Women Who Talk Pt. 05

To her credit, Penny didn't flinch but as she stared at the pile of tissues on the desk she could think of only one butch called Helen and she worked here in this office.

What the fuck have you done, you bitch, she leaned back in her chair and frowned as she looked down at the tissues.

I need to see Lisa about this, she leaned forward and smiled warmly.

"Do you want another coffee?" Penny gestured at the tissues, "I'll clean these up."

"Okay," she pulled another tissue out, "thanks, I'm sorry for getting so wound up. You're not here to listen to all that crap, there's enough with all this," she nodded at the paperwork on the desk.

"It's fine, it's all part of the service and this won't take much longer I promise."

Lisa looked up as Penny stepped into the office and then glanced at the clock, it was six and she was finished but because she was merely staying there until Penny was ready she'd decided to play Spider on the computer.

"You feel like a bit of overtime?" Penny moved around behind her.

"If it involves money then I'm up for it," Lisa swivelled around to face her.

"I need you to go into the archive room and do a search for any cases we handled three and a half years ago or thereabouts, and find an ex client called Zara Anne, I don't have a last name but I'm positive I've heard that name mentioned here before."

"It does ring a bell but I can't put a face to the name, and we're looking for her because?"

"At the time of her divorce she was involved with someone called Helen, it didn't end well."

"Oh fuck," Lisa sat up straight, "fuck."

"Yeah, that would be the operative word for any of her girlfriends but Zara's old friend is in there," she lowered her voice an octave, "she lost contact because this Helen turned into the green eyed troll and became her only friend until she left her. She's still alive but it got messy, she lost custody of her daughter."

"And if it is our Helen?" Lisa rose and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.

"I'll bounce her out that fucking door so fast she won't stop bouncing until she hits Swansea Road," she took a step back.

"I have to get back."

"On it," Lisa moved forward, "if you find a last name let me know."

When Penny returned Nicole had just put her phone down and their eyes met as she handed her another cup of coffee.

"How much longer will this take? I've just had to text my sister, she's on babysitting duties."

"Twenty minutes at the outside but I'll try for fifteen," she sat down, "now let's get into what you want to claim and I'll let you know if it's feasible or not."

"Let's aim for seventy five percent equity on the house, now," she lifted a piece of paper, "any other shared items like," she ticked one, "gardening equipment like lawn mowers, the whipper snipper, rakes, spades and the like can be claimed because you need them to maintain your garden."

"He wants them," she replied.

"He owns a gardening supplies business, the court will be told he can buy replacements and claim them against his tax bill," she ticked another item.

"The trailer is another one, unless you'd rather get rid of it."

"It is useful sometimes but I won't argue over it."

Penny nodded as she moved down the list.

***

What had she learned? Robyn looked past her as she tried to think of something. A variety of words came to the forefront of her mind but she couldn't organise them into any coherent sentences, it had a lot to do with her upbringing, a mixture of progressiveness and conservatism. She licked her lips and managed a half smile.

"The kind of things I wanted to know about sex but was always too afraid to ask about."

"They didn't have sex education at school?"

"I'm from Warbie, I was sent to the Seventh Day Adventist school."

"So, you've basically got, what? Head knowledge?"

"Yeah," she looked down as Helen reached out with her right hand to grab the edge of her cardigan between thumb and forefinger, "tomorrow we're doing foreplay," Robyn blushed.

"Foreplay," Helen murmured as she felt the material, "what do you think foreplay is?"

"Um... squeezing your boobs, playing with your pussy."

"If you're a man, yeah," their eyes met, "but for a woman foreplay is so much more," she slid her hand up the edge of the cardigan, "this is foreplay," she reached her hair.

"This is foreplay," she slid her hands through her hair, "and so is this," she turned her hand and slid the back of her hand over her cheek.

"It's all foreplay," she teased her chin slowly, "women love being touched," she extended her index finger and drew it down her throat to the top of her blouse and let it hang there.

For a few seconds no one moved and then Robyn brought her hand up to grasp Helen's wrist but the older woman still didn't move. It occurred to her in that instant that the next move was hers to make and so she let her hand fall down her forearm to the crook of her elbow. Helen's grip tightened ever so slightly as she pulled her closer and Robyn gripped her forearm as Helen tilted her head and let her lips brush against hers. She held them there for a split second and then pushed against her lips and opened her mouth at the same time. Robyn flinched as her mouth was forced open and for a few seconds she almost pushed her away.

However that urge dissipated to be replaced with something much more familiar, Jeff's face rose in her mind's eye. He too was a good kisser, one of the reasons she'd limited their kissing sessions to places where they could be disturbed. Helen broke free momentarily to catch her breath and then she went in again, this time her kiss was far more passionate and lasted the better part of fifteen or twenty seconds. Suffice it to say that when she broke free and moved back a little Robyn's pulse had quickened and she felt slightly giddy.

"Oh," was all she could murmur.

"Now that was a gay kiss," Helen slid her other hand around to touch her face. Robyn lifted her other hand to grab her wrist and the other woman placed her palm against her cheek.

Robyn said nothing and then leaned over towards her. Helen didn't budge and her eyes shifted to her handbag for a moment and she looked at her again. Once more she inched forward as if to kiss her but as she reached her she looked down at her phone. It was almost as if she was waiting for a text or a phone call but there was nothing to disturb the silence apart from the crackling flames and their breathing.

When she looked at her again she had a worried look in her eyes as if trying to work something out and then Helen finally moved ever so slightly and when her lips brushed against Robyn's the other woman flinched and pulled back a little. Seconds later however she finally found her courage and her mouth opened as Helen parted her lips again. They parted momentarily and then Robyn slid her left hand up to Helen's shoulder and hooked it behind her neck. This time she found the courage to make the first move, tilting to her head to kiss the older woman on the mouth. Helen responded in kind, pushing against her and sliding her right hand through Robyn's hair.

They broke free a few seconds later and Helen read the look in her eyes. Her pupils were dilated and her face was a little flushed, a slight smile nudged her lips as Helen slid her hands through her hair. So far so good she decided and she tilted her head again and went in again for a series of light teasing kisses and gradually over the next few minutes she became aware that Robyn's breathing had become shallower as the kissing continued.

It stopped after a few minutes but it was only a brief respite as Robyn rested her forehead against Helen's and then the older woman tilted her head back and kissed her again with another series of teasing kisses but this time she made her kisses longer and as her hands moved through her hair and over her cheeks she sensed Robyn was reaching a boundary of some description and that was finally confirmed when Robyn grabbed her wrists and exhaled suddenly.

"Too quick?" Helen asked quietly.

Robyn licked her lips and swallowed as she tried to think of an appropriate response.

"A little," she finally managed, "but I'm not."

"Not what? Turned on? Aroused? Into me?"

"Um," she looked past her for a moment, "it's unplanned."

"It usually is unplanned," Helen eased back slightly, "there's something to be said for spontaneity, we can make all the plans in the world and I've certainly had my share of candlelit dinners but the best times for me are unplanned."

"She said this would happen," Robyn looked back at her.

"Who? Penny?"

"Penny, Cindy, Colleen, Josie. They've all said that when it happens you won't be ready for it, I kind of had that in mind the other night when I was out with Penny," she looked down at herself for a few seconds.

"I was tipsy and I thought I was giving her all the right signals but she took me home instead, I even suggested we go back to her joint."

"She wouldn't do that," Helen told her as she slid her right hand down the edge of her cardigan, "Penny isn't the kind to give herself over like that. I hate to be the one to break it to you, but Penny has a certain status to maintain. When she finds someone she likes it'll be a woman or a man from her level."

"A man?" Robyn's eyes widened.

"It's possible, she's certainly never discounted it and the body clock is ticking."

"I don't think that'd ever happen," she replied.

"Maybe you're right," Helen smiled, "but this," her hand reached the top button of the cardigan, "is foreplay as well," she fingered the button, "foreplay with women can last a long time."

Robyn looked down at her hand as she contemplated this change in the situation. She was turned on that was beyond dispute but could she go all the way and if so, did that mean they were? Robyn let her hands slide down to Helen's elbows. Lovers? Or was this a brief interlude in her quest to find the one woman who would become a lover. She recalled a conversation she'd had with Kathy about the logic of the one night stand.

She breathed in and out slowly, her hand slid back down Helen's upper arm and slowly raised her head to stare into her eyes and with the benefit of experience, Helen sensed that a bridge had been crossed. She rested her left hand on a shoulder and leaned forward and tilted her head to kiss her on the lips. A tremor went through Robyn's body as her mouth opened a little more and Helen fiddled with the button, their lips broke free for a split second before meeting again. The button slid through the buttonhole and Robyn broke free and her eyes flickered downwards as the hand dropped to the next button and she looked up.

Her eyes widened slightly and her hand moved further up Helen's forearms towards her cuffs but as the older woman pulled on the second button she stopped and bit her lip. Helen eased her left hand up to her cheek and cradled it as she undid the second button and then slipped her hand inside to touch her belly. The pressure on her wrists increased but she wasn't trying to pull her hand away and so she eased her hand out and dropped to the third button.

Robyn looked down as Helen pushed it into the buttonhole and then up, her mouth was open as if she was going to say something. She gripped her wrists tightly for a moment and then the pressure decreased as she put her forehead against Helen's and let her breath out slowly. Helen stroked her cheek slowly with the back of her hand and then the third button came undone and Robyn looked up and stared into her eyes. Helen leaned over to brush her lips against hers, tugging at her bottom lip and then Robyn pushed hard against her in a passionate kiss before breaking free.

Helen reached the fourth button and Robyn slid her hand further along her arm to her elbow and as the button slipped into the buttonhole and out the other side. The cardigan was now held together by a single button and as Helen undid it a crooked smile nudged her lips.

"Cool cardigan," she murmured, "where'd you get it?"

"You'd know," Robyn murmured and managed a half smile of her own.

"Ah, she speaks," Helen tugged at the cardigan firmly.

Robyn let out a half chuckle and Helen leaned over to kiss her on the lips and as she opened her mouth she raised her right hand to Robyn's other shoulder and rested it there as she pushed hard against her, putting as much as she dared into this kiss. Robyn grabbed her right arm and left leg tightly as Helen kept going, working her lips rhythmically. When she finally broke free Robyn let out her breath in a rush and straightened up as she looked at her handbag and then down at her unbuttoned cardigan.

"Hey," Helen stroked her cheek, "are you all right?"

Robyn bit her lip as she stared into her eyes and then turned towards her phone and stared at it as if hoping someone would call or send a text but there was nothing.

"Good," she reached over and picking up her own phone, set it silent and held it up to show her the screen, "I'm putting my phone on mute," she brought her left hand up to her neck and slid it under the cardigan. Hooking the edge between thumb and forefinger, she slid it along her shoulder as she picked up Robyn's phone with the other.

As the cardigan slipped over her shoulder, Helen pressed a button on the phone and scrolled down to Mute and touched the button again. She brought her hand back along to her right shoulder and drew her fingernails hard against her back at the same time. Robyn shivered and straightened up as the cardigan slipped over her other shoulder.

"You can always put it back to normal," Helen reassured her, "if you don't want to go further."

Robyn didn't reply as Helen put the phone into her handbag.

"What happens if we do?" Robyn suddenly spoke up as Helen drew her hand back to her other shoulder and pushed the cardigan further down her sleeve.

"Sleeping with someone isn't the final word," she replied, "it's a first step and for you the first step is a little daunting," she brought her hand back to the other shoulder and pulled the cardigan down a little more.

"But talking about it can only go so far. Eventually you have to turn words into actions," Helen lifted her left hand up to her cheek and held it there.

Robyn turned towards her a little more and Helen grabbed the left sleeve of her cardigan and pulled it over her hand. The younger woman looked down as the sleeve slid off her arm and finally it was free and Helen then pulled the cardigan off her right arm and a smile nudged her lips as she held it up as if to examine it.

"I only ever wore it once, it looks better on you than it ever did on me," she dropped it behind her and moved her right leg at the same time to keep her from turning away.

"That's better," Helen grabbed her hands lightly, "it was getting warmer in here."

Robyn smiled crookedly at that and looked into her eyes and then at the fire.

"The fire's going out."

***

"Can I use your loo?" Nicole asked her.

"Sure," Penny replied, "I'll show you where it is," she rose.

"So that's it then," Nicole rose as well.

"Almost, all you need to do is sign a couple of papers authorising me to act on your behalf and I'll do the rest, you'll have plenty of opportunity to modify the demands if you want."

"That's good to know," Nicole followed her out of the room and past the archives room, "I know I'll be lying in bed tonight thinking if I've missed anything."

"Don't worry, I'll go over it again before I submit anything to his lawyer," she indicated the door, "I'll meet you back in the conference room."

Nicole nodded and stepped into the toilet. Penny waited for a second before joining Lisa in the archives room.

"Any luck?" Penny murmured.

"Be nice if she could file shit in the right spot," she muttered.

"She keeps telling me it's a work in progress," Penny murmured, "it's the understatement of the fucking century, it's like a dog's breakfast."

She pulled a folder down and opened it.

"We can do this tomorrow. I'm almost done in there. She just has to sign off and that's it."

"You really want to know, don't you?"

"I do," she murmured quietly, "I might just stay here a bit longer."

"I'll stay," Lisa decided, "I just have to call my better half first."

"Do it," Penny nodded.

Lisa eased past her and stepped out into the back corridor. Penny took down another folder and opened it but there was no sign of Zara's file. Nevertheless, she was positive that Zara had been a client here and it was such an unusual name that the odds that there were two women with the same name out this way were pretty slim.

***

Robyn watched as Helen turned her back to the fire. She'd just put another log on the fire and she sat with her back to the corner of the L-shaped couch. She should feel more nervous but the events of the last couple of minutes had heightened her arousal as Helen pinned her against the couch and kissed her passionately. It had only stopped when Robyn stared at the windows and exhaled.

"Close the curtains, please?"

"Of course, shit, of course," Helen rose and walked to the windows.

Once she'd closed them she threw another log on the fire and turned to face her. Robyn swallowed and stretched her arms out along the top of the couch, feeling the soft fabric beneath her fingers as Helen advanced towards her. She had a sly smile on her face as she undid one of the buttons on her waistcoat. Robyn's eyes shifted as another button came undone followed by another. Helen seemed almost amused as she undid a fourth button and when she got to the last one she hesitated. Robyn stared at her front and Helen smiled as she undid the final button. She parted the garment to reveal the rest of the red tie and inched the waistcoat over her shoulders as she wiggled her hips a little. The waistcoat dropped down and she whirled it around her head and threw it onto Robyn's lap as she took two steps forward and knelt on the couch.

Robyn smiled as she looked down at the waistcoat but before she could pull it away Helen straddled her and clamped her wrists against the top of the couch. Robyn's eyes narrowed slightly now that she was effectively trapped and yet right now being in this position was actually intensely arousing and as Helen slid back along her legs she stared into her eyes.

A few seconds later Helen descended on her mouth with a passionate kiss.

Robyn clutched Helen's hands tightly and moaned as Helen worked her mouth and for the next two or three minutes they kissed and ran their hands through each other's hair. Robyn was effectively trapped on the couch and yet that only served to heighten her arousal as the teasing kisses became longer and longer, until finally at the end it was just one long kiss. Helen broke free and Robyn exhaled in a rush.

"Look at the ceiling, now."

"Huh?" Robyn panted.

"Look at the ceiling and catch your breath," Helen instructed her.

Robyn put her head back and stared at the ceiling, exposing her throat to Helen's mouth. She bent down and kissed her throat with soft, sucking kisses, working her way around to the side of her neck and then back around to the other side. Robyn whimpered. This could have happened between her and Jeff the other night but now it was an older woman who was doing this. Her breathing became shallower as Helen left her throat and pushed her breasts beneath Robyn's larger breasts and moved up at the same time. Robyn's eyes widened in surprise and amusement at this overtly sexual action that brought such pleasurable sensations to the fore.

Helen repeated it a few more times before straightening up but when Robyn tried to pull her hands away from the top of the couch, Helen pushed her hands against the back cushions and splayed her fingers out.

"Relax," she murmured, "no need to rush. We don't get premature ejaculation," she slid her fingers along Robyn's arms to her neck.