Chapter 8
The next morning Barbara called Dwight at his office and cancelled thier date, not because Rachel had thrown such a scare into her, although that entered into it, but because she needed time to think and to work out what she was going to do next. It was still set in her mind that something had to be done.
She still liked the idea of having an affair with Dwight, or at least getting him into bed, then springing the news on Rachel after the fact. That ought to shake the bitch up and get her to stop taking the guy for granted.
Or maybe she would keep the affair a secret. Play Rachel for the fool for a while. Fix it so she wouldn't be getting away with a thing, while she thought she was. It would be a damn fine joke. But it was as if the walls had ears. The way Rachel had jumped on her, so suddenly, Barbara would feel lucky to look at Dwight sideways without getting caught at it.
How had Rachel found out so fast? Dwight couldn't have told her. He wouldn't have, not before the fact. It just wouldn't have been important enough, and Barbara had said it was confidential.
Maybe Rachel had a friend who worked at the restaurant he had chosen. But would they know he would be there with someone other than his wife? Unlikely. That left his secretary, the only other person Barbara could definitely say knew about her call. Could there possibly be a connection between her and Rachel?
What if Barbara was underestimating Rachel? What if Rachel wasn't taking Dwight for a complete fool after all? What if she was hedging her bets, having someone keep an eye on Dwight during the day? And who could do that better than his secretary?
Barbara let the weekend pass, then made another call to Dwight's office. She identified herself to the secretary, but did not ask to be put through to Dwight.
"You remember the name, don't you?' she said in-stead.
"Yes."
"And you know I'm a friend of your boss, and his wife?"
"Yes," came the reply, slightly guarded in tone.
"Good. I'm not a complete stranger to you. So I can ask you to lunch and maybe you'll accept?"
"You want to have lunch with me?" Patti asked.
"I want to take you to lunch. There's something I want to talk about."
"What?"
"Could we make it twelve? Twelve-thirty? Whatever's convenient."
"Somewhere in between," Patti responded agreeably, curiosity getting the better of her.
They met at a restaurant which featured an outdoor section. It was easier to talk there, more private, with conversation not carrying to the next table.
Barbara waited until Patti was digging into her said before getting to the point. "Dwight's wife burst in on me the other day and practically accused me of trying to steal him away from her," she said simply. "All I did was make a harmless little lunch date, but somehow she found out. I'm curious if that happened, Patti."
Patti shrugged add went on eating. "Lots of ways for it to happen," she said simply.
"No, I think there's only one. And it involves you."
Patti looked at her, chewing slowly.
"Not to worry," Barbara said. "No hard feelings."
Patti's attention appeared to return to her salad, but she wasn't showing the same enthusiasm for it anymore. "It only makes things a bit more interesting for me," Barbara went on.
"Interesting?"
"Challenging," Barbara clarified. "You see, I intend to go as far as I can with Dwight, with Rachel finding out about it when I decide she should, not before."
"How do you plan to do that?" Patti inquired, her curiosity acting up again.
"I intend to buy your silence," Barbara answered.
"Do you?"
"What's your price."
"You're assuming I have one."
"You sold out to Rachel, obviously. I'll better what she's giving you."
Patti smiled a secret smile. "You're assuming it's money."
"What then?
"She did me a favor. What can you do for me?"
"Think of something you want. Name it."
"That's tempting. You must want Dwight pretty bad."
"We're discussing what you want."
"Well, honestly, I've pretty much got what I want these days," Patti said. "Although, I guess a woman could always use a bit more...."
"Yes?"
"Fun, shall we say? Especially at a time like this."
"Fun," Barbara repeated, uncertain of Patti's meaning.
"You're asking me to go back on a promise I made. If I'm going to do that, I might as well do my best to get some enjoyment out of it, don't you think?"
Understanding hit Barbara in the pit of her stomach and flashed through her like a flame. She was sure she blushed. "You want me to take you to bed," she said quietly. "That's your price?"
"That's it. Like I said, a woman can always use a bit more fun."
"There must be more to it than that, or am I that appealing to you?"
"You are an attractive woman, I'll grant you, but yes, there is more to it. I have a feeling the thought of going to bed with me strikes you as a pretty high price to pay. You think it would be dirty, don't you."
Barbara's silence answered for her.
"I thought so. And there you have it. If I'm going to do something dirty for you, you're going to have to do something dirty for me. Take it or leave it."
That evening, shortly after seven, Barbara opened her front door and welcomed Patti into her somewhat luxurious home, thigh welcome might have been too strong a word. She was resigned to the deal, and civil, but not much more.
Leaving her at the restaurant, Patti had suggested for her to wear something sexy. To Barbara that could have meant anything. She was trying with a snug, black, long-sleeved, short-skirted dress with black stockings and high-heels.
"Mmmm," Patti enthused, checking her over. "Don't you look tasty. You've got an even better figure than I anticipated."
"Thanks," Barbara answered, being polite, and in a small way relieved to start the evening off on a positive note. "Would you like a drink or something?"
"I don't need one," Patti said, walking with Barbara to the lamp-lit living room, taking in the quality of the place and the view of the sparkling city in the dark beyond. "But you go ahead if you want."
"I don't think so," Barbara said, hoping to make a point. She didn't want to appear weak, as Patti's tone had insinuated. She was sinking pretty low to get what she wanted, and pride dictated that she show at least some resilience.
If Patti noticed, it didn't come out. "Nice place," she complimented. "Too bad a gal has to get married before she can afford something like this."
"She could always get unmarried," Barbara responded, thinking that would be just Patti's speed.
Patti shook her head. "Too much hassle." Facing Barbara then, she said, "I could stand a look at the bedroom about now."
Unsurprised by the quick getting-to-the-point, taking a steadying breath, Barbara led the way. She was sure she felt Patti's eyes on her ass with every step, but didn't experience anything close to the revulsion she had feared. She wasn't against two women getting it on. It was simply a matter of preference for her. She'd never been attracted to women, had never considered them as partners, and the whole idea had always left her indifferent.
Up one short flight of stairs, then another, and they were there. It was a large bedroom, with a large bed for a woman living alone. It was expensively dressed, though, both the bed and the room itself, and subtly lighted, with relaxing music reaching it from the living room stereo.
Barbara held back as Patti went ahead, strolling toward the bed. The chic blonde was in her office clothes -- light blazer, blouse, skirt, nylons, medium heels. The jacket came off and was tossed to a chair, but she kept the rest on. She crawled on the bed, slinking into a lounging position facing Barbara, and relaxed.
"C'mere," Patti said quietly, with a smile, looking at Barbara in speculating fashion.
Barbara moved toward the bed. Patti appeared to smooth a place for her and she eased into a lounging position facing the younger woman, close but not too close.
"It's not easy for you, is it?" Patti remarked.
"Do you want it to be?"
"Not now. Not here at the start. You wouldn't be paying a price if it was. But as we go along, I wouldn't mind if you started enjoying yourself. Then you'll feel ashamed, and pay some more that way. But at the end, you'll have what you want, and you can forget all about this."
"You're a strange one. You seem nasty and corrupt, and at the same time, considerate, almost. You want me to pay, but you're not collecting. Not really -- unless you get off on seeing a woman make a whore of herself."
"I do," Patti confessed. "It makes me feel powerful. It makes me feel I can do anything I want. I can act on whatever whim strikes me."
"Like double-cross Rachel?"
"Yes. That's part of it."
"Maybe you'll double-cross me."
"Somebody very beautiful and very tempting would have to talk me into it first," Patti answered truthfully.
"I don't know how much good flattery will do you," Barbara said.
"You might be surprised," Patti said, now lifting her free hand to the back of Barbara's neck and drawing the darker-haired woman forward. She touched Barbara's un-moving lips with a kiss, and another, and a few more, all soft and warm and oddly affectionate.
To protect herself from a disappointed Patti, Barbara decided she had better do something. So she let herself answer a kiss, and found their lips lingering together with an easy intimacy.
The soft but spry tip of Patti's tongue started flicking at her lips and then darting into her mouth. Barbara yielded, felt their lips meld tighter together and more friendly flicks from Patti's tongue.
It stopped feeling unnatural to Barbara and started feeling, well, okay. No big bad deal. She wouldn't have to keep reminding herself of what she would ultimately get out of all this in order to keep going. Apparently she had more guts than she thought.
Patti kissed her harder and Barbara responded, though more modestly. Patti's tongue went at Barbara's with coaxing, cajoling, inviting strokes, and Barbara finally lifted her tongue into coiled union with Patti's.
Patti moaned. "One sweet female, that's what you are." She swept her eyes over Barbara's form. "You look so good in that dress I almost hate to get you out of it, but I have the feeling you've got something even better underneath. Take it off."
Flattering Barbara one second and commanding her the next, Patti really was a strange one. But Barbara was getting used to it and knew what had to be done.
Barbara rolled over on her knees in front of Patti and not too quickly pulled her hem up over her hips, revealing her stocking tops, the lacy suspender belt and matching panties over it. She peeled the dress the rest of the way up her curvaceous body and off, exposing her bra-less tits.
"I love it," Patti enthused. She hooked a finger on the elastic of Barbara's panties and added, "Believe I'll take care of these myself."
Working her finger around from hip to hip, and one time farther around, she pulled the panties from Barbara's hips and ass and pussy. With Barbara's cooperation, she pulled them all the way off and dropped them behind her on the bed. An expectant feeling ran through Barbara's tunnel and nether region, though what she expected was unclear.
Patti turned her hand palm-up and slid her fingers between Barbara's bare upper thighs, onto the folds of her pussy. She slid her hand caressingly to and fro, at the same time testing, experimenting.
Barbara eased her hips forward and back against the motions of Patti's fingers, and was suddenly confused. Had she decided to do that or had she done it unthinkingly? In natural response?
Damn. She hadn't expected to have any fun at this. She hadn't wanted to -- hadn't even considered that. But it was starting to seem destined to happen. Score one for Patti.
Patti pushed herself up onto a straight arm and, continuing to move her fingers on Barbara's cunt, started flicking her tongue at the inner curves of the woman's breasts. Nimbly she wiggled her tongue against Barbara's nipples, buffing the pulpy flesh with her quick, fluttery motions, tickling the nipples slowly erect.
Barbara inhaled a deep breath against a rise of potent pleasure, and she felt the first burn of shame. It was wrong in more ways than one to enjoy any of this, and yet she could not help it. Worse, she could find no justification for enjoying herself.
Patti bared her teeth and scraped their edges over Barbara's nipples. She bit lightly into the surrounding flesh and closed her lips in on the incredible smoothness to suck and pull. Down below, she was tracing the outline of Barbara's inner lips and her slit and pinpointing her stiffening clitoris with the tip of her middle finger. She repeated the action over and over, tickling and teasing and tantalizing.
Barbara helplessly felt her hips begin slow grinding motions, rotating and twisting against the caresses of Patti's sly fingertip. Unprepared for the pleasure that was claiming more and more of her, she didn't know if she could handle this. It was too much. Too shameful.
Patti moaned into Barbara's right tit. She pulled her mouth away and said, "You know what I like in a woman?"
"What?"
"My finger," Patti answered devilishly, and suddenly twirled her digit up into Barbara's rapidly moistening lining. At the same time, she engorged herself on Barbara's left breast.
Barbara simply gasped, in shock and in sudden excitement. And just like that, the only thought in her mind was how good it felt and how sexy Patti's boldness was, and how Patti wasn't the only woman who could use a bit more fun.
Take it where you can get it, Barbara thought now. Don't fight it. The shame you can live with.
Yet, she did not collapse in surrender. She was too proud for that. But she did relax more, and let herself join in on the fun that was starting to reel through her veins.
Her hands went to Patti's shoulders and she started pushing the younger woman's blazer off. Patti let one arm come free, but she was determined to hold her other hand between Barbara's legs, stroking her finger in and out of the increasingly wet, hot hole. Barbara went on to Patti's blouse.
Finally, the urge to get naked got the better of Patti and she took her hand from Barbara's twat. Barbara lay down on her side then and watched the other woman finish undressing. She felt flashes of envy, taking in Patti's figure, and a curiosity about that smooth-skinned body.
Without a stitch left on, Patti lay down with Barbara. She entwined their long legs and pressed herself to Barbara. Their tits bedded snugly and warmly together as Patti initiated an embrace. And to top it all off, she laid claim to Barbara with a soulful, lasting kiss.
Barbara experienced a moment of resistance, then simply melted in Patti's embrace. She lost track of herself, of what she was really doing here, although her sense of shame did linger.
It was a unique feeling, doing something this bad and enjoying it and getting away with it. It was exciting and scary at the same time, rousing her active libido but telling her she would suffer for this somewhere down the line. It was intoxicating, confusing and nerve-wracking, and she wouldn't have missed it for anything.
Barbara answered Patti's kiss with equal enthusiasm and more. She slinked her arms about the other blonde and they rolled over together on the bed, one way, then the other. At one point, Patti came out on top and stopped the process.
"I was hoping we would both wind up having fun," she said. "That makes it nicer."
"Saves you from feeling guilty for using me, doesn't it," Barbara answered without malice.
"That might be one reason," Patti allowed.
"I thought you liked having a woman make a whore of herself, and suffer a little for it, too."
"What I want you to suffer for is tempting me out of my arrangement with Rachel. That wasn't nice of you."
"Shame on me."
"As for you being my whore, well, that's no reason we both can't have a good time."
"You're the strangest damn female I've ever met," Barbara said then.
"Complicated, maybe. If you ever feel like really trying to figure me out, I might be available."
"God," Barbara responded, "you're the last thing I need."
"You never know. Keep an open mind."
"Right."
"Let's get into something raunchy," Patti said then. "Let's finger each other for a while."
"All right."
"And let's make it easy for each other," Patti added, pushing herself up off of Barbara. On hands and knees she turned around the threw herself astride of Barbara, knees by shoulders, elbows by hips.
Barbara stared into the lewd erotic spectacle of a female spread inches before her eyes. For a long second her mind was blank. She didn't know what to do or where to start. But then, gradually, it began to come to her.