the lawyer, and she's just drawing up the paperwork now." She sighed. It finally felt real to her. "And I hear back from Yamile's cop friend this week. So I'll know what the situation is before he's served."

"When are you going to do that?" Winnie asked.

"Friday, at his office," she said with her expression hardening. "My sister will be coming that day, and that will give him the weekend to get things out of the house. I just hope I have enough on him to force him to be reasonable about it. I want him gone!"

"The asshole better not make trouble," Winnie said. The amount of vehemence in her voice surprised Rikki.

"You sound like you hate him, Winnie," she said with a smile. "You haven't even met him."

"And I don't want to! Damn right I hate him. He doesn't get to hurt my friend like this!" she said in the same tone. "Don't you hate him?"

"I don't think hate is the right word. I'm angry and hurt, and I really, really don't like him, but hate is such a strong word. I don't want him punished. I just want him out of my life," Rikki said, and then let out a sigh. "Except of course, he can never be totally out of my life. Not when you have a child together." She sounded so sad that Winnie reached out and took her hand. She held it tight as Rikki struggled to hold back the tears that threatened to start running down her cheek. It took a minute or so and a few tears forced their way out, but she finally won the battle.

She squeezed Winnie's hand back in gratitude. "Thanks, sweetie. You're really a wonderful friend. I'm so glad we did this. Without rafting, I don't know if that would have happened," she said.

Winnie nodded. "Yeah, work friends aren't the same. I'm glad too. I would hate to not have you in my life," she said.

Letting go of Winnie's hand, Rikki put her arms around her and gave her a big hug. "Me too," she whispered into her ear. "Me too!" They held onto each other until it began to feel a little awkward, and then let go. There was movement down by the rafts and it was clear that lunch was finishing. Everyone wanted to get back in the river. The biggest rapids were yet to come. Rikki ran her hand along Winnie's arm, silently giving her one last thank you, and then the two of them climbed down the rocks to rejoin their crews.

As Winnie passed by, Lena put her hand out and stopped her. "What was that? Is everything okay with Rikki?" she asked. While at first she kept a wary eye on them, it soon was clear that they had some sort of personal conversation. She could see that Rikki was upset about something, and it wasn't their horseplay. Her genuine concern for Rikki came through to Winnie.

"It's not my place to say, Lena, but don't bug her about it either, please," Winnie said, looking over at where Rikki was checking her boat. "She'll tell you when she's ready. There's not much either of us can do about it."

"Okay. I'm dying of curiosity, but I'll let it alone," Lena said. She began checking her own boat, trying to put it out of her mind. "It's funny," she thought. "Indigo kind of said the same thing about us and Liz. There isn't much we can do about it. I hope Rikki's problem isn't as bad as with Liz."

The rest of the trip down the river went fairly fast. There were fewer slow spots after lunch, and while there was some time for water fights, the order of the boats changed. Rikki and Lena's boats were no longer right by each other. Rikki didn't find any chances to try for revenge. She was having too much fun to worry about it. The biggest rapids were all after lunch. Her crew got a little better, but she did most of the work. She didn't mind. It was a chance to prove to herself once again how good of a guide she was becoming.

"It's one place I'm in control of," she thought again, as she guided the raft over to the ramp at the take out. It wasn't the best day she ever had on the river, but it was exactly what she needed.

Unlike last week when Lena didn't leave until the last float was done, the three women were done early. Since none of them was in charge, they only had to help with the gear for their float. Once that was done, they were free to enjoy the rest of the afternoon. Rather driving up to the little faux Bavarian town close to their campgrounds, they instead stayed in the town by the takeout. It was an easy walk to the downtown area where there were many wine tasting rooms for the various local wineries.

While rafting was popular with the local merchants, raft guides were not as well liked. Unlike the rafting customers, guides didn't often spend much money, other than in the taverns and restaurants. Even there, they were usually cheap. Making the rounds of the wine tasting rooms was common for that reason. Over the years, many of the wineries developed a hostile attitude towards guides who sampled but never bought.

To avoid the reaction, the three women planned ahead. They changed into nicer clothes than normal. Winnie had on a pair of jeans that were skintight with a t-shirt showing off her flat belly, while Lena wore a skirt that was just shy of being a mini-skirt with a tank top that dropped down low in front to flaunt her perky breasts. Rikki was a little more conservative. She had on a flowered sundress that ended just above her knees. Her more ample breasts were very evident as well, though not quite as brazenly as Lena. Their attire made it impossible to distinguish them from the tourists in town.

As they moved from tasting room to tasting room, Rikki made sure to buy several of bottles of wine. It wasn't hard to find ones that she liked. Since she had to drive, she truly only tasted the samples. Her younger friends, on the other hand, took advantage of the opportunity to try as many different wines as possible, slowly becoming quite tipsy.

They also competed to see who Rikki allowed to finish her glass. Her small sips left most of the wine undrunk. At the first tasting room, Rikki took her glass and just poured out what she didn't drink. Lena glared at her and gave her hand a swat.

"How can you waste good wine?" Lena chided her.

"Yeah!" added Winnie.

Rikki glanced over at the server who was pouring some for another customer. "Because I didn't think it was very good," she whispered.

"Well, you let us be the judge of that," Lena said. "It's free, and therefore good!" She smiled at Rikki and then wiggled her eyebrows. "Plus we'll make it worth your while!" Rikki felt the full force of Lena's charm; her impish smile, her smoky eyes, and that sultry voice. A pulse of arousal ran through her. She missed the widening of Winnie's eyes and the nervous way that she licked her lips.

Not wanting Lena to think she got the better of her, she nodded. "Alright, you have a deal," she said with more confidence than she felt. She looked over at Winnie and nodded at her. "You both do."

Winnie gave her a big smile to cover up her nervousness. So far, she kept her crush on Rikki hidden. "God, I wonder what Lena really means," she thought. At the same time, she felt that same stab of jealousy from earlier. She inwardly sighed. "Lena's so sexy. How do I compete with that?" The idea that Rikki might prefer her made Winnie slightly sick to her stomach.

"Okay, next place and hopefully one with good wine," Rikki said as she put her glass down. Going back outside, she enjoyed the feeling of the sun on her shoulders. Even though they had sun all day, it was a long winter and spring in Seattle. The warmth was welcome.

Lena and Winnie walked behind her, both of them enjoying the way her hips swayed. Lena leaned over and whispered in Winnie's ear. "Do you think she knows how sexy she is?"

For a moment, Winnie couldn't answer and openly acknowledge the attraction to Rikki she worked so hard to hide. Buried in the back of her mind was another thought; she wasn't ready to consciously take another a step down a road that scared her. Still, when she remembered sharing kisses with Lena, she felt her tension give way. "She already knows that much about me. And Rikki will look at this as a joke," she thought. Turning her head, she whispered back. "No, I don't think she does. Her asshole husband doesn't make her feel that way," she said.

The venomous way Winnie spoke of Rikki's husband surprised Lena. "I wonder if that has anything to do with what they were talking about at lunch," she thought. Although her curiosity was piqued, she shook her head. "It's none of my business," she told herself. At the same time, her heart ached a little for her friend. "She is such a great person. She should feel as sexy as she is."

"Then let's help her know it," she whispered.

That approach resonated with Winnie. Rikki was in a rough place and they were trying to make her feel good. It wasn't about her own attraction. "It's for Rikki," she thought. "Okay," she told Lena.

Coming up on the next tasting room, Rikki put her hand on the doorknob and looked back at her friends. Something about the way their heads were close together made her feel anxious. They were both gorgeous in different ways, and she felt defenseless against the combination of the two. "God, I'm in trouble," she thought. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door and went inside.

By the time the other two women entered, the sales woman was already talking with Rikki. She smiled at them as she set three glasses on the counter and began to pour from a bottle of Syrah. Although she went on about the vintage and the history of the winery, none of them heard her. Their awareness of each other was too strong.

Sipping at her wine, Rikki looked at Lena. She could see a devilish glint in her eyes. Her nipples hardened, becoming more visible with each passing moment. From the way Lena's eyes dropped down to her chest, she knew it wasn't unnoticed. Part of her was embarrassed, but another part liked knowing her friends could see their impact on her. She looked over at Winnie. Although she wasn't as obvious, it was clear she noticed as well.

The sales woman was waiting expectantly as they sipped the wine. Rikki smiled at her. "I like this. I think I'll take a bottle," she said. As the woman went to grab a bottle, Rikki swirled the wine in her glass. Despite having just taken a sip, her throat felt dry. She forced herself to speak. "That's it for this glass," she said softly.

Lena smiled and held out her glass. After a second, so did Winnie. Rikki didn't do anything other than chuckle and raise one eyebrow. For once, Winnie picked up on the subtle sign first. Quickly leaning over, she gave the other woman a light kiss on the cheek and Rikki rewarded her by giving her all of the rest of the wine.

"Thank you," she said, while smirking at Lena.

"My pleasure," Rikki said as she moved over to talk with the saleswoman about the bottle Cabernet Sauvignon that she just opened. Her hips definitely swayed more than usual as she grew more comfortable in flirting with her girlfriends. Eyes caught by the display, Lena followed her over while Winnie drank the fruits of the first victory. She felt a little flush on her cheeks over being so bold, but there was a feeling of triumph too. "Being aggressive paid off," she thought.

Unfortunately, she didn't get a chance for a second straight win. Rikki took one sip of the Cab and frowned. "A little too much tannin without an accompanying richness," she said, shaking her head. This time the sales woman wasn't distracted and had a front row view as Lena brushed her lips against Rikki's cheek in a soft, lingering kiss. Her breath tickled Rikki, causing her to shiver.