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{\*\generator Msftedit 5.41.15.1507;}\viewkind4\uc1\pard\keepn\s1\fi720\f0\fs32 Lupine Dreams---Chapter 9         Author:  Islador\par
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\pard\fi720\qj\fs20 When they walked back into the bedroom they stared at the size of the new bed and smiled.  Nikki took a small hop and leapt head first onto the bed, squealing in delight.  She rolled onto her back and raised her hands over her head, stretching.  \par
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Dagomarus grinned and saw something he hadn\rquote t enjoyed yet today, her feet.  Her toes were pointed as she stretched her self out straight.  He watched as she wiggled her toes and rotated her feet around on her ankles.  Nikki hadn\rquote t seen his intent stare yet; she was enjoying the softness of the new bed, humming with her eyes closed.\par
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Dagomarus stepped up to the edge of the bed, looking at her body laid out before him.  He could smell her excitement starting to waft up to his nostrils.  He lowered his head and extended his tongue, cupping her heel and running it up the length of her foot.  He reveled in the taste of her sweat, her special flavor that covered every inch of her body.  He could feel every line and crease in the sole of her foot as his tongue traveled up to her toes.  He slithered the tip between her toes and nibbled on the end of her big toe.\par
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Her body arched when he nibbled on her toe and a deep groan of pleasure rose out of her mouth.  He did the same to her other foot and this time, he took the entire top of her foot in his mouth and slithered his tongue between each toe.  He grazed his teeth along the top of her foot and as he pulled back, then gently took her four smaller toes between his front teeth and grazed them as he pushed the tip of his tongue along the ball of her foot.  \par
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Nikki had grabbed the corner post with both hands and gripped it so hard her knuckles turned white.  Her back arched and her breathing was ragged.  When his teeth grazed her small toes she had a mini orgasm. \par
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\ldblquote Unhh!  Unhh!  UNNHHHAAAaaaa!\rdblquote   \par
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Her body flexed and flopped back down onto the mattress.  Her body shivered slightly and she curled her toes, trying to get away from the intense sensations, but at the same time her legs pushed her feet towards his tongue.  \par
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\ldblquote OHH!  I love you, fuzzy-face!  You make my feet feel so good!\rdblquote   \par
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She pulled her shirt off and removed her bra, tossing them onto the floor.  She hooked her fingers under her waistband and pushed her shorts and panties off her legs, only taking her feet away from his wonderful tongue just long enough to throw them onto the floor as well.  \par
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Dagomarus continued to lick the bottoms of her feet, trying to absorb as much of her special flavor as he could.  He licked her arches and the tops of her feet.  He hooked his tongue under her ankle and used the tip to rub small circles in that little hollow just behind the knob.  He moved up slowly along the insides of her legs, savoring every inch that he tasted.\par
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When he reached her knees, he was careful not to tickle her this time.  He still wanted to taste a certain spot behind her knee.  That was a special spot; there were scent glands there, along with thousands of nerve endings.  Curling his tongue behind her knee, he tasted that slightly stronger musk that was uniquely hers.  \par
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She jumped when he touched her, but he used more pressure this time, more of a massage than a light touch that would tickle.  Her moans were getting louder and louder.  She could no longer keep her hands locked on the corner post.  She spread her hands over her breasts, lightly squeezing her nipples between her fingers as she kneaded them.  Her head was rolling from side to side; her eyes squeezed shut.  \par
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He moved up to her thighs when he couldn\rquote t taste her sweat behind her knees anymore, he had cleaned her skin completely.  The deep musk of her womanhood filled the air thickly.  It seared a sizzling trail up his nostrils that went right to his brain, lighting it up.  He could see her juices leaking from between her puffy inner lips.  They ran down the crack between her cheeks.  He couldn\rquote t resist the urge to lap every drop up.  \par
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He snaked his tongue underneath her and tasted her juices on the bedspread.  He let it fill the pores of his tongue before pulling it up along her crack.  He paused at her rosebud, encircling it pushing on it slightly.  Her legs went stiff and her deep grunt of surprise and moan of pleasure echoed off the walls.  He cupped his tongue and run it up to her lips, catching the moisture that had run out of her.  He stopped short of her opening, pulling his tongue back inside his mouth so he could savor the intense taste of her juices.\par
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It was like a wave spilling down his tongue.  He could feel the electric tingling of the nerves and the taste buds swelling as her juices coated his tongue.  He rolled his tongue around the inside of his mouth so that he could taste her everywhere.  He slithered his tongue back to her rosebud and ran the tip around it several times.  \par
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She was grunting again, the feelings were so intense.  He pushed his tongue into her slightly, feeling the wrinkled muscle tighten against his intrusion.  He wiggled the tip around the tight ring and felt her relax a little as the pleasure shot up through her.  \par
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She could feel his tongue running up her crack and when he pushed his tongue inside her the nerves lit up, making her stomach muscles contract.  She was kneading her breasts, rolling her nipples between her fingers, squeezing them and sending little shocks right to her clitoris, making it itch and tingle.  She could feel her juices leaking out between her lips, slowly dripping down her crack, tickling the sensitive hairs.  \par
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She grunted again as that wonderful tongue pushed into her again and started to wiggle and flex against the ring.  She could feel her orgasm building again, this time from lower in her belly.  It felt different, but wonderful at the dame time.  She was getting close when that tongue slipped out of her ring and traveled up to her lips.  She could feel the tip cupping against her skin, feeling it gather the juices that had never stopped running out of her.\par
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She felt his tongue flatten out against her lips, mashing them against her mons.  This opened them up slightly and it felt like there was a small river of moisture trickling out of her.  She heard him swallow and felt that glorious tongue lap up all that she let loose.  \par
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The surge of pleasure that hit her when he grazed her swollen lips with his teeth was so intense she couldn\rquote t breathe for a few seconds.  Her chest seized and her nipples were on fire.  Then his tongue was slithering inside her opening, pushing her open, and filling her.  The feeling of it flexing inside of her was indescribable, nothing could compare to having that thick muscle flexing and twisting inside of her.  She felt the tip press against her cervix and a new wave of pleasure swept over her.  \par
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She was climbing that special hill inside; she could feel the pressure building inside her lower belly.  There was a certain deep itch that felt relieved when his tongue ran circles around that tight muscle ring of her cervix.  She could hardly breathe fast enough to feed her starving lungs, her blood screaming for oxygen as it streamed down to fill that center of pleasure.\par
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Her whole body shook when his teeth grazed the hood over her clit.  She could feel those sharp edges just barely scraping over the surface of her skin, sending little sparks through the flesh of the hood down into her clitoris.  She could feel that ball of tension that signaled her impending climax.  \par
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It kept getting tighter and tighter as he continued to push his tongue around her cervix and graze her hood.  It felt like there was a softball-sized bundle of pressure building up in her womb.  It felt like it was filled with super thick liquid.  Her moans were continuous now; she was getting closer to that precipice.  The wiggling and the flexing of that tongue inside of her kept her on the fast track.  She felt the tip curl inside of her and drag against the top of her tunnel, and then it found that little patch of nerves that was hiding beneath her clitoris.  \par
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The bundle of tension in her lower belly went from softball sized to volleyball sized in just seconds as the tip of his tongue swirled, pushing against that bundle of nerves.  At the same time, her clit was on fire, and had swollen to the point that it was almost painful.  His teeth never stopped going back and forth over her hood.  \par
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She was riding that knife-edge now; it was almost there.  That ball of pressure felt like it was trapped against her opening, trying to get out but couldn\rquote t.  She felt it release suddenly, like a water balloon bursting and all that fluid rushed out of her in one push.  \par
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When his teeth jabbed down onto her clit, that hot poker of nerves fired up and she screamed her orgasm into the ceiling.  It was a deep primal scream, launching itself from her pelvic bone up and out of her chest.  Her back bowed and her arms shot out to grab at nothing in the air, her fists clenching.  Her legs stiffened and her toes pointed out straight.  \par
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Every nerve in her body was humming like a guitar string that had just been plucked.  Her muscles seized tight, her chest spasms prevented her from drawing a deep breath.  Then she flopped back down onto the bed, quiet except the shuddering breath that her body drew in and released slowly.  She had passed out, but her body still twitched every few seconds.\par
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Dagomarus slipped his tongue out of her and savored the fruits of his labor.  He laid his head on her belly and waited for her to wake up.  It didn\rquote t take long for her to start moaning and shuddering as she slowly awoke.  Her eyes were open but they were unfocused and she had a faint smile on her lips.  He watched her through the valley of her breasts with his wet chin on her stomach.  She tried to speak but her voice cracked.  She swallowed a couple times and tried again.  \par
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\ldblquote I think I know how it feels to be immortal now.\rdblquote\par
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\i How is that, my love?\par
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\ldblquote I just died and came back.\rdblquote   \par
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She giggled and tried to raise her head but couldn\rquote t.  She just relaxed and let the strength come back to her muscles.  Dagomarus reveled in her pleasure and contentment.  Her skin was glowing with an inner light that reminded him of the full moon on a clear winter night.  Her skin glistened with sweat and her musky perfume filled the room with its wonderful heady bouquet.  \par
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Her sigh was heavy as she basked in the aftermath of the orgasm that had released the tensions of the day; her body and mind totally relaxed.  \par
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\ldblquote You always seem to know what I need and give it to me.  For that, I love you.\rdblquote   \par
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Her tears rolled slowly down her temples, tears of love and happiness.\par
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Dagomarus walked around the end of the bed and stood over her, looking down into her eyes.  He gently licked the tears from her face, and she closed her eyes, relishing the feel of his loving tongue.  He drew in her tears, wanting to have every ounce of her love in all its forms.  \par
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He slid his tongue over her eyelids and relished the feel of her soft eyelashes.  The small hollow just between her eye and cheek that formed along the bridge of her nose was one of his favorite spots.  The skin was extraordinarily soft there, with the slight taste of her tears.  He lavished those spots with the soft rolling end of his tongue.  He felt more than heard her soft hum of contentment through that connection of their bodies.  He rumbled his contentment back to her, letting her know that he felt the same way.\par
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\i You are everything to me now, My Love.  I know we can never stand before the clergy and announce our love for each other for all to see.  I would consider it an honor and my fondest wish if you would consent to being my wife, my consort, and my alpha female.  \i0\par
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\ldblquote OH!\rdblquote   \par
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\pard\fi720\qj The statement from him took her breath away.  She could feel him back away from her mind, sealing the connection.  At first she thought he was just giving her some privacy to consider his request, but just before the connection was gone, she had been able to sense something deeper, more raw; it had been fear.  She knew he was afraid that she would reject him, and break his heart.  \par
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Her first reaction was to say YES!  However, she remembered what he had said before asking that wonderful question.  They wouldn\rquote t be able to \lquote get married\rquote  in the normal sense of the word.  She wouldn\rquote t be able to run down the street screaming at the top of her lungs that she was madly in love with him and that she was his wife.  \par
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She would never be able to sit around the break table at work and tell her friends that she had had the greatest sex in the world and that her \lquote husband\rquote  was the best lover this world had ever seen.  Nope, she would never have that with Dagomarus, and it made her sad, because deep in her heart she wanted to do all those things and more.\par
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\pard\fi720\qj She was weeping, tears leaking out of her eyes.  Her chest heaved and her soft sobs echoed off the walls, she felt so sad.  Dagomarus didn\rquote t know what she was thinking; he had sealed that connection so he wouldn\rquote t be tempted to listen in on her most intimate thoughts.  He wanted her to be aware that there would be no manipulation on his part for her to agree.  \par
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This had to be her decision and hers alone; he wouldn\rquote t be able to live with himself if he thought for one second her answer was coerced in any way.  When her tears resumed, he thought that they were tears of joy, just as before.  But when she started sobbing and he saw that look of complete sadness on her face, his heart felt crushed.  \par
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He had never wanted to hurt her.  He would rather die than live with the guilt that he had caused her pain.  He couldn\rquote t take it any longer, the sounds of her sobbing on that bed cut through him with a fierceness he had never felt before; worse than any bullet or blade.\par
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\pard\fi720 He backed away from her, taking one last look at her body lying out in front of him; memorizing every hair, every pore, and breathing deep he took in her scent one last time.  He vaulted over the bed and was out the door in a flash.  He swiveled around the doorframe and shot down the hallway.  He got to the back door and grabbed the doorknob in his mouth and turned it.  He nosed the door open and swept into the back yard.  He glanced back at her house once and then launched himself over the fence.\par
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He put every fiber of his anger and sadness into his speed.  He headed for the hills and the mountains beyond.  If anyone had been looking, all they would have seen is a gray blur out of the corner of their eye.  Those few, who did see it, just put it down to a trick of their imagination.  He was gone so fast no real image of his form registered in their minds.  \par
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He was out into the rolling hills along the Teton River within seconds.  He was angry with himself for assuming she would want that with him.  They had professed their love for each other, played their game of Master and Mistress, even though he didn\rquote t think of it as a game.  He couldn\rquote t believe he had been so blind to her pain.  He was a wolf, not human.  \b\i VAE\b0\i0 !  I am such a fool!  Why did I ever leave these mountains for her?  Simple.  I love her.\par
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He was running so fast that the wind was howling in his ears; he never heard her scream out his name.  She stood naked in her back yard in the starlight, screaming his name, calling him back.  She was sobbing so hard she couldn\rquote t see.  \par
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\pard\fi720\qj After the third time of calling his name and he didn\rquote t come back, she dropped to her knees in the grass, her arms dangling at her sides.  She could feel the cool night air on her skin and the contrast of the cold breeze hitting her superheated skin sent her into uncontrollable shudders.  She was vaguely aware that her nearest neighbors had turned on their yard lights, but she didn\rquote t care.  \par
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\pard\fi720\qj Her heart felt torn, like it had been ripped from her chest, leaving her empty and cold.  She cried for him, cried for her, and cried for the love they shared.  She felt so terrible about crying like that after his proposal; she knew he had misunderstood her sadness.  She knew he had thought she was going to tell him no, and before that rejection could be voiced, he had left her.\par
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\pard\fi720\qj She was angry with herself for even hesitating to give her affirmative answer to his proposal. She was angry with him for assuming to know her answer before she gave it.  She understood why he had severed that mental link between them, but even though that decision had lead to a faulty assumption on his part, she realized that she would have to live with it.  She couldn\rquote t stop crying, the anguish and hurt just kept rolling over her.  She let go and just wept; her body crumpled and she fell onto her side.  She lay there in the cold grass, curled up in a fetal ball, and let the tears fall.\par
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\tab\tab\tab\tab ********\par
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\pard\fi720\qj She woke up some time later, freezing cold and shivering.  Her teeth were chattering, and she felt stiff from lying on the cold ground.  She slowly pulled herself up and looked around, no sign of Dagomarus.  She started crying again, soft tears of pain rolling down her cheeks.  \par
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She gathered her strength and stood up.  With her legs wobbly and her back stiff, she went back inside the empty house.  It was completely silent; the sound of nothingness had never been so loud to her before.  She stumbled into the bathroom and turned on the hot water to fill the tub.  She eased herself into the tub, wincing from the stiffness of her muscles and the heat from the water.  \par
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She adjusted the temperature so she wouldn\rquote t burn herself, but she kept it as hot as she could stand it.  She could feel the icy burn as her cold body absorbed the heat from the water.  She added some chamomile oil to the water to try and soothe her torn and shattered mind.  Once the tub was full, she shut off the water, lay back and let the water slide up her chest.\par
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Her tears wouldn\rquote t stop, her face hurt and her eyes burned from all the crying she had been doing.  She lay there in the hot water and tried to get warm, but she couldn\rquote t.  Her skin gradually warmed, but her insides remained frozen.  She couldn\rquote t feel anything anymore, she had cried herself out and now there was nothing left.  There was no more anger, nor sadness; she was emotionally drained and nothing could fill her back up.  The water eventually cooled to the point that she felt uncomfortable, so she pulled herself out of the tub and dried off.  \par
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She slowly shuffled back to the bedroom; she didn\rquote t have the energy to lift her feet.  Her scent still filled the air and she felt a small pang of sadness, but it died quickly.  She shuffled over to her dresser and pulled out a nightshirt and slipped it over her head.  Looking at her new big bed that she had gotten for the two of them, she again felt a small inkling of sadness.  She couldn\rquote t bring herself to lie down on it, so she slumped out of the bedroom and went to the living room.  \par
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As she passed the bathroom she was startled to see herself in the mirror hanging on the door.  She hardly recognized herself.  Her eyes were sunken into their sockets; dark smudges underneath them.  Her skin was sallow and pale; her facial muscles had slackened to where she looked like a corpse.  She thought about that for a second, and agreed with the observation; I am dead inside now that he\rquote s gone.  \par
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She couldn\rquote t stand looking at herself anymore, so she slunk past the mirror and went into the living room.  She went to the couch out of habit, but just before sitting down she had a mental flash of them together on it and couldn\rquote t bring herself to sit there.  She turned away from the couch and shuffled over to the easy chair and fell into it.  \par
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She sat there in the chair staring at the empty couch, saw the torn corner on the side cushion and remembered how it got there.  She couldn\rquote t summon the energy to feel anything about the memory of that night.  She stared off out the window and thought about what her life had been like before Dagomarus.\par
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None of her previous boyfriends had ever touched her heart like Dagomarus had.  She had led a rather boring life until he had come into it, filling her life with meaning and hope.  It was all so surreal, a werewolf and her.  An immortal werewolf.  Well, he was immortal and I\rquote m just a scared little human girl who loved a mythical being for a short time.\par
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Her eyes lost focus as she continued to stare out the window.  She resembled one of those wax statues in the museum, no life in the face or eyes as she sat there in the easy chair.\par
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Her father was the first man that she loved.  He had been her whole life.  Mom had been important, but she had been rather oppressive when it came to boyfriends and socializing. Dad had been more understanding and had been her friend as well as her father.  He had listened to her on their long hikes in the woods.  He had shaped her dreams and aspirations while teaching her how to survive in the woods.\par
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His one recurring lesson was that she had to depend on herself first, then try to find friends to help out if needed.  She had loved her father dearly and the loss of him in her life had destroyed her.  She missed him terribly right now.\par
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She hadn\rquote t made many friends in school because it always seemed like everyone else had their own agenda for wanting to be associated with each other.  The shallow cliques and the snooty girls had shunned her because of her attitude.  She didn\rquote t date more than one or twice because the boys all seemed to want one thing from her and it wasn\rquote t friendship.  Her father had understood this and had tried to tell her that most boys, and later on the men, would all be pretty much the same way.  That was why she needed to be more independent and choose her friends carefully.  He had convinced her that she needed to be friends with a guy first before moving on to something more physical.\par
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Talking to her dad about sex had embarrassed her immensely, but trying to talk to her mom was worse.  She went off on Nikki because she had assumed that when she had asked about sex, that meant that she was having it, and she had said some very unkind things.  Implying that Nikki was a slut because she had asked about going on the pill when she was 14 had pretty much cemented the rift between her mother and herself.\par
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He father had been much more understanding and had gently asked if she was thinking about anyone special while considering this step up into adulthood.  She remembered the quiet afternoon in the trees on the side of a mountain when they had their talk.  He hadn\rquote t been angry or even upset, just a little sad because she was growing up and they had passed a certain point in their relationship.  She had told him the reason that she had thought about going on the pill was because of the other girls all doing it and she wanted to be part of the crowd.  The discussion that followed about friends and peer pressure had been a real eye opener for her.  Her father had explained a piece of his youth and what trouble he had gotten into by trying to follow the crowd.  After that day, she never associated with those girls ever again.\par
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Just six months had passed after that day when her parents had been killed in a car accident.  They had been traveling home from a PTA meeting that had taken place out at one of the other parent\rquote s homes in the country.  A coal train had been stopped on the tracks at an unlighted crossing and they had plowed into the side of the train at over 50 miles an hour.  They never had a chance.\par
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She had been sent to live with her grandparents after that, and had further removed herself from any socializing with the kids.  Her grandparents tried to raise her, but they had been too old to really be involved in keeping up with a 15 year old girl in high school.  When her grandfather had passed away in the night after her 16\super th\nosupersub  birthday, she was torn up again.  He had tried his best to be the father she had lost, but his age and failing health had prevented him from doing much.\par
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Even while Nikki was grieving over the loss of another loved one, her grandmother had slipped into a deep depression.  Nikki found herself not only taking care of her needs, but her grandmother\rquote s as well.  That had only lasted two months before the depression and grief had taken its toll and her grandmother.  She wasted away in sadness, and passed away in her easy chair one afternoon while Nikki had been at school.  Coming home to find her grandmother dead and the last of her family gone was devastating.\par
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With the wills and the money left to her, she was able to stay out of foster care; and with the help of the family lawyer, she had become a legal adult at the age of 16.  She moved back into her parent\rquote s house, which had been left to her in the will.  She finished high school early and went off to a small community college.\par
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She found that with her small talent at art, and her drive to concern herself totally with schoolwork, she finished a two-year degree in graphic design and computer technology in less than eighteen months.  She only dated twice seriously while going to school.  She had made friends with Chad since they both liked the outdoors.  The friendship had moved into the physical realm, and she had been happy.  He had taken her out and shown her how to shoot a gun and she liked it.  But when her proficiency had matched, and then exceeded his own skill, jealousy and petty temper reared its ugly head and they had split up.\par
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The second relationship had been slightly more serious, until she found out that he was sleeping around while dating her.  She had been furious at him for it, but his explanation had been that they had not told each other that they were going to be exclusive.  By her very nature, Nikki was a monogamous person and the thought of dating someone else at the same time had never occurred to her.\par
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After that fiasco, she had given up hope of ever finding anyone to love.  She had a habit of concentrating her affection on one person at a time, devoting her entire energy on that one person.  This tended to smother most people.  Women didn\rquote t like her much either since she tended to do the same with them when she started a friendship.\par
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They wanted to go out and party and bounce from one group to another, where she wanted to be with just one person at a time and not spread herself so thin.  She would ignore the other girls in favor of the one friend she had came with and this gave her the reputation of being snooty or stuck up.  She found herself alone more and more.\par
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After graduation, she went back the Choteau paper because she didn\rquote t know what else to do.  Steve had hired her to be their typesetter and graphics person.  She found herself falling into a rut of work and home.  She went into the woods to go hiking to get away from people and to remember her days with her father.  She never wanted to take anyone with her; those hours in the woods were her way of being with her father again.\par
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Now she had the memories of her time with Dagomarus and that was just one more stab of pain in her heart.  Was she destined to live a life of love and loss?  Was everybody else\rquote s life as screwed up as hers?  No, they weren\rquote t.  That was the problem; nobody she knew had to deal with her kind of loss and turmoil in their lives.  She felt so alone again.  \par
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The hours slipped past unnoticed as she lost herself inside her mind.  The morning sunlight streaming through the window eventually brought her out of her daze.  \par
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She looked at the clock and saw that it was still early.  She thought about getting something to eat for breakfast but the thought of food made her queasy.  She gathered herself and managed to pull herself out of the chair into a standing position.  She wobbled a little as her legs tried to hold her up, the blood rushing back into them after being in one spot for several hours.\par
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She walked into the kitchen and got herself a glass of water.  As she stood there drinking it, she spotted the water bowl on the table.  She thought about putting it in the dishwasher but stopped herself.  She still had a little hope deep down inside that he would come back.  Right now she couldn\rquote t bring herself to touch it, so she left it where it sat.  \par
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She finished her water and slowly walked back to the bedroom.  She looked at the bed again and could still faintly smell her scent in the air.  She saw the stain from herself on the bedspread, and it sparked a little anger in her.  She walked over to the bed and stripped the coverlet off and walked back down the hallway to the washroom.  She poured some Borax powder and soap into the washer and pushed the cover into the tub.  She rotated the dial and popped the knob to set the cycle.  She walked back to the bedroom and got dressed for work.\par
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She pulled out the darkest suit she owned and put it on.  She didn\rquote t bother with any makeup, she rarely wore more than lipstick and a touch of eye shadow, but this morning she just couldn\rquote t bring herself to sit in front of the mirror to put anything on.  She ran a brush through her hair and since she hadn\rquote t done anything with it last night, it was a little unruly; so she gathered it up and twisted it into a bun.  She put on some black stockings and her black pumps.  \par
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She never really consciously decided on her wardrobe this morning, just dressing by rote and habit.  When she was completely dressed, she picked up her purse and keys and walked out the front door.  She thought about leaving it unlocked, but decided against it.  If he were going to come back, he\rquote d be hiding in the back yard when she got home.\par
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She drove to work on autopilot, she remembered getting into her pick-up at the house and then she was sitting in the parking lot behind the office building staring out the windshield at nothing.  She shook her head and got out of the truck and walked to the back door.  She wasn\rquote t the first one there that morning; Steve was standing next to the coffee maker waiting for the first pot to fill up.  He turned to see who had come in this early and when he saw her, he paled.\par
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\ldblquote Jesus!  Dominique!  You look like hell!  Oh, god, I\rquote m sorry, you just startled me.\rdblquote\par
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\ldblquote That\rquote s okay, Steve.  Don\rquote t worry about it.\rdblquote   \par
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Her voice was soft and there was no emotion in it.  She walked past him and went to her desk, setting her purse next to her chair.  Steve followed her and stood a few feet away, giving her some space.  \par
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\ldblquote What happened, Dominique?\rdblquote   \par
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Steve was really concerned for her.  He remembered when her parents had been killed and she hadn\rquote t looked this bad then.  Obviously there was something horribly wrong in her life for her to look and act like this.  She looked dead.\par
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She turned to look at him and tried to give him a smile, but she failed to produce anything more than a twitch of her lips.  \par
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\ldblquote Personal life troubles.\rdblquote   \par
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She pulled out her chair and sat down.  She flipped the switch on her computer and waited for it to boot up.  She sat there staring at the black screen waiting for it to turn blue as the software booted up.  Steve watched this and shook his head.  He thought about leaving her alone, but the utter lack of emotion in her face or eyes frightened him a little.  He pulled a chair from another desk and sat down.\par
\par
\ldblquote Come on, Dominique, what happened?  What we talked about yesterday, does it have anything to do with that?\rdblquote   \par
\par
He waited for her to even acknowledge that he was speaking to her.  She continued to stare at the computer monitor.  \par
\par
\ldblquote Dominique!  Did you hear me?\rdblquote   \par
\par
She jumped when he raised his voice, saying her name.  She slowly turned to face him.\par
\par
\ldblquote Oh, I\rquote m sorry.  I guess I\rquote m a little out of it this morning.\rdblquote   \par
\par
She continued to look in his direction but he could tell her eyes barely focused on his face.  Now he really was scared for her.\par
\par
\ldblquote Dominique, what happened?  You can tell me.  I\rquote d like to think that even though I am your boss, I\rquote m also your friend.  Whatever you tell me will never go beyond this point.  We\rquote re the only ones in the building right now.  Come on, step into my office and I\rquote ll shut the door.  Nobody will be able to disturb us.  Okay?\rdblquote   \par
\par
He was trying to sound soothing.  He hoped she would tell him what was wrong.  He\rquote d never seen anyone so lifeless before, at least among the current living, that is.\par
\par
She continued to stare through him for another minute then suddenly she focused on him and nodded.  She stood up and followed him into his office.  He shut the door and went behind his desk.  He pulled his chair out and moved it so that it was at the corner and the desk wasn\rquote t between them.  \par
\par
He hoped that this would make her more comfortable, not quite reminding her that he was her boss.  She watched this with no emotion on her face, and then she slowly lowered herself into the other chair.  She sat there looking past him at the wall; he waited for a minute, but the silence made him uncomfortable.\par
\par
\ldblquote Dominique?  What is it?  What\rquote s wrong?\rdblquote   \par
\par
He asked softly this time.  He was genuinely afraid for her.  She slowly refocused inside the room and looked at his face.  The brief flash of emotion on her face was one of mild surprise; as if she had just realized where she was.\par
\par
\ldblquote My personal life went to hell last night.\rdblquote   \par
\par
Her voice just above a whisper; still no emotion in it at all.  He waited for more to come out but that was all she was going to say.  She just sat there looking at him, and he could see her eyes losing their focus again.  Trying to keep her in the here and now, he worked his brain to think of what to ask.\par
\par
\ldblquote Does it have anything to do with what we talked about yesterday?\rdblquote   \par
\par
It was the only thing he could think of off the top of his head.  He suddenly realized he had no idea what she did outside this office.  They had never spoken about what they did once they went home.  He had fancied her a little but because he was married, it never went past the occasional appreciatively raised eyebrow if she wore something nice.  He might be married but he wasn\rquote t dead, he could look but he would never touch.  He waited for her to answer.\par
\par
\ldblquote Not really, no.\rdblquote  \par
\par
She wasn\rquote t sure what to say to Steve.  He was a nice guy, but she didn\rquote t think he would understand what she was involved with.  Used to be involved with, she corrected herself.  This made her breath hitch as she finally admitted to herself what she truly feared.  That it was over.  Steve watched her for a minute, noticing the slight catch in her breathing and the small flash of panic in her eyes.\par
\par
\ldblquote Then what?  Please, I really want to help.\rdblquote   \par
\par
He waited some more.  His patience was getting a little thin but he calmed himself down.  I need to stay calm and try to help her.  She finally focused on his eyes and the seriousness of that look set him back a little.  He\rquote d never seen that look in her eyes before.  She had always been so happy go lucky around the office.\par
\par
\ldblquote My lover left me.\rdblquote   \par
\par
She finally said it out loud, admitting her worst fears to another person.  Making them that much more real in her mind.  She thought she felt like crying but there wasn\rquote t anything left anymore; just emptiness and despair creating a vast gaping hole within her.  \par
\par
Steve was shocked to hear this; he had never heard her mention a boyfriend.  He knew that if she had ever mentioned it to Faith, he knew he would have heard about it shortly thereafter.  Then it hit him, she didn\rquote t say boyfriend, she said lover.  Oh, shit!  Was that it?  Was she gay?  Well, damn.  He would have never guessed, but then he thought about it for a minute and it clicked.\par
  \par
She never mentioned a boyfriend to anyone at work.  She didn\rquote t join in the gaggle group that formed in the lunchroom.  Then he thought about someone else who was gay, and how that until the day she told him, he had never known or even guessed that she had those kinds of feelings.  \par
\par
He knew what kind of hell it was to live in this small town and in this area with that in your life.  He had a sudden inspirational flash.  He knew what might get her out of this emotional hell she was in right now.  He\rquote d have to talk to the other person first but he didn\rquote t think that it would be a problem.  He smiled to himself; he was going to be able to help two people.\par
\par
\ldblquote Oh, Dominique.  I\rquote m so sorry to hear that.\rdblquote  \par
\par
He waited for a few seconds; thinking about what he was planning on doing and decided it couldn\rquote t hurt to try.  \par
\par
\ldblquote I know you feel uncomfortable talking about this kind of stuff with me.  I don\rquote t mind, really.  Technically I am still your boss and I don\rquote t want you to feel that you have to tell me anything more.  I truly sympathize with what you are going through and I\rquote d like to help.  Would you feel more comfortable talking about this with someone that isn\rquote t a guy and your boss?\rdblquote   \par
\par
He tried to keep his voice neutral when he said that last part.  He didn\rquote t want her to think that he knew.  If she wanted it to stay a secret, then he\rquote d let it stay that way.\par
\par
Dominique was surprised to hear Steve say what he did.  She thought about it and maybe he was right.  Maybe she needed another woman to tell this to.  Maybe.  She wasn\rquote t sure.  She knew she didn\rquote t want Mark to be involved.  She had seen the looks and the signs.  If he thought he had a chance with her, he\rquote d try.  She wasn\rquote t ready to face that at all.  She made up her mind.\par
\par
\ldblquote Yeah, maybe.  I guess that would be okay.  But who?  I don\rquote t trust any of the women that work here.  Not with this I don\rquote t.\rdblquote   \par
\par
She was clearly torn between actually telling Steve what had happened and letting him find someone for her to talk to.  Steve saw the indecision on her face.  When she finally agreed to let him try to help her he smiled.\par
\par
\ldblquote Why don\rquote t you go back to your desk and get some work done.  I\rquote m going to make a phone call.  I\rquote ll tell her a little bit about what\rquote s going on and then let her decide if she wants to talk to you.  Would that be okay?\rdblquote   \par
\par
Steve was hoping that Dominique would agree to this.  He watched her think about it and then she nodded.  She stood up and walked out of his office.  She sat down at her desk for a while, staring at the screen saver on her computer, and then got up again.  She walked over to the coffee maker and poured herself a cup, adding some extra sugar.  The lack of sleep was finally getting to her.\par
\par
When she got back to her desk she found a post-it note stuck to her monitor.  There was a name and a number on it.  She stared at it for several minutes, debating on whether to call or not.  She had no idea who this was, but Steve had said that she could trust her.  She picked up the phone and dialed the number, it wasn\rquote t a local call but since Steve had given it to her she knew she had permission to dial it.  The phone only rang twice before a lilting sweet voice answered.\par
\par
\ldblquote Hello?\rdblquote\par
\par
\ldblquote Is, ah\'85  Is this Lena?\rdblquote   \par
\par
Nikki was very nervous; she couldn\rquote t believe she had actually called.\par
\par
\ldblquote Yes, it is.  To whom do I have the pleasure of speaking with?\rdblquote   \par
\par
That sweet lilting voice sounded so soothing.\par
\par
\ldblquote I\rquote m Dominique.  Uh, Steve gave me your number.\rdblquote   \par
\par
She frowned, Steve was supposed to tell her a few things and that I was going to call.  Maybe this woman had a lot of people call her and that\rquote s why she asked.\par
\par
\ldblquote Yes, he did mention that you might call.  He also said that you were going through a very rough time and needed someone to talk to.  Would you like to talk?\rdblquote   \par
\par
That lilt made her sound foreign, but she couldn\rquote t tell where from, as it was so slight.\par
\par
\ldblquote Yeah, I guess I would.\rdblquote   \par
\par
Nikki hadn\rquote t thought she would be able to go this far, but here she was, agreeing to talk.\par
\par
\ldblquote Okay, then.  When would you like to talk?\rdblquote   \par
\par
The voice sounded so young, but Nikki new that sometimes that was misleading.  She hadn\rquote t thought of when she actually wanted to tell anyone, and she really didn\rquote t want to do it over the phone.  She didn\rquote t know what to say.\par
\par
\ldblquote Uhm, I\rquote m not sure.  I guess whenever you can spare the time.\rdblquote\par
\par
\ldblquote Well, Steve implied that it would be better if it was sooner rather than later.  So, how about meeting me someplace for a drink and we can chat then?\rdblquote   \par
\par
The lilt was stronger when she was asserting herself.  The voice might sound young, but Nikki didn\rquote t think that she could be too young.  Especially since she just invited me out for a drink.\par
\par
\ldblquote Yeah, that\rquote d be okay.  Where?\rdblquote   \par
\par
Nikki was hoping that she didn\rquote t want to go to one of the bars in Choteau.\par
\par
\ldblquote How about coming down here tonight.  There\rquote s a quiet place I like to go to every once in a while to relax.  It\rquote s O\rquote Malley\rquote s Tavern.  Just head down to Helena, get off on 12 east and then turn onto Canyon Ferry Road, it\rquote s about 15 miles from downtown Helena.  Meet me there at around 7 o\rquote clock.  Okay?\rdblquote   \par
\par
Nikki knew where she was talking about.  She had seen the tavern once as she drove by on a trip to go boating down at the waterway.  She thought about it and decided, what the hell, it only a drink and a little bit of a drive.\par
\par
\ldblquote Yeah, I can do that.  How will I recognize you?\rdblquote   \par
\par
Nikki heard the smile through the phone line.\par
\par
\ldblquote Just look for the little blond girl who looks like she shouldn\rquote t be there.  That\rquote ll be me.  See you tonight.  Bye.\rdblquote   \par
\par
Nikki didn\rquote t know what to think about that description.  She immediately thought about the drive and how long she would be gone.  She almost called back to cancel.  She wanted to be at home just in case Dagomarus came back.  However, she knew that if she stayed home tonight in that empty quiet house with his smells and the memories, she\rquote d go nuts.  No, I have to go.  She stood up and went to Steve\rquote s office door.\par
\par
\ldblquote Thanks, Steve, I appreciate your help with this.  By the way, who is she?  That was a slightly strange phone conversation.\rdblquote   \par
\par
Nikki watched as Steve hesitated to tell her, and then grinned.\par
\par
\ldblquote She\rquote s my \lquote baby\rquote  sister.  But don\rquote t let the voice or her looks fool you.  She\rquote s a genius, and I don\rquote t mean in a casual way either.  She\rquote s the smartest person I know.  That\rquote s all I\rquote m going to say.  You\rquote ll find out when you meet her.\rdblquote   \par
\par
Nikki raised an eyebrow at him and he smiled.  That was the first sign of any emotion she had shone this morning.  He waved his hand at her to go back to work, so she left and sat back down at her desk.  Dave and Faith came in a few minutes later.  Dave smiled and nodded to her, Faith studiously ignored her.  \par
\par
The rest of the day went quickly to her surprise.  She drank several cups of coffee and had a few cheese crackers from the vending machine across the street.  She finished her work ahead of schedule, so Steve let her go home early.  She needed to take a short nap if she was going to drive anywhere tonight.    She knew it wouldn\rquote t take long to get there with the relaxed speeding laws in Montana, but she didn\rquote t want to fall asleep at the wheel going 90 miles an hour.\par
\par
She changed into her lounge around the house clothes and took a nap in the easy chair.  She still couldn\rquote t bring herself to sit on the couch or lay on the bed.  She did look in the back yard to see if Dagomarus was there, but there was no sign of him.  She was able to get almost three hours of sleep before her watch alarm woke her up.  \par
\par
She felt rested but still drained.  She didn\rquote t shuffle anymore, but she didn\rquote t hurry with her normal energetic step either.  She grabbed a can of green beans off the shelf and ate them right from the can.  It was about the only thing she could think of eating that didn\rquote t make her stomach queasy.  \par
\par
She went into the bedroom and changed into a pair of loose fitting jeans and a pullover sweatshirt.  She wasn\rquote t going out tonight to impress anyone.  She did let her hair down out of the bun and wet it.  She quickly put it in one long single braid that came down to just above her waist.\par
\par
She changed purses and out the door she went.  The drive wasn\rquote t that bad.  It did let her think as she flew down the highway.  What am I going to do if he doesn\rquote t come back?  She knew she could never love any man like she loved Dagomarus.  Even considering another guy was almost repugnant to her.  It wasn\rquote t about the sex, really, she thought to herself.  It\rquote s about the emotional attachment and the togetherness she missed.  She honestly didn\rquote t think she could ever find another man that could even hold a candle to Dagomarus.  \par
\par
She snorted in disgust at herself.  He hasn\rquote t been gone one whole day and I\rquote m already trying to think about my life without him.  She tried to hold out for at least a glimmer of hope.  However, she had a feeling deep down inside her, that she wouldn\rquote t see him again.  She had hurt him as well.  \par
\par
He thought he was the jilted party in this train wreck.  He had laid himself bare to her and she had rejected him.  Well, not really, but he honestly thought she had.  She couldn\rquote t blame him for too long for her mistake.  No, she couldn\rquote t blame him at all.  That\rquote s what hurt the most.  She was the one who messed up this time.  \par
\par
She had screwed up big time, and it hurt them so much!  She didn\rquote t think she had any tears left in her, but she was wrong.  When she pulled into the parking lot at O\rquote Malley\rquote s her cheeks were wet and her eyes were red.\par
\par
She wiped her face with a tissue and put a couple drops of solution in her eyes to get them to clear up.  It didn\rquote t really help, but at this point she didn\rquote t care.  She got out of the truck and headed for the door of the tavern.  She stopped with her hand on the door.  Was she really going to talk to Steve\rquote s sister about all of this?  Well, maybe not, but at least she could talk with someone who wasn\rquote t a co-worker and right now that\rquote s all she had.  She drew in a deep breath and opened the door.\par
\par
The interior was dimly lit, and she could hear a game of some kind playing on a TV hanging in the back somewhere.  There was a long bar that ran the length of the right side of the front room, and booths along the opposite wall.  There was a dividing wall at the back and she could just see a pool table through the doorway.  \par
\par
Then Nikki saw her.  Jesus!  She didn\rquote t look old enough to be anywhere close to a bar, let alone sitting at one.  She was very petite and blond, with deep honey gold hair that cascaded down her back.  She looked like she belonged in high school.  However, she was sitting on a barstool chatting with the bartender and she had a glass of something dark in front of her.  \par
\par
The door clicked shut and the bartender looked over to her.  The tiny blond girl looked at her as well and smiled.  She waved to Nikki and patted a barstool next to her.\par
\par
Nikki tried to smile back, but again, it didn\rquote t really work.  She walked over to the barstool indicated and sat down.  \par
\par
\ldblquote Hello, I\rquote m Lena.  Nice to meet you.\rdblquote   \par
\par
There was that sweet lilt to her voice again, but Nikki still couldn\rquote t place it.\par
\par
\ldblquote Hi, I\rquote m Dominique.  Nice to meet you too.\rdblquote   \par
\par
They shook hands and Nikki was surprised at how warm and strong this little girl\rquote s hands were.\par
\par
\ldblquote What would you like to drink?\rdblquote   \par
\par
Lena had a small smile on her face, just a hint of one.  Her eyes caught Nikki off guard; they were pale blue, almost white.  They sparkled in the dim tavern lighting.\par
\par
\ldblquote Uh, I don\rquote t know.  What are you drinking?\rdblquote   \par
\par
Nikki wasn\rquote t sure if she really wanted anything, she was really here to talk, not drink.  Lena had just little more smile now, when she turned to the bartender.\par
\par
\ldblquote Petey, fix my new friend here an Irish boilermaker.\rdblquote  \par
\par
Petey gave her a look that Nikki didn\rquote t know what to think of, and then he grabbed large pint glass and pulled the tap on the bar.  The thick black beer rolled down the side of the glass and the dark tan head formed as it filled.  He set the pint on the counter in front of her and then he put a shot glass next to it and poured an ounce of Jameson\rquote s Irish whiskey.  \par
\par
Before she could say anything, he picked up the shot and dropped it into the pint of Guinness and pushed the pint towards her.  Petey gave Lena an odd glance and he walked to the other end of the bar, giving them some privacy.\par
\par
\ldblquote Uh, wow.  I\rquote ve never heard of an Irish boilermaker, and looking at that, I\rquote m not sure I want to drink one either.\rdblquote   \par
\par
Nikki looked at the pint and then over to Lena.  Lena picked up her own glass and hoisted it towards her.\par
\par
\ldblquote Try it, you might like it.  If not, I\rquote ll drink it and we\rquote ll get you something else.  Cheers, Mate!\rdblquote   \par
\par
Lena\rquote s lilt was very thick now and Nikki finally recognized it, it was Scottish.  She was trying to figure out how Steve\rquote s little sister had a Scottish accent in Montana when she picked up the pint glass and clinked it against Lena\rquote s and took a sip.  \par
\par
It wasn\rquote t bad, but she could tell that if she drank the whole thing, she\rquote s be toasted.  She thought more about the accent and wondered if it wasn\rquote t just an affectation from a pretentious kid.  Then she remembered Steve\rquote s comment; don\rquote t be fooled by her voice or looks.  She set the drink back on the bar and turned to Lena.\par
\par
\ldblquote So, how did you find out about Irish boilermakers?  This place?\rdblquote   \par
\par
Nikki wanted to find out a little more about this girl before she said anything too personal.\par
\par
\ldblquote Oh, heaven\rquote s no.  I had to teach Petey how to make one.  This place might be called O\rquote Malley\rquote s but it isn\rquote t a real Irish pub.  I learned how to drink these when I was going to school at Napier University in Edinburgh, Scotland.  If you couldn\rquote t keep up they didn\rquote t respect you.  So I learned to keep up.  Now, I just come out here to give Petey a hard time and I get a decent drink while doing it.\rdblquote   \par
\par
She smiled over at Petey who gave her a sour grin and went back to reading a newspaper.\par
\par
\ldblquote So, you went to college in Scotland?  That must have been nice.\rdblquote   \par
\par
Nikki was a little relieved at hearing that she was old enough to be out of college.  Then she got a surprise.\par
\par
\ldblquote Not really college, per se.  I went to Napier for two years in high school and got what they call an HND, Higher National Diploma.  It\rquote s the equivalent of a technical degree here in the states.  I came back and went to Carroll College here in Helena, and now I\rquote m an assistant professor of Engineering.\rdblquote   \par
\par
Lena smiled and knew she had fooled another one.  Nikki sat there in stunned silence calculating the years of school it took to become an assistant professor and looking at this girl who sat next to her at the bar.  It didn\rquote t add up.  She just had to know.\par
\par
\ldblquote I don\rquote t want to sound rude, but just how old are you?\rdblquote   \par
\par
Lena grinned even wider, which made her look all of sixteen.\par
\par
\ldblquote I\rquote m twenty two, I\rquote ll be twenty three in June.  To answer your next question, I graduated high school when I was fifteen.  I have three degrees, one of which is a PhD, that\rquote s the Engineering one.  The others were more of a lark than anything, Art and Biology, but those are just Masters degrees.  I don\rquote t plan on getting them upgraded to doctorates.\rdblquote   \par
\par
When Nikki listened to all this, she knew that she\rquote d been had by Steve.  He had given her a small hint but not prepared her for this.  Lena really was a genius, a genius that still looked like she was in high school.  Nikki admitted it though; it had been a good gag to pull on her.  She needed something to pull her out of her emotional funk.\par
\par
\ldblquote Okay, I\rquote m officially and duly impressed.  What do you do for an encore?\rdblquote   \par
\par
The look Lena gave her made her blush.  Then Lena was laughing so hard she almost fell off the barstool.\par
\par
\ldblquote Oh!  You had that one coming.  You haven\rquote t smiled once since you got here and I didn\rquote t feel like talking to a mannequin all night.\rdblquote  \par
\par
Nikki blushed again and smiled for real this time.  So, Lena was a nice person who was smarter than you could guess.  Nikki did notice that Lena\rquote s laugh was as pretty as she was.  It had that lilt to it and it sounded like bells ringing off the walls.  It was nice.  Not a schoolgirl\rquote s giggle like she expected.\par
\par
\ldblquote Okay, okay.  So I had it coming for being a stick in the mud.  I\rquote m sorry, I\rquote ve had a really bad day, or should I say night and day.\rdblquote   \par
\par
Nikki\rquote s smile faded when she reminded herself of why she had come here in the first place.  Lena saw the smile fade and shrugged her shoulders.  She took another swig of her pint and gave Nikki a knowing nod.\par
\par
\ldblquote Yeah, well.  Life sucks, doesn\rquote t it.  All Steve told me was that you were a walking coma case waiting to happen and that you had mentioned a lover leaving you.  If you want to talk about it, I am an excellent listener.  I judge no one and I can only offer a shoulder to cry on if you need it.\rdblquote   \par
\par
\ldblquote Steve likes you and he told me that you were a nice person who didn\rquote t need another pile of crap in your life right now.  So, here I am.  I\rquote m willing to call you a friend on my brother\rquote s word.  He doesn\rquote t do that for just anybody, so you must be okay.\rdblquote   \par
\par
Lena was looking at Nikki with a seriousness in her eyes that seemed out of place on that elfin face.  Nikki thought about what she said and looked into her drink for a few seconds then looked back at Lena.\par
\par
\ldblquote Yeah, I could stand to have a good friend right now.  I\rquote m not sure if I\rquote m ready to spill my guts about everything but I\rquote m willing to talk to you and get to know you better.\rdblquote   \par
\par
Nikki was almost back to her previous dead state again by the time she finished talking.\par
\par
\ldblquote No secrets, just girl talk.  I can live with that just fine.  Let\rquote s grab a booth so Petey over there doesn\rquote t continue to listen in on our conversation.\rdblquote   \par
\par
Lena stuck her tongue out at him when she finished.  Petey scowled and stuck his tongue back at her then went back to reading his newspaper.  Lena laughed and picked up her drink, heading for the back of the tavern.  She sat with her back to the wall and motioned for Nikki to take the bench opposite her.  Nikki slid into the booth and placed her drink on the table.  There was a small bowl of pretzels on the table and Nikki grabbed a few and started munching on them.  Her lack of any real meal and the strong drink was catching up to her quickly.\par
\par
\ldblquote So, what is it with you and Petey?  Or is that one of those secret things we\rquote re not going to talk about tonight?\rdblquote   \par
\par
Nikki was just fishing for a place to start the conversation, and this seemed fairly safe.  Lena chuckled and shook her head.\par
\par
\ldblquote No, Petey is a nice guy, but he\rquote s just my bartender.  I make fun of him and he tries to think of how to make fun of me.  He knows he doesn\rquote t have a chance to outsmart me, but he keeps trying, so I like him.\rdblquote  \par
\par
Lena paused for a moment, thinking of how to ask the next question.  \par
\par
\ldblquote I need to know something personal here, and if you don\rquote t want to answer that\rquote s fine.\rdblquote   \par
\par
Lena was keeping a neutral expression, just in case Nikki decided she was pushing too much and got pissed.  Nikki thought about it for a second, and even though they had agreed to no secrets, she figured it wouldn\rquote t be about her current trouble.\par
\par
\ldblquote Yeah, I\rquote ve be been nosey tonight too, so what do you want to ask me?\rdblquote   \par
\par
Lena gave her a piercing stare then relaxed.\par
\par
\ldblquote You haven\rquote t slept with my brother have you?\rdblquote   \par
\par
Lena knew the answer but she needed to get Nikki out of this funky mood.  Nikki stared at her with her mouth hanging open and then she started laughing.  She laughed for a full minute.  She was laughing so hard her sides hurt.  She finally calmed down enough to breathe normally and wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes.  \par
\par
\ldblquote OHH!  That\rquote s a good one, Lena.  No, I\rquote ve never slept with Steve.\rdblquote   \par
\par
Lena nodded and smiled.\par
\par
\ldblquote I knew it, but I had to ask because you were sitting there trying to think of something safe to say and I needed you to be the happy you, not the funky you.\rdblquote   \par
\par
Nikki nodded and smiled.\par
\par
\ldblquote I bow before your superior intellect.  You know, Steve said to not be fooled by your voice and your looks.  He wasn\rquote t kidding.\rdblquote\par
\par
The rest of the night they chatted and compared schools and clothing and mutual interest.  Nikki had a second boilermaker without even thinking about it while they were chatting away.  It caught up to her like a ton of bricks, between the lack of sleep, lack of food and two very strong drinks; she went from talking and laughing to head on the table in two seconds.  \par
\par
Lena smiled and nodded.  Yep, just what the doctor ordered.  She motioned to Petey and they carefully lifted Nikki out of the booth and they carried her to Lena\rquote s car.  They made sure that Nikki\rquote s truck was locked and then Lena drove home.\par
\par
She had her own house on the edge of town, on a hill overlooking most of Helena.  There weren\rquote t many houses on this road, so she liked it.  Plus, nobody could look into her windows; she had the high ground.  All you could see from the sidewalk was the ceiling.  \par
\par
When Lena got to her driveway, she parked the car next to the front walk.  She got out and went to the front door and unlocked it, pushing it open slightly.  Then she went back and extricated the sleeping form of Nikki from the front seat.  She shook her awake just enough to get her stumbling towards the front door.  With their height difference, it made it rather difficult to support Nikki.  She stood at 5\rquote 1\rdblquote  and weighed 100 pounds soaking wet, but she played soccer with the students at practice time.  This gave her some advantage in helping support the very limp and uncoordinated body of her new friend.      \par
\par
She laid Nikki down on the couch and went back out to put the car in the garage.  She came in and found Nikki curled up and murmuring on the couch.  She carefully took Nikki\rquote s tennis shoes off and then grabbed a comforter out of the hall closet and covered her up.  She went into the bathroom and took the small trashcan out and placed it under Nikki\rquote s head on the floor.  She didn\rquote t think that Nikki would be sick during the night, but no sense in taking chances.  \par
\par
Lena stood there looking down at the sleeping form on her couch.  Yeah, Steve was right.  She\rquote s cute and sexy as hell.  However, she knew one thing Steve didn\rquote t.  Nikki wasn\rquote t gay.  She knew that the second they made eye contact in the bar.  Oh, well.  She hated being the rebound girl, unless the sex was awesome, then it was okay.\par
\par
Lena looked down at Nikki with a soft smile, yeah, she was really cute and she\rquote s just my type.  Tall, strong and smart; the really long auburn hair in that braid was a bonus too.  Those perky breasts hiding under that sweatshirt and those hips and ohhh those long legs!  Those cute long feet, and those green eyes.  Damn it!  I have to stop doing this to myself.  \par
\par
She looked at Nikki\rquote s face and watched as she murmured again.  She was irresistible.  Lena couldn\rquote t stop herself.  She leaned over and kissed Nikki on the end of her cute nose, softly, just enough to make contact.  Nikki smiled and murmured again.\par
\par
\ldblquote Mmmhhhmm, I love you too, fuzzy-face.\rdblquote   \par
\par
Then Nikki\rquote s face went dark and troubled.  She moaned and shuddered in her sleep.  After a few minutes of this she finally slipped into a deep sleep and stopped dreaming.  Lena watched this with interest.  She thought about what Steve had said.  That Nikki had pointedly said lover, not boyfriend.  Then added to the fact that he said she never talked about guys and she avoided the gossip sessions with the rest of the girls at the office.  \par
\par
Well, she couldn\rquote t blame Steve for thinking what he had.  Those were slight indicators, but not positive proof.  No, Steve didn\rquote t have \lquote gaydar\rquote ; otherwise he would have known about me when we were kids.\par
\par
Lena took one last glance at Nikki\rquote s face and turned to go to her bedroom.  She undressed and slipped beneath the covers on her king sized four-poster bed.  She looked positively tiny on that big bed, but she loved it.  It was like three acres of playground when she had a special friend over.  Which wasn\rquote t very often, especially since she taught at a Catholic college.  \par
\par
She had been fooled by the statistics when she came back from Scotland.  It was about 60/40 girls to boys at the college.  She would have picked it anyway, just to be close to Steve and the rest of the family, but it hadn\rquote t hurt either when she was making choices.  The problem was that even with more girls than boys at the college, it was still a Catholic school and all the guilt that goes with it.  She was plagued by one or two night trysts, then the guilt would kick in and they would start to avoid her.  Now that she was an Assistant Professor, the students were off limits.\par
  \par
She had been tempted several times, but she really liked her job of teaching, so that stopped her from doing anything stupid.  She thought of Nikki again.  She started rubbing herself, imagining what it could be like making love to that beautiful woman.  To have those sexy long legs wrapped around her, cuddled up in those long arms and nuzzling that long neck.  HMMMMmmm.  She rubbed herself into a nice slow orgasm and drifted off to sleep.  She dreamed of long auburn hair and green eyes.\par
\par
When her alarm clock got her up at six, she slid out of bed and looked for something appropriate to wear around the house.  She normally went naked, but she knew that wouldn\rquote t go over well with her current houseguest.  She found a pair of running shorts and a t-shirt.  The shorts were short and the shirt was just a little small.  She skipped putting on panties and a bra.  Why play fair?  \par
\par
She wanted to see if there was any hope, even a glimmer would be okay.  She frowned; I hate it that I\rquote ve gotten this desperate.  I\rquote m trying to seduce a straight girl.  Well, it wouldn\rquote t be the first time.  She checked herself in the mirror to make sure she wasn\rquote t being too obvious, and then went downstairs to the living room to check on her guest.\par
\par
She padded silently down the carpeted stairs and found Nikki in the same position she had left her in.  She went over and retrieved the small trashcan and put it back in the bathroom.  No sense in embarrassing the poor woman.  She came back out and watched Nikki for a few seconds.  She loved the way the morning light caught the highlights in her hair.  Stop it!  She turned and went into the kitchen.  She knew that Nikki would be ravenous when she woke up.  She remembered the complaint last night about having only coffee and a can of green beans to soak up the alcohol.\par
  \par
She pulled out a large four-quart saucepan and measured out 3 cups of skim milk.  She got out the cream of wheat and measured it out into a cup and waited for the milk to heat up.  She got out a loaf of whole wheat bread and set it next to the toaster.  Grabbing the container of raisins off the sideboard, she dribbled a handful into the warming milk.  That would plump them back up and make them extra sweet.  When the milk was just starting to bubble, she added the cream of wheat and stirred it in.  \par
\par
She turned down the heat on the stove and let the cereal simmer and swell.  She got out some gourmet coffee beans and used a hand grinder to make the grounds.  She liked doing it that way because the electric grinders made dust out of the beans too easily and she didn\rquote t like mud in the bottom of her coffee.  \par
\par
She heard a low moan coming from the living room.  She smiled; the statuesque goddess awakens!  Stop it!  She scolded herself again.  She grabbed a cup out of the cabinet and filled it with coffee, pouring in a small dollop of creamer and just a touch of sugar, and then she walked out to see how her guest was doing.\par
\par
Nikki had opened her eyes and panicked.  Where the hell was she?  She didn\rquote t recognize anything.  She was still dressed, so that\rquote s a good thing, she thought.  She smelled coffee.  She didn\rquote t hear anything but a few small noises coming from what she guessed was the kitchen.  \par
\par
She looked around again; the house was definitely decorated by a woman.  No man would have that kind of artwork on his wall.  There were little knick-knacks on shelves and scented candles on the bookcases.  Yeah, there\rquote s definitely a woman who lives here.  Thinking this hard in the morning made her head hurt even worse.  She moaned when a particularly bad spasm made her feel like her head was going to split open and her brain was going to fall out.\par
\par
\ldblquote Good Morning sunshine!  How\rquote s the braincase this morning?  Not too sore I hope?\rdblquote   \par
\par
Nikki looked over to see Lena in a pair of short shorts and a tight t-shirt holding a steaming cup of coffee.  Lena offered it to Nikki and she took it carefully, trying not to let her shaking hands making it spill.  She took a sip and smiled.\par
\par
\ldblquote Thank you!  How did you know I like cream and a little sugar in mine?  Bigger question; how did I get here?\rdblquote   \par
\par
Lena laughed and smiled.\par
\par
\ldblquote First, that\rquote s how I like my coffee too.  Second, I brought you here.\rdblquote   \par
\par
Nikki took another sip of coffee and looked at her unexpected host.  The girl wasn\rquote t wearing a bra, and it showed.  Her breast size may not be impressive, but those extra large finger-tip sized nipples were.  And they were stiff this morning, too.  Poking out of that too tight t-shirt.  Then she noticed that there were no panty lines on her shorts.  Lena had muscles, and that was obvious.  Nikki could see the hint of a six-pack under the shirt and her legs were very shapely.  \par
\par
Lena noticed Nikki checking her out, but it wasn\rquote t quite the checking out she liked.  This was an assessment look, not \lquote I\rquote m going to fuck that as soon as I can\rquote  look.  Nikki nodded and sipped her coffee.  Lena grinned.\par
\par
\ldblquote I\rquote ve got cream of wheat with raisins in it simmering on the stove.  Want some?\rdblquote   \par
\par
Nikki suddenly realized how hungry she was and gave Lena a grateful expression.\par
\par
\ldblquote Thank you!  I would love some.\rdblquote   \par
\par
Nikki followed Lena into the kitchen.  Nope, this little tart isn\rquote t wearing any panties.  Then Nikki had to remind herself that this \lquote little tart\rquote  was an Assistant Professor of Engineering.  So she didn\rquote t like underwear, so what?  Lena pulled out two bowls and dished out the cream of wheat, making sure that Nikki got a little more than she did.  She set them on the table and nodded her head to Nikki to take a seat.  She got out a pair of spoons and napkins.  She gave Nikki hers.\par
\par
\ldblquote Would you like some toast?  I have clover honey and cherry preserves.\rdblquote\par
\par
\ldblquote Yes, that would be great.\rdblquote   \par
\par
Nikki smiled in appreciation to her host.  Lena dropped in two slices of bread and dropped the plunger.  Then she pulled out the skim milk and set between them.  Nikki smiled her thanks and poured a small dollop onto her cream of wheat to cool it a little.  Lena surprised her when she set a small jug of pure maple syrup on the table.\par
  \par
\ldblquote How did you know I like maple syrup on my cream of wheat?\rdblquote\par
\par
\ldblquote Because I do too.\rdblquote   \par
\par
Lena smiled at her and then turned to fix Nikki\rquote s toast.  She took a quick guess and put real butter on it and spread just a little honey on each slice.  She brought it to the table and slid the small plate over to Nikki.  She put two more slices in the toaster and sat down at the table.\par
\par
\ldblquote Let me guess, you like real butter and honey on your toast, too.\rdblquote   \par
\par
Nikki had a lopsided grin.\par
\par
\ldblquote Yep.  You got it.  Scary isn\rquote t it?\rdblquote   \par
\par
Lena smiled and winked at Nikki.  They looked at each other for a second then the toaster popped.  Lena got up to fix hers.  This gave Nikki a few seconds to think about what was going on.  She thought about what Lena was wearing, or not wearing actually.  Then the bouncing and prancing around the kitchen fixing breakfast, and to top it all off, they both liked the same things.  \par
\par
Nikki caught herself looking at Lena\rquote s butt, watching the way the play of her muscles as she shifted to reach up and grab something off a higher shelf.  When Lena spun around and hopped back to the table, Nikki wasn\rquote t fast enough to hide the fact that she\rquote d been looking.  Lena just smiled and took a bite of her honey butter toast.  Nikki blushed a little and looked down at her bowl of cream of wheat and started eating.  Lena watched all this and smiled even more.  Maybe it was working.  She was definitely checking out my ass when I put it up for display.\par
\par
Nikki didn\rquote t know what to think at this point, she had a great time talking to Lena last night, she was sure that nothing happened during the night, and now this morning with the breakfast and coffee.  The one disconcerting thing was Lena\rquote s propensity to show off her body.  Well, maybe she\rquote s just yanking my chain.  I guess if I had a body like that I\rquote d be tempted to show it off too.  She wasn\rquote t thinking sexual thoughts about Lena, not really, just admiring a nice butt and perky nipples.  Yeah, that\rquote s all I\rquote m doing is admiring them, not lusting after them.  With that decision made, she finished her breakfast in comfortable silence.\par
\par
When they finished, Lena rinsed out the dishes and put them in the dishwasher.  She turned to Nikki when she was done.\par
\par
\ldblquote Well, I don\rquote t have class until one o\rquote clock this afternoon.  So you can either strip out of those clothes, I\rquote ll wash them and you can take a shower; or I get dressed and I take you to your truck back at the bar and you drive home to take a shower.\rdblquote   \par
\par
Lena\rquote s voice didn\rquote t have any more inflection on it with the first option as the second, so Nikki took the offer a face value.  Then she thought about work.  Damn!  I\rquote m going to be late.\par
\par
\ldblquote Well, I\rquote d love to stay and take a shower but I\rquote ve got to rush home and get to work.\rdblquote   \par
\par
Nikki was looking for her shoes when she heard Lena chuckle.  Nikki turned to see what was so funny.\par
\ldblquote You can\rquote t be late for work, dear.  Steve gave you the day off.\rdblquote   \par
\par
Lena was grinning.  Nikki didn\rquote t remember Steve saying anything to her about it. \par
\par
\ldblquote I don\rquote t remember Steve mentioning that before I left yesterday.\rdblquote  \par
\par
Lena winked at her and grinned.\par
\par
\ldblquote Steve gave me specific instructions yesterday.  I was to try to get you to come out of your shellshock no matter how long it took and that if you had to stay over night, he was going to give you the day off to do so.  Well, I succeeded a little bit and you still have the day off.  Oh, and he said to tell you that if you\rquote re worried about your paycheck, don\rquote t be, it\rquote s an extra day of paid vacation.\rdblquote   \par
\par
Nikki didn\rquote t know what to say after that revelation.  She knew Steve liked her, but she seriously doubted that he would do this for any of the other people who worked for him.  She was suspicious at first then she thought about the fact that Steve had said he considered her a friend.  Now this, his sister had gone out of her way to be extremely nice to her and had taken the time to bend over backwards to help a stranger.  The emotional turmoil caught up with her and she started to cry.\par
\par
Lena watched the thought storm wash over Nikki\rquote s face and when the tears came out, she wanted to hold her so much, but was afraid to make the wrong impression.  Nikki\rquote s crying started to transcend from tears to sobs and now Lena couldn\rquote t stop herself.  \par
\par
She went over to Nikki and wrapped her arms around her, hugging and soothing her.  She put her chin on top of Nikki\rquote s head and rocked her back and forth, cooing little non-sense words.  Lena ran her hand over the side of Nikki\rquote s face and down her neck, hugging Nikki to her chest.  Nikki\rquote s face rested between her small breasts, but right now all Lena was concerned with was trying to make Nikki feel better and to help her cry and get it out of her system.\par
\par
At first when Lena hugged her and wrapped her arms around her, Nikki stiffened a little, unsure of any contact with another person.  When Lena put her chin on top of her head, hugged her, and started cooing and whispering soothing words to her, she let go and really started sobbing.  Nikki didn\rquote t think she had it in her to cry like this again, but the comfort of another caring person brought it all up out of her.  She cried for her lost love, she cried because her boss was such a nice guy, and she cried because Lena genuinely cared about her to help her.\par
\par
\ldblquote It\rquote s all right, sweetheart.  Let it out.  Let me help you.  I know, I know.  It\rquote s hurts so bad you think your life is over.  I know.  Get it all out, sweetheart.  I\rquote m here.  I\rquote ll be here for you.\rdblquote   \par
\par
Lena continued to stroke Nikki\rquote s cheek and neck.  Feeling the tears on her hand, feeling Nikki\rquote s sobs wrack her body as the hurt and heartache ripped through her again.  She kissed the top of Nikki\rquote s head, breathing in the scent of her hair.  Nikki wrapped her arms around Lena\rquote s waist and hugged her back.  Her body wracked with sobs, listening to the soothing words that Lena whispered to her.  She felt Lena kiss her head.  She didn\rquote t mind.  Right now, what she needed was this, contact with another person who cared about her.  That was all that mattered.\par
  \par
\ldblquote It\rquote ll be okay, sweetheart.  I\rquote ll help anyway I can.  I like you, my sweet Dominique.  I want you to be my friend.  I want you to consider me a friend.  I\rquote m here for you, my dearest Dominique.\rdblquote   \par
\par
Lena kissed the top of Nikki\rquote s head again, pressing her lips against Nikki\rquote s hair she whispered again. \par
\par
\ldblquote My sweet one, let me be here for you.\rdblquote   \par
\par
This time Lena hugged her tightly, pressing the side of Nikki\rquote s face to her chest.  She could feel the tip of Nikki\rquote s nose on the side of her breast; she could feel her shirt was wet with Nikki\rquote s tears.  She curled her hand along the side of Nikki\rquote s head, her fingertips gently wiping the tears from Nikki\rquote s cheek.  Her other arm was wrapped around Nikki\rquote s shoulders, her hand stroking Nikki\rquote s arm.  \par
\par
Nikki hugged Lena tightly, her hands resting against Lena\rquote s back.  She felt the tight muscles of Lena\rquote s back under her hands, and the rigid stomach muscles beneath her chin.  They stayed like this for several minutes.  Nikki\rquote s sobs subsided; she could feel the soft touch of Lena\rquote s fingertips on her cheek, wiping away her tears.\par
\par
Nikki liked the way this felt; the strong arms of this petite woman comforted her.  She didn\rquote t even mind the feel of Lena\rquote s breast against her nose.  She breathed deeply as her sobs trailed off.  She could smell Lena now, and it was nice.  It reminded Nikki of herself, chamomile and Lever 2000.  She smiled at this, thinking that once again Lena surprised her at how many things they had in common.  \par
\par
Lena felt the smile and breathed a sigh of relief.  She still held Nikki to her closely, but not too tight, she didn\rquote t want to give Nikki the impression she was trying to smother her.  She continued to absentmindedly stroke Nikki\rquote s cheek with her fingertips.\par
\par
Nikki liked the light strokes on her cheek; Lena\rquote s long thin fingers were soft, with slightly long manicured nails.  Nikki sniffled back a few remaining tears, and then she smelled it.  There was only one thing in the world that smelled like that, and Lena\rquote s fingers had that scent on them.  Nikki didn\rquote t know how to feel about this.  It was obvious that at some point in the night or early morning, Lena had played with herself.  That she hadn\rquote t washed it off yet was slightly disconcerting.  She thought about Lena\rquote s behavior towards her last night and then this morning, coupled with the scent of her self-pleasure on her fingers; she found herself a little confused.  \par
\par
She knew that she liked the taste of herself on her fingers, but she had never smelled another woman before.  It was the same, yet different.  She sniffed again, and thought to herself; it\rquote s sort of nice.  Then she really surprised herself; she had the sudden urge to put Lena\rquote s fingers in her mouth to taste them.  This made her blush.\par
\par
Lena was feeling warm and content with herself.  She was finally doing what she had wanted to do from then second she saw Nikki at the bar last night, hold her in her arms.  To have that beautiful face against her chest, to have Nikki\rquote s long arms wrapped around her.  She hummed in contentment.  She felt and heard Nikki sniffle and thought about getting her a tissue, but she didn\rquote t want to let Nikki go just yet.  \par
\par
She knew that once the hug was over, it might be the last time she would be able to hold her like this.  Nikki hadn\rquote t tried to pull away yet, so Lena was more than happy to continue to hold her.  Then she heard Nikki sniff again and then she remembered what she had used that hand for last night and had forgotten to wash it off this morning.  Oh, no!  Oh, god!  Did I just royally screw up?  She was nervous about Nikki\rquote s reaction, because Lena knew that Nikki had recognized that smell, what woman wouldn\rquote t?\par
  \par
Lena raised her head away from Nikki\rquote s and looked down to see what reaction she was going to get.  She was worried, but she had to know.  She saw Nikki\rquote s blush, but she hadn\rquote t tried to pull away.  Lena lowered her hands away from Nikki\rquote s face and released the grip around her shoulders.  She looked down at Nikki, waiting to see what would happen next.\par
\par
Nikki was still confused with her own reaction.  She thought she would be disgusted, but oddly she wasn\rquote t.  She was amused more than anything.  Her feelings of comfort and relief with Lena\rquote s hug were still there.  She hadn\rquote t minded Lena kissing her head or stroking her cheek.  She hadn\rquote t really put any sexual connotation to it when it was happening.  \par
\par
However, after smelling Lena\rquote s musky scent on the fingers right under her nose and the fact that due to her tears, that scent was now on her cheek, the sexual note had crept into the hug.  She blushed even more now that she thought about it.  Lena was attracted to her, she was certain of it.  Nikki looked at Lena\rquote s erect nipple right in front of her eyes and knew that Lena was attracted to her and was enjoying this hug on a different level than she was.  \par
\par
The strange thing about this was that Nikki wasn\rquote t repulsed over that thought.  She felt warm and cared for, and right now she needed that more than anything.  The fact that it was a petite little blond with perky tits and a nice ass, well, all things considered, it wasn\rquote t half bad.\par
\par
Nikki\rquote s blush hadn\rquote t faded one bit and she looked up at Lena, who was watching her carefully.  Nikki recognized that expression; she had had that expression on her own face before.  It was fear; fear of rejection by someone you were fond of and you didn\rquote t want to get hurt.  Nikki smiled at Lena, reassuring her that she wasn\rquote t going to reject her out of hand.  Nikki looked into those, almost white, pale blue eyes and smiled her reassurance that she wasn\rquote t going to hurt Lena by pushing her away.\par
\par
Lena\rquote s relief at Nikki\rquote s smile was overwhelming.  She sighed heavily and returned that smile.  Lena was so relieved that she couldn\rquote t help herself, she leaned down and kissed Nikki on her forehead, lightly, just enough pressure to let Nikki know she appreciated the gesture of that smile.  Nikki let Lena kiss her forehead.  She was a little nervous at first when she thought Lena was going to try and kiss her mouth, but when Lena pressed those soft warm lips to her forehead instead, she liked it.  Nikki wanted to tell her this, and she opened her mouth to say it.\par
\par
\ldblquote Lena, I\'85\rdblquote   \par
\par
Lena pulled her head back and shook her head, placing her finger on Nikki\rquote s lips to stop her.\par
\par
\ldblquote Shhhh.  It\rquote s okay.  I understand.  Come on, follow me.\rdblquote   \par
\par
Lena blushed a little herself when she realized that the finger she had shushed Nikki with was the same one that had brought her to orgasm last night.  She hoped Nikki wouldn\rquote t think too hard about that and she let Nikki go.  She pulled Nikki out of the chair and led her out of the kitchen.  \par
\par
Nikki didn\rquote t say anything and didn\rquote t resist Lena\rquote s lead.  Nikki was nervous because she thought that she was being led to the bedroom.  She wasn\rquote t sure she was ready for that, but if Lena wanted that from her, then she would let it happen.  She was so grateful for what Lena had done for her that she would willingly submit to Lena whatever she wanted.\par
\par
When Lena led her into the bathroom, she was a little confused.  Lena turned to her and placed her hands on Nikki\rquote s hips, just a light touch, nothing forceful or overtly sexual.\par
\par
\ldblquote Get out of those clothes so you can take a long hot bath.  Hand them to me around the door when your ready and I\rquote ll wash them while you soak and relax.  There\rquote s four settings on the whirlpool, my favorite is number 3, but adjust it to whatever feels the best to you.\rdblquote   \par
\par
Lena let Nikki go and stepped around her and shut the door behind her when she left.  To say that she was confused would be the understatement of the month.  She understood that Lena was attracted to her, and that just a few seconds before she had been willing to let Lena do whatever she wanted to.  Now, this; Lena had not led her to the bedroom, but to a luxurious custom bathtub with a whirlpool built into it.  Her relief was immense, but she was also just a little disappointed.\par
\par
Nikki frowned at that thought.  She started to do what Lena had asked.  She took off all her clothes and bundled them up.  She went to the door and opened it just enough to peek around.  Lena was standing there waiting for her.\par
\par
\ldblquote Here, we\rquote ll trade.  Put this on when you\rquote re done.\rdblquote   \par
\par
Lena took Nikki\rquote s clothes and handed her an oversized super fluffy terrycloth robe.  Nikki nodded gratefully and smiled.  She closed the bathroom door and hung the robe on the hook on the back of the door.  She stepped over to the custom bathtub and looked at the controls.  They were fairly self-explanatory, so she started the hot water and looked around the bathroom.  She spotted the bath oil, and she grinned, it was the same kind she used.  The shampoo and conditioner were the same as well as the soap.  She chuckled and waited for the tub to fill.\par
\par
Lena listened at the door for a few seconds and when she heard the water start, she walked down to the utility room and put Nikki\rquote s clothes into the washer.  While she was separating the clothing, she held up Nikki\rquote s panties.  They were cute and sexy.  They weren\rquote t overly skimpy like a g-string, but they weren\rquote t full panties either.  There was a slight discoloration in the crotch and she couldn\rquote t help herself.  She put the panties up to her nose and took in a deep breath, filling her nostrils with the heady scent of Nikki\rquote s womanhood.  \par
\par
Lena loved that smell, granted she liked the smell of most women, but Nikki\rquote s was slightly sweeter than most.  Less sharp than most, and it had a deeper musk that sent chills down Lena\rquote s spine and left a very warm glow in her own center.  She could feel herself growing damp just from that first sniff.  Oh, why do I do this to myself?  She took one more deep breath of Nikki panties, shuddered with a mini-orgasm, and then threw them into the washer.\par
  \par
Nikki had filled the tub and wanted to add the bath oil, and then spotted the bubble bath.  She thought about adding that instead of the oil but wasn\rquote t sure it would be a good idea with the whirlpool jets.  She didn\rquote t want to add too much and have the bathroom end up buried in bubbles.  She slipped on the robe and grabbing the bubble bath bottle, walked out to find Lena and ask if it would be okay and how much to use.  \par
\par
She didn\rquote t see Lena anywhere and then she heard the washer lid clank and she followed the sound.  She stepped lightly down the hallway and was just about to say something when she saw Lena put her panties up to her face and take a deep breath.  She was shocked at this, and not wanting Lena to see her; she stepped back and peeked around the corner.  Lena had a wistful expression on her face, dreamy and far away from where she was standing.  She took another deep breath and shuddered, then shook her head and dropped them into the washer.\par
\par
Nikki didn\rquote t want Lena to know she had been seen, so she slipped back to the bathroom and silently closed the door.  She skipped the bubble bath and added the oil.  She slid herself into the hot water and turned on the jets.  She started with setting one, but quickly put it up a notch, and then another.  Yes, Lena was right, setting number three was wonderfully soothing, any more and it would quickly become too intense.  \par
\par
She lay back into the curved indention of the tub that put the jets at the right spots and closed her eyes.  She thought about what she had witnessed.  Well, she knew Lena was attracted to her; that was obvious.  Seeing Lena sniff her panties was a little much though, especially seeing what could only be a sexual thrill, her shudder with that last deep sniff.\par
\par
Nikki let the whirling pressure of the hot water and the scent of chamomile sooth her ragged nerves.  She slipped into a deep relaxed state, she felt like she was floating away on a hot cloud of flowers.  She tried to concentrate on her feelings with Lena, but she couldn\rquote t.  She gently floated off to sleep.  \par
\par
She was dreaming about Dagomarus and his tongue and how good she felt, and then the anguish of her mistake and his departure.  The next images were of pale blue sparkling eyes that held love for her, and rich soft blond hair across her face and shoulders.  She felt those soft warm lips on her forehead again, and they felt so nice.  They did comfort her, made her feel loved and safe.  She saw that pixie face with those soft round cheeks and that pert little nose, the radiant smile that went deep into those pale orbs surrounded with long dark blond lashes.\par
\par
Nikki suddenly blinked and realized she wasn\rquote t dreaming anymore.  Lena was kneeling next to the tub and was smiling at her.\par
  \par
\ldblquote Welcome back.  Did you have a nice nap?  I got worried when you didn\rquote t come out after an hour and figured you had fallen asleep in the tub.  It\rquote s easy to do, but if you don\rquote t get out soon, you\rquote ll turn into a bleached prune.\rdblquote   \par
\par
Lena smiled at her again and got up and left, closing the door softly behind her.  Nikki thought about her dream and then realized that Lena had been kneeling next to her on the floor and had for some unknown amount of time, looked at her naked form floating in the tub.  The only touch she remembered from her dream was of her hair on her face and those lips on her forehead.  \par
\par
Nikki reached up to touch that spot and could feel the ghostly traces of those lips, there was just the slightest hint of slickness there, where Lena had left a tiny trace of her lip gloss behind.  That was the only way Nikki knew that it hadn\rquote t been a dream.  That Lena had been looking into her face while Nikki was dreaming with her eyes open, and had kissed her, caressed her with that flowing blond hair.\par
\par
Nikki thought about that for a minute, and realized she didn\rquote t mind.  She rather liked it, in fact.  She wasn\rquote t sure she wanted anything more from Lena right now, but that was nice.  Nikki smiled and then did notice she was turning into a bleached prune.  She shut off the whirlpool jets and flipped the drain lever.  She turned the water on again and adjusted the temperature and rinsed off the excess bath oil.  \par
\par
She turned on the showerhead attachment and washed her hair.  When she was done she got out of the tub and rinsed it out.  She grabbed one of the giant fluffy bath towels off the rack and dried herself.  She dried her hair and then grabbed a smaller towel and wrapped her hair up into it.  She slipped the oversized fluffy robe on and stepped out of the bathroom.\par
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\tab\tab\tab\tab ***************************\par
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Lena had started the washer as soon as she heard the water shut off and the whirlpool start.  She went upstairs to her bedroom and went into her own bathroom and quickly stepped into the shower.  She washed her hair and soaped down, not taking her time.  She wanted to be dressed when Nikki came out of the tub.  She dried off and used the hair dryer to fluff out her blond tresses.  \par
\par
She was proud of her hair.  She had never met another woman that had hair to rival the richness and fullness of hers.  She had grown it out until it reached her lower back, just shy of her butt crack.  She had been on the receiving end of many jealous glares when she went to the salon.  There was only one woman she trusted her hair with, others had tried to mess it up, either intentionally or subconsciously, but her favorite hair stylist loved her hair and she always went that extra little bit to make sure Lena was happy with it when she was done.\par
\par
She looked at the clock and thought about what she was planning on doing today.  She picked up the cordless phone and called the Engineering office.  She told them that she had an unexpected family emergency and she needed to take the day off from her classes.  Since she was an Assistant Professor, it was a little easier to get out of her classes.  They wished her the best and told her that it wouldn\rquote t be a problem.  There were no exams or labs due today, so it would be relatively easy to get someone to fill in.  She thanked them and hung up.  Now, what, Lena?  What exactly are you thinking about, girl?  Well, yes, that, but neither Nikki nor she was ready for that.  No, I don\rquote t want to screw this up.  Even if they never get to that, she still wanted Nikki for a friend.  However, it couldn\rquote t hurt to tease, could it?  No, teasing was safe.\par
  \par
She did her morning ritual stretches, in the nude, of course.  How could she get into all those yoga positions with any sort of restrictive clothing on her body?  She watched herself in the giant wall mirror, reveling in the muscle tone and complicated positions she could twist herself into.  When she planted her hands on the floor in front of her and pressed up, lifting her butt off the floor; she put her legs out at a forty-five degree angle and pointed her toes out straight.  She slowly rotated her hips and keeping her feet off the floor, she pushed herself into a handstand.  Her legs were out level with her hips, toes pointed out in an upside down splits.  She looked at herself in the mirror again and saw the one thing she had trouble with on her body, her labia.\par
  \par
The other girls had ridiculed her in school over the size and length of her lips.  Even before puberty, they had been large.  Her clit grew when she hit puberty, but her lips had grown even more.  They were easily two inches long when she wasn\rquote t aroused.  When she was, they plumped up and grew another inch.  Her clitoris was the size of her index finger, from the first knuckle to the tip.  The fleshy hood that covered it made it look even bigger.  \par
\par
This was the one thing on her body that had caused her grief.  She couldn\rquote t go swimming when she was a kid, none of the bathing suits she or her mother could find would effectively cover her lips.  They always managed to flop out when she would stretch or maneuver in the water, only to mortify her when she got out of the pool and one of the other girls would squeal and point to her crotch.  Then the taunting and harassment would start.  She would run crying back to the locker room and hide.  The gym teacher would have to calm her down and hold up a towel or sheet for her to change behind before she would come out.\par
\par
After that last incident, the school had let her skip PE and sports.  She hated to because she loved to run and swim.  She decided that the only way to get away from the taunts and harassment was to get out of high school as soon as possible.  She blazed through her course books with an almost demonic abandon.  She soaked up every word and concept.  When the teachers found out that Lena had surpassed even their education level by the time she was in the ninth grade, they recommended that Lena be allowed into the advanced learning classes and to graduate as soon as she had all her credits.  Her parents had agreed and that\rquote s how she found herself looking at colleges when she was fifteen.\par
\par
Her grasp of mathematics and mechanical concepts were phenomenal, so she chose an Engineering course.  She wanted to get away from those cruel girls here at home, so she picked the farthest place away, Edinburgh, Scotland.  Going to school there at her age had been a little disconcerting to her parents but she convinced them, and they let her go.  Attending Napier University had exposed her to the one great love of the culture there, soccer.  With private dressing stalls and showers, she didn\rquote t have to worry about anyone seeing her deformity.  \par
\par
She excelled at soccer, she loved the speed of the game and with her size she could run circles around the bigger girls.  She was the best striker that Napier had had in years.  Her agility allowed her to make shots that the bigger girls couldn\rquote t manage with their upper mass and higher center of gravity.  Her super fast mathematical ability allowed her to calculate shot angles that left the other team wondering how the ball could travel like that.  She was a star.\par
\par
This was also when her leanings towards the same sex became much more apparent to her.  She had always felt funny around other girls in the locker room and in school, but due to the harassment, resentment hid most of it.  However, at Napier, the other girls adored her, respected her, and as she later found out, lusted after her.  When one of the other players hinted that she wouldn\rquote t mind it at all if Lena played with her breasts, she was shocked but at the same time highly aroused with the prospect of doing that very thing.  So her first tryst happened after practice in the shower stall.  They didn\rquote t go too far, but they did kiss and fondle each other\rquote s breasts.  This happened with a few of the other girls when it became known that Lena liked to play with something other than a soccer ball.\par
  \par
The excitement was short lived, however, when the first girl that had wanted to go further had reached down to slip a finger into Lena and found out about her secret.  The girl had freaked and stammered an obviously bad excuse and left Lena there in the shower stall with tears running down her cheeks.  Once her secret was out, the other girls that had been more than happy to rub and kiss with Lena were no longer stopping by her shower stall after practice.  \par
\par
This really sent her into a depression.  Once again, she poured herself into her schoolwork and graduated early.  Coming back to the states with an advanced two-year Engineering degree with a grade point of 4.0 at the age of 17 was great.  There were many colleges fighting over each other to get her to sign up.  When she had poured over all the literature, she was surprised to find Carroll College on her list.  They had kept track of her soccer playing and were drooling over her academic achievements.  They were more than happy to overlook the fact that she wasn\rquote t a Catholic; they wanted her because she was the perfect poster child for their Engineering courses.\par
\par
 She was also pleased about the girl to guy ratio, so with high hopes, she accepted the full ride scholarship they had offered and came home to Montana.  Now here she was at 22, an Assistant Professor of Engineering, greatly admired and respected among her peers, but she had never been able to find that one woman that could make her happy.  \par
\par
That is until now.  She had known it when she first laid eyes on Dominique.  Everything she had ever hoped for and dreamed about, except one thing; Dominique wasn\rquote t gay.  Before she started crying herself, she pushed her legs up straight, pointing her toes at the ceiling and then slowly dropped one foot and then the next and stood up.\par
  \par
She went over to her dresser and pulled out one of her sexier panties and slipped them on.  Then putting on a nice almost sheer bra that would keep her oversized nipples from poking out of her shirt, she walked over to her closet and tried to decide on what to wear.  She flipped through her tops until she spotted the right one, the silk shirt that matched her eye color perfectly.  Next she went through her drawers trying to decide on what pants she wanted to go with the top.  \par
\par
Then she spotted the perfect jeans, she hadn\rquote t worn these in a long time.  She had to take her panties off to wear these though; they were that tight and low cut.  She slipped her panties off and poured herself into the tight jeans.  When she zipped them up and buttoned the top, she turned to the mirror to see the effect.\par
\par
Absolute perfection!  These jeans were so tight that if she had a dime in her pocket, you could read the date.  She took the tails of the silk top and tied them in a bow, showing off her six-pack rippled belly.  She looked at herself again and thought there is something missing.  Then she had it, she went to her jewelry box and selected her most expensive piece out of the top drawer.  It was a platinum belly ring with a two carat blue star sapphire pendant.  She slipped it into an almost closed hole and then walked over to the mirror again.  YES!  The silk top, the star sapphire belly ring, and the super skintight jeans.  \par
\par
WOW!  She hadn\rquote t dressed this sexily in a long time, and she missed it.  She checked outside and saw that it was going to be sunny and warm, so she picked out one of her favorite pair of warm weather shoes.  They were black and had three-inch heels, with what looked like dozens of straps.  They surrounded her tiny feet in black leather and set off her toes beautifully.  She checked to make sure her ruby red toenails didn\rquote t have any chips, they didn\rquote t.\par
\pard\fi720\par
\pard\fi720\qj Now that she was satisfied that her outfit would stop a Mack truck in its tracks, she went downstairs to check on Nikki.  She could still hear the whirlpool going and she checked her watch.  Oh my, that girl has been in there for almost an hour.  I bet she fell asleep; I\rquote d better make sure.  She went to the door and knocked on it softly.  When she didn\rquote t hear any answer, she slowly opened then door and peeked in.  Yep, Dominique was asleep in the tub.  \par
\par
She stepped quietly into the bathroom, and feeling a little voyeuristic she stepped over to the edge of the tub and looked down.  Her eyes traveled from Nikki\rquote s face down to her chest; oh yes, her breasts were beautiful!  Her eyes lingered over them for a few seconds then she continued to gaze at the rest of Nikki\rquote s lithe body: the flat stomach, her thin strip of pubic hair, and then her center.  Lena was surprised to see how full Nikki\rquote s lips were.  They weren\rquote t even close to how large hers were, but they were nice full lips that extended out and puffed up nicely.  \par
\par
Lena felt a stirring in her own center and she stopped concentrating on Nikki\rquote s wonderful pussy and finished looking down to her legs and feet.  Oh!  What gorgeous feet you have, my dear!  Those long toes and the extended arch, ooh!  I would love to rub those against my face, and suck every one of those pretty long toes!  Lena shuddered and stopped herself from dwelling on Nikki\rquote s form any longer.  If she kept this up, she\rquote d have to change pants because she\rquote d have a large wet spot in the crotch.  She knelt down next to the tub facing Nikki.  She looked at her peaceful expression, noticing again how beautiful Dominique was.  \par
\par
Lena was smiling at how lucky she was to find someone like Nikki, even if she wasn\rquote t into girls, she would be a wonderful friend.  Lena was surprised when Nikki slowly opened her eyes and looked at her.  She still had that dreamy look on her face, and Lena realized that Nikki wasn\rquote t really awake yet; she was somewhere half way between.  Lena continued to smile at Nikki, and then on impulse, she leaned over and kissed Nikki on the forehead, in the same spot as before.  Her hair fell over Nikki\rquote s face and shoulders.  She leaned back and continued to smile as Nikki slowly came fully awake.\par
\par
\ldblquote Welcome back.  Did you have a nice nap?  I got worried when you didn\rquote t come out after an hour and figured you had fallen asleep in the tub.  It\rquote s easy to do, but if you don\rquote t get out soon, you\rquote ll turn into a bleached prune.\rdblquote   \par
\par
She kept smiling at Nikki and then got up and left her to get out of the tub and dry off.  She went to the utility room and took Nikki\rquote s clothes out of the washer and put them in the dryer.  She stuck in a softener sheet and set the machine for automatic tumble dry and medium heat.  She walked back into the living room and heard the shower going, so she went over to the stereo and started looking through her collection for something appropriate for the occasion.  She was bent over at he waist with her back to the bathroom door when she heard it open, she didn\rquote t move, she wanted to see what reaction she could get out of Nikki.\par
\par
Nikki stepped out of the bathroom and froze, the sight before her surprised her greatly.  Lena was bent over at the waist and was flipping through the rack of CD\rquote s.  What she was looking at was perfection in denim.  Lena\rquote s ass was perfectly shaped for her size and those muscular thighs that swept down and ended in a pair of dainty feet wrapped in black leather straps and heels.  The total effect was one of shock and awe, Nikki had never really looked at another woman\rquote s ass before, however, Lena\rquote s had to be what was put next to the word perfection in the dictionary.  The jeans were so tight; she could immediately tell that Lena still wasn\rquote t wearing any panties.  She could make out the bulge of the mons and lips through the denim.  Nikki didn\rquote t even realize she had said anything until Lena looked back over her shoulder and grinned at her.\par
\par
\ldblquote Wow!  I\rquote ve never\'85  I mean\'85  Wow!\rdblquote   \par
\par
Lena straightened up and turned to face Nikki, presenting the rest of her ensemble.  Nikki\rquote s eye bulged out of her head and her jaw dropped.  \par
\par
\ldblquote Oh my god!  WOW!  Lena, you\rquote re\'85  You\rquote re\'85  I don\rquote t...  Wow!\rdblquote   \par
\par
Lena\rquote s face lit up like Times Square on New Year\rquote s Eve.  She had hoped for a decent reaction, but was more than a little pleasantly surprised that Nikki was speechless.  It was the first time in her life she had ever had a woman gawk at her and she basked in the glow of that praise.  She blushed and winked at Nikki.\par
\par
\ldblquote Thank you, Dominique, that\rquote s the nicest thing anybody has ever said to me.\rdblquote  \par
\par
Lena tried not to tear up, but her eyes filled with moisture.  She managed not to cry, but it was close.  Nikki saw the effect that her reaction had on Lena and she blushed as well.\par
\par
\ldblquote Uhm, you\rquote re welcome, Lena.  You aren\rquote t wearing that to teach class in, I hope?  I would think that nobody could get anything done with you dressed like that.\rdblquote   \par
\par
Nikki was still confused over her feelings for Lena, but she still had enough presence of mind to be her normal witty self.  Lena blushed even more when Nikki said that and she decided to retaliate in kind.\par
\par
\ldblquote No, I called in and took a personal day off so I could be with you, and I\rquote m glad I did.  A girl couldn\rquote t have a prettier friend than you to boost her ego like that every once in awhile.\rdblquote   \par
\par
Lena winked at Nikki when she said this.  Nikki\rquote s blush went all the way from her forehead down to the tops of her breasts.  Lena watched this and smiled even bigger.  \par
\par
\ldblquote Come on, I\rquote ll take you upstairs so you can use my comb and hairdryer to fix your hair.  You\rquote re clothes are still in the dryer, so we have time to do it up right.\rdblquote   \par
\par
Lena waved her hand to Nikki to follow her up the stairs.  She wanted to be in front of Nikki, so that she would have an up close look of her swaying hips and wiggling butt, and she made sure she put a little extra swing into it too.\par
\par
Nikki was speechless again, Lena had paid her back in kind for her compliments and it felt good.  She shook her head and followed Lena up the stairs.  She couldn\rquote t help but notice Lena\rquote s hips swaying in front of her as she followed her up the stairs; the effect was almost mesmerizing.  She couldn\rquote t stop looking at it, right there in front of her.  Nikki had the overwhelming urge to reach out and grab both cheeks and squeeze them.  She found her hands rising up to do just that when she heard a voice up above her.\par
\par
\ldblquote You can grab my ass anytime you want to, my sweet.\rdblquote   \par
\par
Nikki\rquote s hands shot down to her sides and she blushed so hard that she could feel the heat.  She couldn\rquote t lift her face to look at Lena and she stopped on the stairs.  Lena stopped and turned around and came back down to Nikki\rquote s level, so that they were eye to eye.  Nikki was mortified that she had actually felt the urge to feel up another woman\rquote s ass.  She was so embarrassed that she couldn\rquote t look up.  She watched as Lena came down to her and reached out with a hand.  Nikki flinched and Lena stopped.  \par
\par
\ldblquote Oh, Dominique, I won\rquote t hurt you.  Please.\rdblquote   \par
\par
Nikki still couldn\rquote t raise her head to look at Lena, but she nodded her head almost imperceptibly, but Lena caught the movement.  Lena\rquote s hand resumed its path to Nikki\rquote s face.  She stroked her finger along Nikki\rquote s jaw and then hooked her finger under her chin, lifting it.  Nikki fought it for a second and relented, allowing Lena to lift her face to hers.  When their faces were just inches apart, Lena looked into Nikki\rquote s eyes and smiled.\par
\par
\ldblquote Oh, Dominique, I\rquote m so sorry for embarrassing you like that.  The furthest thing from my mind at that moment was to hurt you.  I just looked back to see if you were following me up the stairs when I saw the look on your face and you reached towards my butt.\rdblquote   \par
\par
Nikki tried to look down again, but Lena stopped her.  \par
\par
\ldblquote Shhhh, look at me, Dominique, please?  I like you; I really do.  However, if this teasing and flaunting is going to cost me a friendship, I\rquote ll change into the biggest, baggiest, most unattractive thing I can find, if that would make you more comfortable.  I know you aren\rquote t really into women, and it\rquote s my fault for not controlling myself better, but I have to be honest with myself too.  I am attracted to you, Dominique.  But I don\rquote t want that to screw everything up.  I want you for a friend.  There, I said my piece, now it\rquote s your turn.\rdblquote   \par
\par
Lena dropped her hand and backed away from Nikki\rquote s face a few inches to give her some breathing room.\par
\par
Nikki looked at the floor again and thought about what Lena said.  She tried to arrange her thoughts into order but couldn\rquote t.  She knew that if her silence went on any longer, history would repeat itself and the last thing in the world she wanted right now was for that to happen, so she steeled herself and looked into Lena\rquote s eyes.\par
\par
\ldblquote I royally screwed up my last relationship by keeping my mouth shut too long, and I\rquote m not about to repeat that performance again.  So forgive me if I ramble a little and don\rquote t make much sense.\rdblquote   \par
\par
She took a deep breath to gather her will power and let it out.  \par
\par
\ldblquote Lena, I\rquote m not sure what my feelings for you are right now.  Yes, I want to be your friend, too.  Very much so, I want you as a friend.  I had the greatest love of my life leave me because I couldn\rquote t bring myself to answer his question.  Someday, I\rquote ll tell you everything, but for right now, that\rquote s all I can say about it.  As for your teasing and flaunting, well, I have to admit that they give me a thrill.  I don\rquote t know what that means right now, but I don\rquote t mind, really.\rdblquote   \par
\par
\ldblquote As for reaching for your butt, oh god, Lena, I\rquote m so sorry, I have no idea what I was thinking.  I\rquote ve never felt the urge to do that to anyone and it just hit me like a bolt out of the blue.  I don\rquote t want to lead you on.  However, if a little touching occurs between friends, can it just stay that way?  At least until I know what I\rquote m thinking and feeling?\rdblquote   \par
\par
Lena\rquote s eyes were glistening by the time Nikki finished.  She was ashamed of herself but aroused at the same time.  She decided that honesty was the only way their friendship would work and she vowed to herself that that\rquote s what she was going to do, all the time, no matter what, no matter how much it might hurt, she was always going to tell Nikki the truth.\par
\par
\ldblquote Oh, my sweet Dominique, yes!  Whatever you want, that\rquote s how it will be.  Now it\rquote s my turn again for confession time.\rdblquote   \par
\par
Lena looked into Nikki\rquote s eyes and drew strength from their growing bond.  She smiled wanly. \par
\par
\ldblquote I want to kiss you so bad right now it hurts.  I don\rquote t want you to feel any pressure, but I wanted you to know how I feel.\rdblquote   \par
\par
She didn\rquote t move when she finished her confession, just waited for Nikki to say or do something.  Nikki thought about what Lena said and what she herself had said and realized that Lena wasn\rquote t trying to force her into anything, she was just stating a fact.  Nikki looked into her feelings and realized that the thought of Lena kissing her wasn\rquote t all that bad.  She didn\rquote t feel repulsed or grossed out by it, just calm.  \par
\par
Nikki had been looking at the floor again when she came out of her reverie and she panicked, oh god, how long was I out of it this time.  Damn it!  I hope to god I didn\rquote t screw this up too.  She looked up to see Lena crying, she hadn\rquote t made a sound, but the tears were rolling down her cheeks.\par
\par
Nikki didn\rquote t wait to speak this time; she reached out to Lena and drew her in.  Lena hesitated, and then let herself be pulled close.  Nikki reached up and cupped Lena\rquote s face in her hands, her thumbs wiping the tears off her face.  She leaned in and kissed Lena softly on the lips.  Lena\rquote s eyes closed and she leaned into Nikki, humming.  \par
\par
Lena raised her hands up and placed them on either side of Nikki\rquote s face and caressed her cheeks, just like Nikki had done to her.  She pressed her lips tighter to Nikki\rquote s and murmured.  They stayed like that for a few seconds, then Nikki broke the kiss.  Lena opened her eyes and looked into Nikki\rquote s and whispered. \par
\par
\ldblquote Thank you, my sweet Dominique.  Thank you for that.\rdblquote\par
\par
Lena stepped back and wiped the tears from her face.  She took Nikki\rquote s hand into hers and pulled her up the stairs.  She led Nikki to her bedroom and motioned for Nikki to sit in the short-backed stool in front of the vanity.  She unwrapped Nikki\rquote s hair and arranged it down her back.  She picked up a comb and looked at Nikki in the mirror.\par
\par
\ldblquote May I?\rdblquote  \par
\par
Nikki smiled and nodded.  She loved to have her hair combed by someone else.  It was soothing and just slightly erotic.  She didn\rquote t mind if Lena wanted to do it for her.  Lena combed it out carefully, using a detangling spray; soon she got it all smoothed out.  She set the comb down and picked up a separator, giving Nikki a questioning glance in the mirror again.  Nikki smiled and nodded again.  She liked this, she could really get used to this kind of treatment.  \par
\par
Lena reveled in the fact that Nikki was allowing her to play with her hair.  She loved the feel of it running through her fingers, she could do this for hours if Nikki would let her.  She used the pick to section out Nikki\rquote s hair and then she started braiding it.  She had seen this braid in a fashion magazine and had always wanted to have her hair done up in one, but none of the local salons had the talent or know-how to do it correctly.  She decided to do Nikki\rquote s hair up in it instead.\par
\par
Nikki watched as Lena sectioned out her hair, but wasn\rquote t sure why she had so many sections.  She decided that as long as it felt this good to have Lena do her hair; she would be patient enough to wait and see what she was going to do with it.  She closed her eyes and let Lena have her way with her hair.  She could feel Lena moving back and forth around her, pulling one section, then another.  She heard Lena start to sing under her breath and Nikki smiled.  She could tell that she had made Lena\rquote s day by letting her do her hair.  \par
\par
Good, I\rquote m glad she\rquote s happy now.  Nikki for her part, felt warm inside herself as well, she was glad that she had been able to make someone else happy.  As she sat there she began to notice that when Lena would lean in close, her breasts would brush up against her back or arm.  It didn\rquote t feel intentional, but even with Nikki sitting, and Lena standing, Lena wasn\rquote t really that much taller.  So whenever she had to reach for a new section of hair, it resulted in some minor contact.  Nikki found that she didn\rquote t mind the occasional touch; she actually found it stimulating in a strange way.  \par
  \par
She sat there, enjoying the contact and the feel of Lena\rquote s fingers in her hair.  She let her mind drift off with her body and completely lost track of time.  Suddenly she heard Lena exclaim. \par
\par
\ldblquote Wow!  You look absolutely beautiful.\rdblquote   \par
\par
Nikki opened her eyes and was speechless.  She\rquote d never seen such a complicated braid like this before.  It started at the front of her head and trailed all the way down her neck.  Her hair was pulled up and rolled over to the center, and then it was incorporated into the braid.  She turned her head to see the rest of it and the complexity of the braid astounded her.\par
\par
\ldblquote Wow, is right!  Where did you learn to do this?\rdblquote   \par
\par
Lena blushed and smiled.\par
\par
\ldblquote I saw it once in a magazine and always wanted to have my hair done up like that, but I couldn\rquote t find anyone to do it; its called a \lquote full fishbone braid\rquote .  So, I did it for you.  Well, and me too.  I love the way it makes you look.  It makes your neck look longer and more graceful, and I can see those cute ears now.  You have no idea how hard it was for me to not kiss the back of your neck or suck on your earlobes.  AH-EH!  I\rquote m not pushing; I\rquote m just stating a fact.  I told myself that I would always tell you the truth about how I felt.  So, there it is.  What you do with those facts is up to you.\rdblquote   \par
\par
Nikki thought about that for a minute.  Again, what Lena professed to her didn\rquote t shock her, or bother her.\par
\par
\ldblquote Well, you\rquote ll have to teach me how to do it so I can do yours next time, okay?\rdblquote   \par
\par
Lena beamed at her, and nodded.  Nikki paused for a moment.  \par
\par
\ldblquote And if you feel the overwhelming urge to kiss my neck or suck on my earlobes while doing my hair, that\rquote s fine by me too.\rdblquote   \par
\par
Nikki smiled at Lena in the mirror.  Lena grinned back and licked her lips.  She leaned down and laid a gentle kiss at the nape of Nikki\rquote s neck and ran her nose along the skin towards her right ear.  Nikki felt warm breath on the back of her ear and Lena\rquote s tongue slowly hooked her earlobe and she sucked it into her mouth.  She stroked it with her lips and the tip of her tongue at the same time.  She released it and whispered in Nikki\rquote s ear, \par
\par
\ldblquote Thank you.\rdblquote\par
 \par
Nikki had goose bumps on every square inch of her body after that.  She shuddered and drew in a sharp breath.  She could feel electric shocks coursing from the base of her neck to her nipples, promptly causing them to harden and poke out.  She felt a warm rush begin to grow down inside her.  She looked down and noticed that at some point Lena had taken her shoes off.  She couldn\rquote t blame her; they looked sexy as hell but would be uncomfortable to wear while doing someone\rquote s hair for an hour.  \par
\par
Lena stepped back and let Nikki pivot the stool to face away from the vanity.  She looked at the overall effect and smiled, nodding.  She looked Nikki up and down and ended at her feet.  She noticed that they were dry from being in the tub too long.\par
\par
She stepped over to the vanity and opened a side drawer and pulled out a tube of scented foot cream.  She showed it to Nikki.  \par
\par
\ldblquote May I?\rdblquote   \par
\par
Nikki looked at the foot cream, noticing that it was hazelnut spice scented, and smiled.  She looked up at Lena and nodded.\par
  \par
\ldblquote I have the same bottle at my house.  If you want to rub some of that onto my feet, I will not argue against that one bit.\rdblquote   \par
\par
Nikki loved to have her feet rubbed, especially with cream to make them soft and silky.  Lena smiled so big her face was nothing but eyes and teeth.  She folded her legs and sat on the floor.  She pulled one of Nikki\rquote s feet up into her lap.  She put a nice sized dollop of cream on her hands and warmed it up before starting to rub it into her foot.  She smoothed it into Nikki\rquote s skin and gently massaged the cream into her heel and between her toes.  When she started to rub it into her arches, Nikki moaned and almost fell out of the chair.\par
  \par
\ldblquote Why don\rquote t we move this to the bed, that way when you feel the need to collapse you won\rquote t hurt yourself.\rdblquote   \par
\par
Lena was smiling at the fact that she could get Nikki that relaxed just by rubbing her feet.  Nikki grinned sheepishly and nodded.  Nikki had to lay down crosswise because of the massive footboard and posters holding up the canopy.  Lena sat on the floor again and this time she had Nikki\rquote s feet almost in her face, which is where she liked them.  She continued to rub and massage Nikki\rquote s feet with the cream.  Nikki would moan every now and then when she would hit a tension spot or one of the many erogenous zones.  \par
\par
When Nikki\rquote s feet where completely soft and scented with the cream, Lena still continued to stroke them, marveling at the texture of the skin and the feel of the muscles.  She had a foot in each hand at one point, holding them by the toes when she pressed the soles of Nikki\rquote s feet to her cheeks and hummed.  She caressed them with her face, closing her eyes and reveling in the feel of that skin-to-skin contact.  Nikki felt her do this and she smiled and shook her head, what is it with my lovers and their fascination with my feet?\par
\par
Nikki stopped for a second and thought about what she had said to herself.  My lovers.  Well, damn.  I guess I made up my mind about Lena without telling myself when I did it.  Okay, so what does this mean?  I guess I go with it until I feel uncomfortable.  She decided to give some positive feedback to Lena.  She could feel Lena\rquote s face still pressing against the soles of her feet, and even though she really didn\rquote t understand the fascination, she went with it anyway, because it felt so good.  She adjusted her legs slightly so that her knees were bowed out, and she curled her feet to cup Lena\rquote s face between them and squeezed slightly.\par
  \par
Lena was about to stop what she was doing before she made Nikki uncomfortable when she felt Nikki shift.  She thought she was going to be told to stop when she felt Nikki cup her face and squeeze her cheeks with her feet.  \par
\par
\ldblquote Oh, Dominique!  My Sweet!\rdblquote\par
\par
  Lena moaned and pressed Nikki\rquote s feet deeper into her face, hugging herself with them.  She felt Nikki wiggle her toes to tickle her ears and she laughed.\par
\par
\ldblquote Thank you!  You have granted another wish of mine!\rdblquote   \par
\par
Lena caressed the tops of Nikki\rquote s feet as she reveled in the contact.  She turned her face to the side slightly and kissed the soles of Nikki\rquote s feet.  Nikki moaned, so she continued to kiss them.  She slowly slid them off her face, kissing every square inch of the soles as they passed her mouth.  When she got to her toes, she kissed each one on the tip.  Nikki giggled and wriggled her toes.  \par
\par
Lena took this as a challenge and continued to kiss each one before Nikki could wiggle it away from her hungry lips.  The wiggling became a little more energetic and at one point Lena was laughing and chasing them down when one of Nikki\rquote s toes slipped into Lena\rquote s mouth.\par
  \par
Lena\rquote s first reaction was to suck it, so she did, running her tongue rapidly back and forth on the underside of the toe.  Nikki moaned loudly and shuddered.\par
\par
\ldblquote Ohhh, Lena!  That feels wonderful!\rdblquote   \par
\par
This was music to Lena\rquote s ears and she attacked Nikki\rquote s toes with abandon.  Sucking and licking each one, nibbling and rolling her tongue between them.  Lena was in heaven.  She definitely had a foot fetish and she reveled in it with Nikki\rquote s feet and toes.  Nikki wasn\rquote t too far away from heaven herself.  The sensations of Lena\rquote s tongue and teeth on her feet and toes were sending powerful shocks up her legs and they ended up in one central spot.  Finally, Nikki couldn\rquote t take it any more; she was getting to the point of sensory overload.\par
\par
\ldblquote Lena!  Mercy?  Please!  I can\rquote t take it anymore; it\rquote s too much!\rdblquote   \par
\par
Lena smiled and nodded, she was amazed that Nikki had let her go this long before crying out.  She stood up and looked down at Nikki on the bed.  Nikki looked up at her and smiled, opening her arms and reaching out to Lena.  That was all Lena needed to see.  \par
\par
She slid onto the bed next to Nikki and snuggled up next to her.  Nikki wrapped her arms around Lena and hugged her tightly.  She pulled Lena up a little so that Lena\rquote s face was next to hers.  She turned and looked into Lena\rquote s eyes and smiled.  Then she leaned into Lena\rquote s face and kissed her softly on the lips.  She held the kiss for a few seconds and leaned back and licked her lips.\par
\par
\ldblquote HMMM!  You taste like hazelnut spice.  I like that.\rdblquote   \par
\par
Lena grinned mischievously and giggled.  She reached up and laid the backs of her fingers against Nikki\rquote s cheek and stroked it.  She leaned forward and kissed Nikki, using just a little more force and hummed contentedly.  She leaned back and looked into those green orbs and felt love blossoming.  Her first reaction to Nikki was lust, but it was changing. \par
\par
In the course of one afternoon, she was feeling something more.  It made her a little nervous.  Nikki had just come out of a horrible mishap in a relationship and in one day was lying in her bed, kissing her.  She didn\rquote t want to be the rebound girl this time.  If it was going to be hot, heavy sex, fine; but not this.  She didn\rquote t think she could take that kind of jolt, or heartache if Nikki went back to her former lover.\par
\par
Nikki saw the look and knew it for what it was.  Lena was feeling more than just lust and friendship towards her.  Uh, oh.  How do I feel about that?  Do I want that?  Dagomarus has only been gone for two days now and I haven\rquote t been home for one.  However, she liked Lena.  She liked Lena a lot.  She was even comfortable with the touching and the kissing.  \par
\par
She really wasn\rquote t ready to go further, if she could even go further.  She wasn\rquote t sure yet.  She definitely didn\rquote t want to hurt Lena.  I\rquote d better tell her about how I\rquote m feeling before we end up going too far too fast.\par
\par
Lena was also debating with herself about whether to tell Nikki her feelings.  She needed to explain a few things and she wasn\rquote t sure if Nikki was ready to hear them.  She didn\rquote t want to frighten off her new friend, especially now that things were going so much better.  No, I need to tell her that I feel this way before there is a misunderstanding and things get out of hand.  She gathered up her thoughts and decided to tell Nikki.\par
\par
\ldblquote I\'85\rdblquote   \par
\par
Nikki spoke.\par
\par
\ldblquote I\'85\rdblquote   \par
\par
Lena started.  \par
\par
They looked at each other and giggled, the tension of the moment broken.  They nodded to each other to go first, then laughed again.  Finally Lena raised her hand and put a finger on Nikki\rquote s lips.\par
\par
\ldblquote I\rquote ll go first.  Dominique, I need to tell you something, but I\rquote m afraid to say it because I don\rquote t want you to jump up and run screaming out of the house.  However, I have to be honest with you, and myself, so here goes.  I think I\rquote m falling for you.\rdblquote   \par
\par
Lena waited for the explosion and fireworks, but there wasn\rquote t any.  She looked at Nikki and saw the wistful smile on her face.\par
\par
\ldblquote I know.\rdblquote   \par
\par
Nikki didn\rquote t say anything more so Lena forged ahead with the rest of her planned speech.\par
\par
\ldblquote Oh.  Okay.  Well, then I also need to tell you that it scares me to death.  I know you just had a major break up in your last relationship, and I have to honest here, I don\rquote t want to be the rebound girl.  I don\rquote t think I could take that.  I care for you, Dominique and I want us to be friends and maybe more.  I don\rquote t want to be the flash in the pan quickie to get you over your heartache.\rdblquote   \par
\par
Lena waited to see what Nikki would do next, now that the cat was out of the bag so to speak.  Nikki was still smiling, so that was a good sign.  Lena had hope at this point.  Maybe the despair would stay away this time.\par
\par
\ldblquote I know you are falling for me, Lena.  It\rquote s not ego or vanity; I can see it in those wonderfully pale blue eyes of yours.  The thing is, Lena, I\rquote m not sure I can fall you.  Yes, the kissing is nice, and the foot worship, well, let\rquote s just say that does \lquote float my boat\rquote  and leave it at that.\rdblquote   \par
\par
She laughed when she said this and Lena smiled and nodded vigorously in response.  \par
\par
\ldblquote So, we come to my previous problem.  My boyfriend.  He is or was, what I thought was my soul mate.  Completely and utterly connected, soul to soul.  You may have never experienced that kind of connection, if you had, I seriously doubt I would be lying here in this bed.  The thing about our relationship was that we had to hide it, which I strongly suspect you are more than familiar with having to do.  Maybe that\rquote s why we connected so fast.\rdblquote   \par
\par
Nikki stopped for a second to judge Lena\rquote s response.  Lena was not smiling any more but she was watching Nikki\rquote s face intently.  She nodded her understanding and motioned for Nikki to continue.  \par
\par
\ldblquote Well, if you think you would have it bad if your passions were to become public here, then take that outrage and condemnation and multiply it by a thousand.  That\rquote s what we were dealing with.\rdblquote   \par
\par
Lena frowned at this point.  She couldn\rquote t think one any other group in the country today that had more persecution and prejudice thrown at them than gays and lesbians.  She shook her head at this; she just couldn\rquote t get around it.\par
\par
\ldblquote I\rquote m sorry, Dominique.  I didn\rquote t mean to break in so rudely, but I don\rquote t get it.  What was it that could be so horrible?  Nobody really goes that ballistic over interracial relationship anymore.  Sure, there are a few die-hard boneheads still around, but to say that you would have been persecuted more than gays or lesbians, I have to stop you there.  I know; I\rquote ve had it thrown in my face.  Not here, thank god.  I don\rquote t think I\rquote d have a job if I came out of the closet at a Catholic college.  What makes you think it would have been that bad?\rdblquote   \par
\par
Nikki had tears in her eyes now and she looked into Lena\rquote s and pleaded with her to drop it, but Lena was too smart for that.  Nikki had opened Pandora\rquote s Box and there was no way to shut it now.  She leaned over and kissed Lena hard and hugged her tight.  Then she let go and broke the kiss.\par
  \par
\ldblquote What was that for?  I\rquote m not complaining, but why?\rdblquote   \par
\par
Nikki shook her head and thought, well this is it.\par
  \par
\ldblquote I did that so that after I tell you what my horrible secret is, I\rquote ll have that to remember you by.\rdblquote\par
\par
Nikki was crying now and she couldn\rquote t help it.  She was pissed at herself for letting it get this far this fast.  Damn it!  Why do I always screw things up?  She held onto Lena tight for a few more seconds and then she let go and slid off the bed.  Lena wasn\rquote t happy with this turn of events.  Shit!  I did it again; I screwed the pooch on this one.  I had to push.  Well, I guess I\rquote ll never learn.  \par
\par
Lena watched as Nikki stood up slowly and began to pace back and forth in front of the bed.  She made a few passes before she stopped and looked into Lena\rquote s eyes.  She held that gaze for a few seconds.\par
\par
\ldblquote In the past week; I met my lover camping, and saved his life; I\rquote ve been attacked by a grizzly, which my lover killed by the way; was almost kidnapped at gunpoint, again because of my lover; had the best sex I\rquote ve ever had in my life, or hope to have, no offense meant Lena; a crazy park ranger has decided that he needs to assassinate my lover and put a bullet through my window trying to succeed, but he didn\rquote t; and to top it all off, he asked me to marry him secretly, just for us and that\rquote s when it all went to hell.\rdblquote   \par
\par
\ldblquote I took too much time thinking about all things I\rquote d miss because I was with him and started crying and he thought that I was going to say no, so he bugged out, left without another word and I have no idea where he went, or if he\rquote ll ever come back and forgive me.\rdblquote   \par
\par
She was almost breathless at this point.  Lena\rquote s eyes were wide and her mouth was hanging open.  She slowly absorbed everything Nikki had said so far and she didn\rquote t know what to say.  Nikki continued to look at her and when she felt that Lena had caught up to her, she started again.\par
\par
\ldblquote Now comes the really hard part, Lena.  Up to now, I haven\rquote t said anything that would make you believe I belong in a funny farm.  It is completely true, what I\rquote ve told you.  Steve knows most of it and can verify that.  There is only one other person on this planet that truly knows everything, except the marriage proposal part, and he\rquote s a Deputy Sheriff in Choteau.\rdblquote\par
\par
\ldblquote So, now that you have the background of my past week, do you think you are ready to hear that one last final bit of truth, Lena?  I have to warn you though, if you laugh or scoff at what I tell you, I will walk out of this house and you will never see me again.  I\rquote ll deny everything to Steve and I\rquote ll quit and move out of the state.  I\rquote m that serious, Lena.  However, if you want to be my friend, then you have to know the truth, no matter how hard it is to hear or believe.  Do I have your word?\rdblquote\par
\par
Lena listened to all this and now she was in real shock.  This wasn\rquote t the Dominique she had talked to last night, or even this morning.  This is the Dominique that Steve told her about.  The full of fire and conviction, the one that no matter how tough things got, she fought back.  This is the Dominique that I am more than willing to fall head over heals-madly-truly-deeply-in love with.  She looked at Nikki and nodded.\par
\par
\ldblquote Yes, Dominique.  I swear, that no matter what you tell me it will never leave this room and I will believe you, no matter how hard it might be.  I do have to say one thing though; I like this Dominique much better.  This is what I was looking for last night.  I\rquote m sorry, dear, but you hooked me now and landed me on the dock.\rdblquote   \par
\par
Lena grinned at Nikki and shuddered with a mini orgasm.  She was so turned on by the forceful way Nikki was talking to her and how strong she was to go through all that and still be able to walk around with a smile.  Oh, yeah, I\rquote m a goner.\par
\par
Nikki watched and listened to Lena, and she knew that when she told her the whole truth, that she would accept it.  Not because she said it was true, but because she would truly believe Nikki was telling her the truth.\par
\par
\ldblquote All right, then, my friend.  The reason all that crap happened and my life went to shit, is because the \ul person\ulnone  I fell so in love with, was an immortal, two-thousand-year-old werewolf, locked in a giant wolf\rquote s body.  He could communicate directly into my mind.  I could hear his voice inside my head.\rdblquote\par
\par
\ldblquote Deputy Mark Lockhardt has met him and has experienced this as well.  Mark knew Dagomarus\rquote s secret, and accepted it.  Dagomarus touched me deep inside my mind, Lena.  We were soul mates.  And I screwed it up.  There, now you know my horrible secret too.\rdblquote   \par
\par
Nikki did expect Lena to laugh or scoff.  It was a fantastic tale, all of it true, but still.  She knew how hard it had been for her to come to grips with it, and she had watched Mark struggle with it, and that had been when you could see Dagomarus right in front of you.  Now she was asking this young woman to believe all of it and not see that giant wolf body to judge it by.  She waited to see what Lena would do when it all caught up with her, when she really added it all up.\par
\par
Lena had listened to every word.  She thought about it and at first was going to dismiss it, but she had promised Dominique she wouldn\rquote t.  So she analyzed it, checked it against known and unknown factors, and decided that yes, maybe such a creature could exist.  Biology didn\rquote t necessarily rule it out, but the supernatural aspect, well, okay.  That\rquote s what faith is, I may not be Catholic, but I have faith.  Then she got down to Nikki\rquote s involvement.  Best sex she ever had in her life, okay; giant wolf with the mind of a man, okay; add them together and the mental image of Nikki doing that, WOW!  OKAY!  Well, that\rquote s an eye opener.\par
\par
\ldblquote OH!  I get it, now.  Well, holy crap, Dominique!  No wonder you were paranoid!  Bloody Hell!  Whew!  You know, you had me worried there for a minute, woman.  Okay.  So now what?  You are waiting to see if he\rquote ll come back?\rdblquote   \par
\par
Lena sat there looking at Nikki.  Who was now in shock herself, she hadn\rquote t expected this.  Did she really understand?\par
\par
\ldblquote You mean that you really get it?  The werewolf, and the sex part?  You aren\rquote t disgusted with me about that?\rdblquote   \par
\par
Nikki needed to make sure.  Lena looked at Nikki and guessed at what was running through her mind.  I accepted the facts as she presented them and she thinks I don\rquote t get it yet.  Oh, Dominique, you have no idea how perverted us genius types can be.\par
\par
\ldblquote What?  That you like your dick to be on all fours?  So you\rquote re a pervert.  I am too, so there.  Even?\rdblquote   \par
\par
Lena met Nikki\rquote s gaze straight on, no smile just all business.  This is what is going to make it sink in that I do get it and don\rquote t care.  Other than he might come back and reclaim her.  Now that\rquote s the scary part.  Lena wasn\rquote t quite prepared for Nikki\rquote s reaction to the blunt truth.  She suspected Nikki might have a violent streak, but hadn\rquote t planned on what she did.\par
\par
Nikki was speechless at Lena\rquote s comeback.  She got it, accepted it and went on with out much more than a few exclamations and that was it.  She isn\rquote t disgusted with me!  She thinks I\rquote m a pervert but says she is too!  She still likes me!  I can\rquote t screw this up, I just can\rquote t, she too good for that.  If she wants to love me then she can have me.  I\rquote ll learn to love her back!  Nikki launched herself across the small space separating them and power-hugged Lena.\par
  \par
Lena toppled over onto her back with Nikki onto top of her and she couldn\rquote t breathe.  Nikki was hugging her so tight she couldn\rquote t expand her ribcage.  She patted Nikki on the back to let her know to let up a little.  Still she was squeezing too tight.  In desperation, Lena grabbed the braid she had so diligently worked on and yanked it.  \par
\par
Nikki squawked and let go of Lena.  When she pulled back to see why she had done that, she saw that Lena\rquote s face was almost purple and she was sucking in air rapidly.  Nikki burst into tears because she had accidentally tried to kill her new lover.\par
  \par
\ldblquote Oh god, Lena, I\rquote m so sorry.  I just wanted to hold you and never let you go, I guess I didn\rquote t realize I was squeezing the life out of you.  Forgive me?  Please?\rdblquote   \par
\par
Lena laughed, choked and laughed some more.\par
\par
\ldblquote That\rquote s okay, Luv.  Just not quite so hard next time.  With the hug I mean.  If you want to tackle me and have your way with me, well, okay.\rdblquote   \par
\par
Lena kissed Nikki on the lips and hugged her back as hard as she could.  Nikki\rquote s breath shot out of her and into Lena\rquote s mouth, puffing out her cheeks.  Lena let go and laughed at Nikki\rquote s expression.  \par
\par
\ldblquote Yeah, sweetness, I got a grip from hell too, so don\rquote t forget it.\rdblquote   \par
\par
They laughed together for a few seconds and then calmed down.  They looked into each other\rquote s eyes and smiled.  \par
\par
\ldblquote Okay, Dominique.  If we are going to try and make this work, really work, you have to know something too.  I have a horrible secret also.  I need you to see it, so that when it comes time to expand our relationship, you won\rquote t run screaming.\rdblquote   \par
\par
Lena was serious and Nikki could see it in her eyes.\par
\par
\ldblquote What could be more horrible than my, what did you call it?  Oh, yes, me liking my dick on all fours?\rdblquote   \par
\par
Nikki gave her a sour smile.  Lena chuckled.\par
\par
\ldblquote Sorry about that, but you needed a wake up call to the fact that I really do get it and don\rquote t have any problems with it.\rdblquote   \par
\par
Lena kissed Nikki on the end of her nose and pushed her off.  Nikki giggled and got off the bed, letting Lena up.\par
\par
\ldblquote Okay, so what could be just as shocking as that?  No, scratch that.  What ever it is, I swear that I will not go run screaming from the room.  I like you too much to do that, and considering that you aren\rquote t grossed out about my former lover, I will accept whatever it is about you, no matter what.\rdblquote   \par
\par
Lena listened to Nikki and smiled.  Yeah, I really like you too.\par
\par
\ldblquote Okay, but you have to turn around first.  I have to take my pants off to show you.\rdblquote   \par
\par
Nikki gave her a lopsided grin and arched her eyebrow.  Lena saw this and laughed. \par
\par
\ldblquote No, this is not an excuse to play \lquote I show you mine, you show me yours\rquote , okay?  Besides, I\rquote ve already seen yours and I have to say, it\rquote s rather cute.\rdblquote   \par
\par
Nikki blushed when Lena reminded her of her naptime in the whirlpool.  Nikki nodded and turned around.  When she heard Lena take in a deep breath and let it out, Nikki understood that Lena was really scared about this.  What could be so bad that it frightened her this much?  Oh god, I bet she\rquote s deformed somehow and that she looks all gross down there.  Well, looking at the rest of Lena, that one small thing shouldn\rquote t bother her.\par
  \par
\ldblquote Okay, you can turn around now.\rdblquote   \par
\par
Nikki slowly turned and looked Lena in the eyes first, trying to reassure her that it didn\rquote t matter to her, that it would be okay.  Nikki lowered her eyes to Lena\rquote s crotch and saw that Lena\rquote s hand was still covering it.  Nikki looked up into her eyes again.\par
\par
\ldblquote It\rquote s okay, Lena.  I promise.  It\rquote ll be okay.\rdblquote   \par
\par
Nikki saw the moisture build up in Lena\rquote s eyes, almost making a tear at the corners.  Lena nodded and moved her hand.  Nikki moved her gaze down to Lena\rquote s groin and smiled.  She looked back up into Lena\rquote s eyes and saw hurt there.\par
\par
\ldblquote Oh, Lena!  It\rquote s beautiful!\rdblquote   \par
\par
The relief on Lena\rquote s face was immense.  This was the first time in her life anyone had looked at her nether lips and said that word and meant it.  Nikki looked down again and marveled at the size and complexity of the folds.  There was so much there, but it was beautiful.  She had meant it when she said it.  Lena\rquote s lips were the perfect example of what it means to be a woman, proud and full.  Nikki dropped to her knees in front of Lena and looked up at her.  \par
\par
\ldblquote It\rquote s gorgeous, Lena.  So full, almost frilly.  Wow!  I never thought I\rquote d say that to another woman either.  But it\rquote s true, Lena, it fits you perfectly.\rdblquote   \par
\par
Lena was crying now, but not with tears of sadness, of happiness.\par
\par
\ldblquote Oh, Dominique!  The other girls used to torment me and tease me about my \lquote floppy bits\rquote . I lost so many girlfriends because they said I was a freak and disgusting.  The others just tolerated it long enough to get their own jollies and then left.  You are the first woman to look at me and say that.  You don\rquote t know what that means to me.  What you mean to me.  This day you have given me the most profound compliments and you meant every one of them.  You don\rquote t know how special that makes you to me.\rdblquote   \par
\par
Nikki looked up at Lena while she said this and she got a tear in her eye.  Well, Lena, maybe I didn\rquote t before, but I know now.  Nikki looked at Lena\rquote s nether region again and that sudden urge hit her again.  She wanted to kiss it.  How bizarre, she thought.  I\rquote ve never had the urge to do that before, ever.  Then again, I\rquote ve never been on my knees and looked at one this closely either.  She thought about it and decided that Lena probably wouldn\rquote t mind.  She had said I could grab her ass anytime I wanted to, so why not this?\par
\par
Nikki leaned forward and placed her hands on Lena\rquote s hips to hold her still, then tilted her head slightly and gently kissed Lena\rquote s other lips.  They felt warm and super soft, she could feel the extra texture on them, but it was nice.  I like this, Nikki thought.  She could smell Lena\rquote s musk too and that sent a different message to her brain, but she wasn\rquote t sure she was ready for that.  \par
\par
She leaned back and stood up, using her hold on Lena\rquote s hips for leverage.  Lena had a strange expression on her face.  She wasn\rquote t sure what Nikki was doing or why.  Nikki leaned forward and kissed the lips on Lena\rquote s face with the same reverence and softness as she had the others.  She broke the kiss softly and put her mouth next to Lena\rquote s ear.\par
\par
\ldblquote Because I wanted to, Lena.  They are pretty and soft, I couldn\rquote t help it.  That\rquote s why.\rdblquote   \par
\par
Nikki leaned back and smiled at Lena, reassuring her that she really did want to do that.  Then, just to be herself again, she added, \par
\par
\ldblquote Now put your pants back on, you make me nervous, girl.\rdblquote   \par
\par
She laughed at Lena\rquote s expression.  Then she went over and sat down on the stool in front of the vanity, making sure the robe she was wearing still covered her properly.  She sat with her legs together and both feet on the floor.  She didn\rquote t want to give Lena a peep show.  \par
\par
Lena hurriedly put her pants on and came over to where Nikki was sitting.  She stood in front of Nikki and looked into her eyes, looking for something, but she wasn\rquote t sure what.  Nikki met her gaze, but was a little confused at Lena\rquote s behavior.  Then Lena surprised her again.  She dropped down onto her knees at Nikki\rquote s feet and kissed the top of each foot.  Then she stood up.\par
\par
This flashed Nikki back to another day and person.  She wasn\rquote t sure she could have Lena act like that with her.\par
\par
\ldblquote Why, Lena?  You don\rquote t want to be my slave do you?\rdblquote   \par
\par
Nikki was worried that another cycle was going to repeat itself.  Her life sure had gotten complicated fast.  Lena gave her a strange look when she mentioned the slave part.\par
\par
\ldblquote Well, I hadn\rquote t thought of it like that.  I kissed your feet because I wanted to, just like you kissed me.  I wanted you to know that I really like your feet.  They are pretty, soft and oh, so sexy.  That\rquote s why.\rdblquote\par
\par
Lena waved her hand over Nikki\rquote s lap. \par
\par
\ldblquote Can I sit in your lap?\rdblquote   \par
\par
Nikki was mildly surprised at the request.\par
\par
\ldblquote Yes, you can sit in my lap, if you want.\rdblquote   \par
\par
Lena smiled and straddled Nikki\rquote s legs and scooted her butt up onto her thighs, her crotch almost touching the bow on Nikki\rquote s robe.\par
\par
\ldblquote Thanks.  I really like doing this too.  Now, about your other question.  I guess it would depend on what you mean by slave.  I\rquote ve read about that lifestyle, and quite frankly, I would have never guessed you for one of the participants, but now that you mention it, I guess I wouldn\rquote t mind doing that as a game every now and then if you wanted to.\rdblquote   \par
\par
Nikki was relieved and it showed on her face.  Lena gave her an odd smile.\par
\par
\ldblquote The reason I asked that, Lena, was because of Dagomarus.  I hate to bring up past lovers but I want you to know about this.  During our brief love affair, he had me say something in Roman Latin, and the meaning of that was basically, I own you.  There was a small ritual and part of that ritual was to pledge the slave\rquote s life to the Master until death.  Now the Romans took this seriously, and since Dagomarus is Roman, he took it seriously.  Well, he pledged his life to me until death and I pledged mine to his.  At the time I meant it, every word.  I needed you to know that.\rdblquote   \par
\par
Lena was more than just a little frightened at this news.  She didn\rquote t want to lose her new love and now it sounded like she belonged to another for the rest of her life.\par
\par
\ldblquote So, what you are telling me is that you still belong to him?  That you always will?  What does that mean for us, Dominique?  If he comes back, will I ever see you again?\rdblquote   \par
\par
Lena was really scared now and she was shaking.  Nikki could feel her shaking and wanted to comfort her.  She wrapped her arms around Lena and hugged her.  \par
\par
\ldblquote Oh, Lena!  I don\rquote t know anymore.  Before this morning, I never thought I would love anyone ever again.  You saw what I was like last night, a zombie.  I had nothing left to live for except a boring job and an empty house.  Now, you little minx, I have something to live for.  You\rquote ve given me hope and love when I never thought I would have either again.  Oh, and if you tell your brother that I think my job is boring, I\rquote ll never kiss your lips again, no, those lips.\rdblquote   \par
\par
Lena blushed and nodded,\par
\par
\ldblquote I swear, those words were never uttered in this room.  It was a fragment of my delusion, I mean a figment of my imagination.  That\rquote s my story and I\rquote m sticking to it.\rdblquote   \par
\par
Lena giggled and hugged Nikki.\par
\par
\ldblquote Honestly Lena, if, and I stress that part, if, he ever comes back, we will face him together and he\rquote ll have to accept it, that I have found another person to love.\rdblquote   \par
\par
Nikki looked into Lena\rquote s eye when she said it.  Lena shuddered.\par
\par
\ldblquote God!  Dominique, after what you told me about him, I\rquote m not sure I would want to face him.  You said that he spoke to you in your mind, does that mean he can manipulate you as well?\rdblquote\par
\par
\ldblquote Damn you\rquote re smart!\rdblquote   \par
\par
Nikki kissed the end of Lena\rquote s nose.  Lena beamed.  \par
\par
\ldblquote Yeah, you\rquote re right, he can.  He did it to me once.  I really tore into him for it and he swore he\rquote d never do it again.  I believe him, but that promise doesn\rquote t extend to you.  So, maybe that would be a bad idea, seeing him together.\rdblquote\par
\par
\ldblquote Hey, I don\rquote t want to break the mood, but I need to get up.  I put these jeans on to seduce you, and well, since it worked and you don\rquote t mind me sitting in your lap, I have to change pants if I\rquote m going to continue sitting here.\rdblquote   \par
\par
Lena smiled at Nikki and winked.\par
\par
\ldblquote Oh, I suppose I can let go of your supple little body long enough for you to change.  Speaking of changing clothes, I really should get into mine, too.  I love the robe, but I\rquote m a little self-conscious here with it being such a temptation to your lascivious ways.\rdblquote   \par
\par
Lena pouted and winked.\par
\par
\ldblquote Caught me looking, huh?  Well, you can\rquote t blame a girl for admiring the wonderful view.  Yeah, you\rquote re right, we need to get you dressed.  Your clothes should be done by now.  You go get yours and I\rquote ll change.\rdblquote   \par
\par
Lena scooted back and stood up.  She turned to get into her dresser while Nikki went to go get her clothes.  She suddenly felt a hand on her right butt cheek and a gentle squeeze.  She felt Nikki\rquote s breath in her ear.\par
\par
\ldblquote Oh, and the next time you want to sniff my panties, just ask, okay?\rdblquote   \par
\par
Nikki spun and waltzed out of the room giggling, leaving Lena standing there, blushing a deep crimson.                                                              \par
\pard\fi720                                                       \par
}