V&T, a Lesbian Love Story Ch. 05

Week Five: "Pride goeth before the fall"

The Phoenix Saturday Market was located just off one side of downtown, several pedestrian-only blocks cordoned off for a huge array of craftspeople and artisans.

Trin and Woofer spent the morning meandering around them, alone. Violet had yet again declined to come, and after she explained to James where she was going after the market he wanted nothing to do with it.

She glared at him whenever he used terms like, 'queer', 'fagot' and 'gay' in a derogatory manner. She tried not to flare at him, tried not to rage at him, and yet, she wanted to. She wanted nothing more than to smack the shit out of him. Calmly she had asked him what he would do if someone called his mom a Dyke.

It stopped him in his tracks.

He had shut down on her, emotionally, and took him a while warm back up. They had talked about trying to respect other people.

Violet had watched the conversation, and did not interfere. Trin had gone from her coarse, growly tone to a warm, motherly speaking voice. She had been confused how Trin could do this, but she did it nonetheless.

Woofer sniffed the air as a sausage vendor came into smelling range, and she wound up the leash tight. Dogs were allowed in the open-air market and she made sure that he had done his business before they left.

She tapped at her breast and looked at him when he pounced up on her.

"Woofer want a snack?" She asked hopefully.

Woofer responded by licking her square on the lips.

She smiled happily and then lead him over to the small booth.

"Two sausages, one on a stick, one on a bun," she ordered.

He looked at her, and then at Woofer.

"He's on low-carb," she explained.

The guy taking the order looked at her and then as the joke set in, laughed. Woofer woofed.

Trin lathered hers in hot mustard, relish and onions, taking plenty of napkins and sat on a bench against a building. Before even unwrapping hers, she carefully tore his into very small pieces and set them in the napkin.

She had barely gotten two bites of hers down when he stuck his big Irish Setter nose on her lap.

"Oh come on," she said.

His soft brown eyes layered with the beautiful dark eyelashes blinked at her.

She chewed barely four inches away from his muzzle, slowly, teasingly.

He couldn't stand it, and licked at her face, his tongue hitting the mustard and a bit of chopped onion stuck to the side of her face.

The hot mustard hit his sinuses and he sneezed repeatedly and then looked at her coldly

"Serves you right, mutt," She said.

Happily she devoured the dog and sipped at a soda. She held the cup for him as he drank a twenty ounce cup of ice water sloppily, spattering her without care. She scratched his ears and told him he was a goofy mutt. He licked her on the face with the chilled tongue.

"Yuck. You brush your teeth as much as the teenager does."

Woofer woofed.

"Yeah, yeah. Com'on, let's go putter around."

Trin went from booth to booth in the market, and found all sorts of interesting items. Glass knick knacks, leather wallets, copper rings, silver necklaces with stone inlays. She bought some interesting polymer clay beads that caught her eye and some hand blown glass beads for Violet.

Beads had always been an interest to both of them, back when they all lived in Portland, Oregon, they would often drive to Long Beach, Washington and buy beads at the coastal shops.

Trin thought about this, and realized she missed the beach a lot. There was something wonderful about the cool, crisp ocean air. Already at ten-thirty, it was getting hot, and unpleasant. She wasn't looking forward to it, and had deliberately came early to try to get back about one or two.

Still the shiny beads caught her eye. Woofer, on the other paw was unamused.

He lay down on her feet as she poked through the white plastic trays and thumped his tail as the shop keeper scratched him on the ears.

Trin ended up plunking a good forty dollars down for them and was happy.

Woofer looked up at her as if to say, "it's about damn time."

Trin, of course had to stop a mere three booths down to look at the stickers, and quickly selected a small assortment, including two which were triangular with a bird motif in blue, black and white. Woofer tried to ignore her as much as possible as she looked at a doggie shirt that read, 'I'm proud of my gay mommy.'

Trin finally decided against it, and then circled the block to find the actual opening to the Pride gathering proper. It was in a long park, cordoned off. Donations were being accepted, and Trin dropped a fiver into the box as she walked past.

Woofer snuffled at passers-by, and was happy when Trin stopped for a burger. Without the spicy mustard, he managed to mooch a good half of it easy, and attempted to look contrite when she called him a 'greedy gut.'

Trin passed by and got her annual pride purchase, a set of rainbow rings. She had four sets so far, and had them around a BB chain that she work infrequently, with a dog tag that read, 'Trinity' in the middle. She thought for a moment, and got a set for Violet too. On impulse she got a key chain for James that said, "My mom's a Dyke. Bite me."

Trin's next stop was the Basic Rights Project, a group that she always liked seeing out at events. She got the usual bright blue and yellow sticker and made a donation. She passed by the local queer newsie, "The Lavender Network" and picked up the current copy. As she walked, she laughed out loud, reading her favorite stripe, 'Dykes to Watch out for'.

Past these was another food stop, a soda for her, and another water for him. She passed a button booth and bought a handful to stick on her bulletin board. One one lapel, she pinned a button that said, "Meandering to a Different Drummer." On the left she put, "I am in shape. ROUND is a shape." The rest she'd pin up in her office, although favored on in particular which read, "war is just terrorism with a bigger budget."

Trin ambled down along the group, seeing large displays from Hewlett Packard and other queer-friendly corporations, and also noticed the Log Cabin Republican booth was incredibly empty. They were across from the Libertarians and the two booth vendors would glare at each other as the crowds swarmed to the Lavender Donkey booth.

She took handouts from a variety of vendors, and stopped to peruse a women's book booth, acquiring a copy of Pat Califa's, "Macho Sluts". She had felt that Doc & Fluff wasn't really Califa's best work, and was hoping that even when she became Patrick Califa he would still produce good porn.

The selling girl piped up, "I gotta move, so I'm selling it all."

"Oh," Trin inquired, "where to?"

"Portland," she replied.

Trin smiled, "I'm from Portland. One stop at Powell's and you'll have all these back and more."

"Powell's City of Books, right?"

"Yup. Off of Burnside. One of my favorite places to go." Trin said. It had been a couple of years now since she'd been there, and she longed to smell it again.

The girl grinned, "that place is the bomb."

"You bet, and across the street is Rocco's pizza. Serious sliceage," Trin declared.

"I'll have to give it a try," the girl replied.

Trin stuffed the book into one of her goodie bags she'd acquired and then moved inward more, seeing a women's leather play group.

She ogled a selection of floggers, one in leather and one with rubber strands. The smell of the rubber one attracted Trin to no end, and she ran it through her fingers.

The woman running the stand was tall, wearing a leather corset, leather chaps, and a leather bikini bottom. She watched Trin intently.

She watched as Trin's nostrils flared as Trin ran the leather flogger through her fingers. She saw Trin's long skirt shimmer ever so softly as Trin slapped it against her open palm.

Trin was lost in her own little world, feeling the wide, flat strips, imagining what they would feel like as they grazed her back, her buttocks.

The tall woman spoke, "you should come play with us."

Trin's head snapped as if someone had smacked her.

The tall woman rose, her cool, soft brown eyes looked down at her.

Trin shivered ever so softly, and then proffered a card.

'The Women of Phoenix,' the card read. It had only a telephone number.

"We meet at private homes. Ladies only. Discreet, civil play."

Trin swallowed the saliva in her mouth.

"Once a month, under the full moon we have a night session."

"I'd love to," Trin's mouth betrayed her. "I'm not sure my partner is ready."

"That's okay. We play safe, sane and consensual. Sex, no sex, whatever you like. Personally I have an affinity for ponies."

She pointed to an 8 x 10 glossy photo of a woman who had some sort of hoof-like shoes on her feet and her hands were covered with gloves that mimicked a horse's hoof. She was nude, other than some sort of headdress where her hair was manipulated not unlike a mane, and a tail somehow affixed into her rump.

Trin gasped.

"We also have a kitty player, if you liked. It's my understanding she's very partial to heavy cream, and has an incredible tongue."

Trin's eyes widened.

Woofer nosed his way protectively between the two women and stuck his muzzle directly at Trin's hand.

"No zoo play, however." She said.

"That's okay, Woofer and I have a private life." Trin said, not missing a beat.

The woman smiled.

"Come see us. Bring your girl. We have a potluck on Sundays, first of every month. Be a nice little social outing."

Trin nodded.

"I'll talk to her. No promises."

"Under stood. I have to admit, I have a thing for larger women. I like the way they jiggle when the crop strikes."

Trin shivered again.

"Like that." The woman said.

Trin mustered her courage and asked, "how much is the leather flogger."

"One-fifty. For you, one twenty-five."

Trin took it from the wall, held out her left arm, and gave herself five lashes. Her arm had a slight pink tinge on it.

"One hundred," Trin offered.

"If you show up, I get to work you myself," she challenged.

"Deal." Trin said, her mouth again betraying her.

The woman proffered Trin a plastic case and Trin fished out a crisp, new c-note.

"What's your name, hun?"

"Trinity," Trin said.

"I'm Hannah. I'm one of the doms."

"Like that's a surprise," Trin retorted.

Hannah replied silkily, "little girls with smart mouths get them shut."

"I'm not across your lap, yet. Sir." Trin regarnered her courage.

"You'll be with us. I know this, Trinity."

Trin backed up a step, and then replied, "only if she agrees. I could never betray her."

Hannah dropped the dominatrix mode. "Perfectly understandable. Seriously, just come have Sunday brunch with us. It would be fun, get your girl used to the folks."

"Thank you, Hannah. She's still pretty new to everything. I'll talk to her."

"Is she here?" Hannah gestured toward the crowd.

"We've been together just over a month. I'm her first woman, we're just coming to terms."

"That's cool. Hopefully we'll see you around, Trinity."

"Thanks Hannah."

Trin's heart beat a bit quicker as she walked past.

There were other displays of bondage items, but nothing like the friendly, sultry Hannah. Trin bought some silk scarves from an artist, priced a stockade. The flogger lay in her bag. Some art prints were layered on it, and a couple of pro-queer bumper stickers.

The heat was bearing down on her and Woofer, and Trin sat under a tree, drinking yet another soda, and having gotten a thirty-two ounce water for Woofer. She softly rubbed his ears as he drank, and rested, getting ready to make the break to the car. She'd left it in an underground garage six blocks away, which was a momentous walk for her.

"You both look a little flustered," a voice spoke.

Trin turned.

Violet stood there in a pair of cutoffs and a t-shirt.

"Vi?" She gasped.

Violet sat next to her.

"It's after two, Trin. I was getting worried."

"Vi I'm quite capable of getting around."

"I know that. I was... concerned. You haven't been able to move well as of late."

"I just take it slower and easier. I'm okay."

"Where's James?" Trin looked about.

"Back at the Saturday Market. He's mad at me right now."

Trin cocked her eyebrow.

"I had told him earlier in the week that I wouldn't be going. We had a long talk about it."

"So why did you? It's not like I need a fucking escort."

"I needed to see it," Violet said. "I wanted to see what it was about."

"I got stuff for you," Trin said, putting the b-b chain with the rainbow rings around her neck.

Violet looked at it.

"The colors represent diversity of different kinds. We're all one people. Also got some cool buttons."

Violet seemed pleased and leaned over to Trinity.

Trin reached her lips up for a kiss.

Violet was scared, but softly nuzzled Trin. She was unused to public displays of affection.

Trin wrapped her hands around her and pulled her down.

Violet scolded, "TRINITY!" In a hushed voice.

"What?" Trin grinned at her and nuzzled her.

"Not out here!"

"I can't hug my girlfriend in public?" She said, quietly.

Violet relented and lay upon Trin's comfortable corpulence.

She felt both comfortable, and uncomfortable. She felt safe because of Trinity, but also scared. She wasn't ready to be out, and yet, a part of her brought her here.

Trin's eyes glazed, through her dark glasses she felt the waves of heat, the tiredness. She smelt the perfume that was Violet's soft hair, the comfort that was her wonderful body. For the briefest of moments, she dozed.

"Trin? Trin?" She heard a voice call her.

Her head moved softly, slowly.

She felt her body become warm, and sexually aroused, wet as she contemplated licking Violet into pleasure.

The darkness fell over Trinity's consciousness as the heatstroke took her.

Violet screamed when she realized Trinity would not wake.