Threading the Needle Ch. 11

"Mmmm, nice," she murmured as she upended her glass into Lena's. This time, it was Lena's turn to grin at Winnie. Rikki laughed as Winnie stuck her tongue out at her competition. Her laugh died off as she looked at the saleswoman. Her face was cold and it was clear that she didn't appreciate their game. It was a stark reminder that they were in a more conservative part of the state than Seattle was. Although there were times she encountered homophobia when out with Liz, it was the first time she felt it directed at her.

For a moment, her knee jerk reaction was to protest that they were just teasing and she wasn't gay. The next second, a spark of anger flared up. "Fuck that," she thought. She stared into the woman's eyes. "I was thinking of buying a case of that Syrah, but you know what, never mind. I think we'll try somewhere else," she told her. Spinning on her heel, she slipped her arm around Lena's waist, who was already done with her glass. Winnie put her own down, not yet finished with it. There was no need for any jealousy as Rikki put her other arm around her and the three of them walked out together.

Rikki muttered curse words as they headed down the sidewalk to the next tasting room. When Lena gave her a little squeeze, she looked over at her. "I love that it pissed you off, but don't let it spoil our fun," Lena said. She gave Rikki a quick little kiss on the cheek. It was nothing like the flirtatious one moments before. This one conveyed her affection for her friend. "That one's for free," she said.

"So's this one," Winnie said softly as she kissed the other cheek.

Rikki sighed and then tried to smile. "Good, because I'm not just giving my wine away," she said. Both of her friends could hear the residual anger but felt the tension melting away as the tight grip around their waists relaxed.

As they reached the next shop, Lena reached out and pulled the door open. "After you, Rikki my sweet," she said. Rather than holding the door for Winnie too, Lena let it start to shut and followed Rikki inside. She glanced over her shoulder as Winnie pulled the door back open and giggled. She made sure to box Rikki in on the edge of the counter so that there was no place for her rival. The glower on Winnie's face made her giggle again.

This time Rikki tried a Cab first. It was quite good, meaty and full bodied, balanced with the right amount of tannins. She liked it enough that she drank half of her sample before she forced herself to stop. She put the glass down and looked at the young woman behind the counter. Rikki's eyes were impassive as she waited.

Lena went first and gave Rikki another kiss on the cheek like before, although it seemed more drawn out. She felt a little fluttering in her stomach. Lena was learning how to get to her. As her lips left her cheek, she felt Rikki turn towards Winnie. "I wonder what she will do now," she wondered.

Despite being boxed out, Winnie was determined to not let Lena win again. She moved forward until she was pressed against the right side of Rikki's back. As she bent her head around to give Rikki's cheek a tender kiss, her hand slid down her back. It started high, where Rikki's skin was uncovered and then followed her spine down until it came to rest on her rounded ass. As her lips lifted, she gave it a little squeeze.

"Ohhh," Rikki sighed. Her eyes didn't leave the young woman's. Instead of revulsion, she blushed at the display but gave Rikki a little smile and she smiled back. "They want my leftovers," she said. Turning around, she poured her wine into Winnie's glass. "And you win."

Lena frowned. "If I knew touching was allowed, I would have won," she said. Winnie didn't say anything. Her wine glass hid whatever expression she had.

"Now you know," Rikki told Lena. "She definitely made it worth my while." Her eyes sparkled as she looked at Winnie. The blush on her cheeks made her look cuter than usual.

The saleswoman laughed. "Lucky you," she said sincerely. Not forgetting why she was there, she immediately followed that up. "What do you think about the wine?" she asked.

"I liked it. I'll get a couple bottles of it," Rikki replied.

Before she got those, the young woman poured them each a tasting of Syrah. Rikki sipped at it. It was good, though not quite as good as the one from the other winery. After taking one more taste, she stopped and put the glass down.

By now, both Lena and Winnie were tipsy. They kept giggling, first at what they were doing, and then at the each other for laughing. It escalated, and Rikki and the saleswoman couldn't keep from laughing at them.

"You know, I really shouldn't serve them anymore," she said.

"No!" Lena cried out. "Just a little more?"

The sales woman was about the same age as Winnie. She was pretty in a wholesome sort of way with generous curves that were the epitome of zaftig. She had a nametag that read Sarah on her breast. There were no other customers in the tasting room. Her eyes met Rikki's. They were sparkling and Rikki sensed that she too was slightly aroused by the horseplay. It seemed like she didn't want the game to end just yet.

"I'm afraid the rules are the rules," Sarah said with a little smile. "I can't serve anyone who is clearly intoxicated." As she said that, she began to pour Rikki a taste of their Merlot; only she didn't stop with giving her a small taste. When she stopped, it was almost a full glass. She looked very pleased with herself as she put the bottle down. "That's our last wine. I hope you enjoy it."

For the first time since entering, Lena made her full devilish smile. Winnie looked at that and her heart sank. "God, she has something planned. She so uninhibited," she thought. More than at any other moment, envy rose up in her. "She's so comfortable with who she is. She accepts it. Why can't I?" The myriad of reasons immediately welled up around her. Facing the threat of being overwhelmed by them, she focused on one thing. "I don't want her to win Rikki. She's mine!"

Picking up the glass, Rikki sipped it. It was pleasant and she nodded at Sarah. "Oh, I like this. I'd like a bottle of this too," she said. The other woman smiled but didn't go to get one just yet. She waited in anticipation.

"Rikki? I think you should put down the glass," Lena said in her sultry voice. "I don't want you to spill any of my wine." Her smile deepened at the widening of Rikki's eyes, but she also saw her immediately follow the suggestion. As soon as her hand was away from the glass, Lena moved close to her. She put her arms around Rikki and pressed her body against her. Moving slightly, she made sure that Rikki could feel how hard her own nipples were. She started to kiss Rikki on the cheek, leaving a trail of soft kisses over to her ear. She could feel her tremble as her lips approached it. Lena gave her a little kiss that ended with a flick of her tongue over her skin.

Rikki sucked in a deep breath as she felt that. At first, she thought Lena was done but she didn't let go. Instead, while pressing her body even harder against Rikki, she lifted her mouth up just slightly and grasped her earlobe in her lips. She gently worried it with tugs and then gave it a little nip with her teeth.

"Oh God," Rikki sighed. Finally, Lena was done. She let go and moved away from her. She gave Winnie a triumphant smile, as if to say, "Top that, bitch!"

Looking at Rikki, Winnie could see how successful Lena's efforts were. Her eyes were glassy and her breath was heavy. Her own heart was pounding deeply. This wasn't like the other weekend with Lena or behind the tavern with Indigo. Both were more overt than anything she could do here, but both of them were private. There was no one else to see her. "Part of me is scared of that," she thought, "but another part wants it; to be open with my desires." She couldn't take that thought very far. She wasn't ready to deal with the implications. "But I'll be damned if she's going to win," she decided.

With her left hand, Winnie pushed Rikki's shoulder hard enough that she spun to face her. Both arms going around her neck, she stepped close to her friend and coworker. Their bodies touched, and after a moment, Winnie pressed against her. One hand went into Rikki's dark hair and stroked the back of her head. Lowering her mouth to the skin of the bare collarbone, Winnie started her kisses there. As they moved up, she traced a path along the side of Rikki's throat. Her fingers moved completely in sync with the pace of her delicate kisses. As she reached under the jaw, she heard a deep sigh from Rikki and her head tilted back. Taking advantage of the offer, she continued to kiss up and over the chin. She was just off to one side and as her kisses moved up, the final one brushed against the corner of Rikki's lips. Lifting up, she stayed close and her fingers played with Rikki's hair until her friend opened her eyes. At some point during the seductive kiss, they closed. Whatever lust was evident in her eyes before was exponentially stronger now. Winnie could feel an answering pressure where their hips came together.

The smile on Winnie's lips wasn't wicked like Lena's, nor was it triumphant. It was warm, giving the impression of just being happy to have made Rikki feel something. As she disengaged, there was no trace of embarrassment. Even when she looked over at Lena, Winnie seemed at peace with herself.

"Wow," Sarah whispered.

"Yeah," Rikki murmured. She shook herself slightly. "If you are like that with Logan, he's a goner," she said, regaining her voice.

"So who wins?" Sarah asked. Her own eyes were shining almost as much as Rikki's. Just watching was enough to make her extremely excited.

Rikki put her hand to her chest. She could feel her heart pounding. It wasn't only what she did; it was that it was Winnie. What was a struggle before now became a battle as she tried to hide just how much Winnie affected her. "If it was Lena doing it, I know it would have been a come on," she thought. "But this is Winnie." It had to be the combination of the wine and her competitiveness. "I don't want to embarrass her further," she thought, despite the complete of any sign of awkwardness.

She glanced over at Sarah. "They both did pretty good, don't you think?" she said.

"Yeah," the younger woman said. It was almost a sigh, and an envious one at that. Hearing it distracted Lena some from Rikki. Up until now, she hadn't paid much attention to her. "She's quite pretty," she thought. "Strawberry blonde hair with green eyes, mmmm." Lena turned her smile on her, grinning a little more as Sarah blushed. "Very interesting," she thought.

With a mischievous smile, Rikki carefully poured half of her wine into Winnie's glass and then the rest into Lena's. "I can't pick a winner, other than me!" There were a few drops of wine left in her glass, and she tipped it up and felt the droplets fall into her mouth. "I'll get a couple of these as well," she told Sarah.

It was getting late, and Rikki felt hungry. Other than a few crackers to cleanse the palate, they hadn't eaten since the lunch on the river. "Let's get going. I want to get to camp and eat," she said. Focusing on the evening helped with her conflicted feelings. It didn't take long to pay for the wine. Picking up the bag, she said goodbye and went out the door with the other women following her.

"Hold on a second," Lena said. Turning, she went back inside, leaving Winnie and Rikki alone together. There was a disconcerting silence as they waited. Neither one of them knew what to say. One barrier was broken, but a different one took its place. It was one thing to feel the other's desire; it was an entirely different matter to know what to do about it.

Fortunately, Lena saved them by coming back. It was normal for her to be smiling, but this time she looked like the cat that ate the canary. Stepping between them, she linked her arms with theirs and started to walk, pulling them along.

"What did you forget?" Rikki asked her.

"Nothing. I wondered if she would give me her number, and she did," Lena said. "She was cute."

"I didn't get the impression she was a lesbian," Winnie said. Her voice had a note of true surprise.

"No, but she's curious," Lena replied and then grinned even wider. "We may have piqued that curiosity a little more. Thanks!"

"My pleasure," Rikki said without thinking. The other two women looked at her and burst out laughing as she realized what she said and turned beet red. "I mean, ah...." She trailed off, not knowing exactly what to say.

Winnie's laughs cut off sooner than Lena's. Her own thoughts were as confused as Rikki's. To deflect anyone noticing, she elbowed Lena. "So when will you call her?" she asked.

"Before my next trip on the Wenatchee. I'll see if she is free. All I did was ask for her number today," she said. Her grin grew softer as she remembered how adorable Sarah was when asked for her number. She blushed prettily, but it was clear how pleased she was that Lena asked although she was as tongue tied as Rikki was a few moments ago. "I thought about inviting her up to camp, but I think the group is a little overwhelming for a first date," Lena added.

"Probably," Rikki said. "Especially if you're her first date with a woman."

"Yeah, I thought about that too," Lena said.

"Good! I like us as the three musketeers!" Winnie smiled as she said it.

"A little jealous, Winnie?" Rikki said, trying to keep the attention off her.

Surprisingly, Winnie didn't make a snappy reply. There was a contemplative expression on her face. "Maybe a bit," she said after a moment. "I love being with both of you, and I think I might be a little jealous of someone getting between us." She leaned over and gave Lena a quick kiss in the cheek. "That doesn't mean I'm not happy for you and glad to share you with someone nice. And Sarah seemed very nice," she said with more seriousness than typical for their conversations that day. It was almost as heartfelt as her discussion with Rikki at lunch. She kept part of her thoughts unsaid, but both of them knew what it was. Liz wasn't very nice.

Neither of them really disagreed with her.

By the time they got to the campground, most of the guides were already there. There were probably a few still at one of the bars in town, but the group was quite large. If today wasn't the biggest day so far this season, it was close. Sunday was almost as big so just about everyone was spending the night and guiding again in the morning.

The evening was just as nice as the day. Looking up, Rikki couldn't see any clouds. "Hey, do you want to just put down a tarp and just sleep on it?" she asked. It was too nice to sleep in the SUV and putting up a tent seemed like a waste of effort.

"Sure," Winnie said. The conflicting desires within her were as strong as ever. Sleeping in a tent with Lena or in the SUV with Rikki wouldn't help.

Lena hesitated longer than Winnie did. The privacy of a tent appealed to her. All the teasing during the day left her feeling horny, as well as drinking all that wine. She knew that Winnie wasn't ready to go further than a little more kissing, and doing that with her would drive her crazy if it didn't lead to something more. She couldn't picture trying to hook up with anyone else. Playing with herself was the best option available.

As she looked from Rikki to Winnie, she reflected upon how much fun the day was. "I don't really want that to end. I can wait until I'm home," she thought. A part of her that she wasn't proud of was wishing Liz was there. "She's not nice, but the sex is really awesome," she admitted.

"Sure, that sounds good," she finally said. The smiles on her friends' faces told her it was the right decision. They spent a little time putting out the tarp and arranging their sleeping bags so that they were ready for when they wanted to go to sleep. After that, they joined the group around the roaring campfire. From when they arrived and now, darkness had descended. It always surprised Winnie how fast it happened in the mountains. She was used to the lingering sunsets on the plains. Even Seattle had ones that lasted a while as the sun sank down behind the Olympic Mountains to the west. Here, they were right up against the east side of steep slopes and once the sun was over them, the light quickly disappeared.

She didn't mind. Away from the city and in wilderness, the stars were amazing. They were already starting to come out. Winnie looked around the campground. "All my closest friends in Seattle are here," she thought. She had other social circles, but this was the only one where she wasn't on the periphery. Rikki and Lena were in a deep conversation about something. She hadn't paid attention as to what. The other guides from training were all there this weekend. She occasionally got together with them during the week. She sighed with contentment. "Life's good," she thought. Logan's absence was completely forgotten.

One of the more senior guides broke away from the group and walked over to Winnie. She wasn't one that she really knew, not having been on any of the guide trips. As she approached, Winnie checked her out. It was something that almost had become automatic for her. Gabby was worth it. She was about the same height as Winnie, but with a skinnier frame. Her breasts were barely bumps, but they seemed sexy on her body. Her long brown hair framed a gorgeous face with a wide mouth and full lips, a perky nose, and emerald green eyes.

"Winnie, right?" Gabby said. Her voice was low and gave an immediate sense of intimacy. When Winnie nodded, she smiled. "I probably could have guessed."

"What do you mean?" Winnie said, feeling puzzled by her familiarity. She wasn't sure they'd ever talked.

"Logan has a type. Short, pretty, younger, and....," she looked down at her own chest, "Small breasts, although you've certainly got more than me. Nice and perky. I'm sure Logan loves them."

Winnie felt her temper start to flare up. She was about to say something when Gabby reached out to pat her arm. "I'm sorry. I'm being rude. Being too direct is a bad habit of mine. You want a beer?" she asked. When Winnie nodded, Gabby walked over to a cooler and grabbed two. Coming back, she handed one to Winnie, whose eyes were still hard with suppressed irritation.

"Look, I was Logan's rookie girl two years ago. No one told me but he does this every year. He's damn charming, you know?" Gabby said, pausing to wait for Winnie to nod. "Yeah, you know. So we were together the whole season, and when it was done, so were we. Like a lot of the full-time guides, he teaches skiing in the winter. He wanted to be free to do the same thing with a new instructor." She frowned and Winnie felt the last bits of anger fade away. Gabby wasn't really sad now, but the sense of the pain from two years ago was evident.

"Last year, the rookie he picked fell for him very hard. I mean, she was totally head over heels in love with him. When he realized that, he just dumped her without even waiting for rafting to end. She was crushed and quit rafting, even though she really liked it," Gabby said. For a moment she didn't speak, clearly remembering the other woman's situation. Her eyes dropped to the ground. "I felt guilty that I didn't warn her. I still do. She was so unprepared for the real Logan." She kicked at a small rock before looking up at Winnie.

"Look, I don't want you to think I'm a jealous bitch. Logan's a lot of fun, but just know that it probably won't last. He likes fresh conquests," Gabby said. "Maybe you already figured this out. I just don't want to feel crappy if he really hurts you, and I didn't say anything again." She was quiet again. Finally, she said, "Like no one said anything to me."

Winnie looked at her and then ran her hand down Gabby's arm. "It's okay. I'm not very serious about him," she said. As she did so, she realized just how true it was. He was convenient and helped her to feel "normal." It wasn't much more than that. "I doubt it would even bother me if he wanted to stop seeing me right now," she thought before speaking again. "You're right. It's fun but he probably isn't my type in the long run."