Petra really enjoys the Smutty Duck. She likes to dance, and there's plenty of good music on, so I'm constantly losing her to the crowd on the floor. But it's OK, because I bump into Catherine and we have a long talk. Catherine is supposedly there with some other girl too, but I get us a drink and we sit together in a corner, a bit too close, and flirt gently. Petra and Catherine's friend drift up and away again now and then. Under the table, I like the feel of Catherine's leg firm and warm against mine through my tights, and the way our bodies seem to fit comfortably together on the cramped seating. Eventually Petra and the other girl end up sitting across from us and talking to each other, before going for a dance together. I think that Catherine and I might kiss at one point, but we don't, although she does let her hand rest on her knee against my leg and strokes her finger up and down a little near the hem of my miniskirt.
She puts her hand in the small of my back as we kiss on the cheek on the way out. Very briefly, she brushes the back of my skirt, and I remember how sensitive and tender her touch was on my body as we made love, and I suddenly wish we could have something together. 'Have a good Christmas and stuff,' she says softly. She's already told me she'll be working most of the unsocial shifts over the holiday period.
'You too. Don't work too hard.' I lean up quickly and kiss her cheek again. 'See you soon?' She nods and waves as she and her friend move off. Petra slips her arm through mine and we start to make our way to where we can get a taxi.
'She seems nice,' Petra comments carefully. 'How long were you together?' I look at her sharply and she grins. 'C'mon, Fi. Don't be silly. The way you were touching casually, looked so comfortable together, it was obvious you'd had something.' She pauses and nudges me gently. 'She still likes you.'
I feel a little flutter of pleasure. 'You reckon?' She nods, and I sigh. 'I don't think it'll happen, though. We had one night together...well, an afternoon, the night and the following morning, that's all. She doesn't want anything long-term.'
Petra strokes my arm. 'Poor Fi. You don't have much luck with women, do you?'
I look at her. As far as I can tell, she means it. I know our relationship is casual and basically a friendship with perks, but I am fond of her. Under her sassy exterior, she's quite a sensitive person, really. 'I'm lucky to have you.'
She looks a bit uncomfortable for a bit and tells me not to be silly.
She's already arranged to stay at mine that night, and we do try to have sex when we get back, but I don't think either of us gets much out of it. She's a bit distracted and clumsy, and I keep wondering what exactly Petra and I do have, and what she thinks we have. I wonder why she felt uncomfortable at our conversation earlier, but didn't mind me and Catherine flirting so obviously in the club. I also really struggle not to think about Catherine, and can't help wishing it was her making love to me instead. After a while, Petra just stops trying to pleasure me, as even she can tell it's not going anywhere, and we cuddle each other to sleep instead.
***
As you would expect, there is a Christmas party at work, and – as you'd expect – it's a pretty awkward affair. Like in the Summer, there's plenty of drink and gossip. I let the wine go to my head again.
Sexy Paul and Dippy Alice are having a full-blown affair now, although neither has left their partner yet. They don't stay long, and leave together. Petra and Diana carefully ignore each other most of the time, and I think only I notice that they both disappear a couple of times and come back separately, looking a bit flushed. Petra's lost her tights again somewhere along the way, and I imagine they're under the sofa in Diana's office or something.
At one point, Diana and I find ourselves thrown together at the buffet table, with no escape. 'Ah, Fiona.'
'Diana.' There's a slightly awkward pause. I point at her plate. 'That cake looks nice.'
She nods. 'I hear you're quite an expert these days.'
I find it interesting that she is trying to make nice conversation. She has no need to, she could just pass me by – indeed that's what I would expect. But she's not, she's actually making an effort to talk to me, and to be nice. I wonder what she's up to. 'Well, I'm doing a course. I wouldn't say I'm an expert.'
'Oh, I hear nothing but good things.'
I shrug.'That's nice.' I remember how I made a suggestive pun the last time we were talking at the buffet, and feel mischievous again. 'I'm glad you've heard good things about my buns, Diana.' She looks at me sharply, and I grin. I could walk away, and let her check my ass out now I've given her the idea, but I stand my ground. 'I know Petra likes them.' I make this sound like a throwaway comment.
She opens her mouth to say something, but doesn't. I watch her face carefully and am very pleased to see her mind work along the lines I'd hoped it would. I'd been wondering if she'd worked out who Petra was seeing on the side, and now I know she hadn't ever expected it to be me. Well, that can change now. I smile at her sweetly and move away. I can feel her eyes follow me, and when I put my plate down next to my drink and turn round, she's still looking at me. And this time I know it's not primarily because I'm in a cute short skirt, because she's frowning and looking a bit perplexed and she barely checks my legs out at all.
Just to really sow the little seed in her mind, I make sure Diana is watching as I find Petra before I leave. And I make a point of stroking Petra's arm as I lingeringly kiss her goodbye on the cheek, and of standing a little bit too close.
***
Christmas is always a bit of an upheaval, and I always find the disruption to my normality a bit difficult. I'm happy to escape from my family and get back to the house and to work. Petra continues to be a little bit distant, and so I'm not terribly surprised when she asks if we should just be friends, a few weeks into the new year. Once the decision's made, I surprise myself by finding it a bit of a relief: it had always been a slightly strange situation.
One Saturday afternoon, I'm pottering around town, browsing the sales racks in the shops, when my mobile rings. I'm surprised to see it's Catherine. 'Hi. How's things? How was work over Christmas?'
'Hey. Yeah, not too bad, actually. I'm good. How's you?'
'Fine.'
There's a pause. I want to talk to her, but I remind myself that she rang me. She says, 'There's a lot of noise in the background. Where are you?'
'Shopping in the sales.' I move out of the shop I'm in and sit on a bench, in the middle of the shopping centre. There's a mannequin in the window in a pretty dress and I wonder why I hadn't noticed it before. It's a very cute dress and I wonder how much it is.
'Oh, OK. Found anything nice?'
'Well, nothing too special.' I glance at the shop window again. 'Although I'm looking at a nice dress now, as it happens, which is about the most tempting thing I've seen so far.' I explain where I'm sitting, and she asks me to describe it to her. It's burgundy, with a round lace-trim collar and a flattering cut to the body. The skirt is loose and shortish.
'Sounds nice, Fi. Do they have it in your size?'
'Don't know yet.'
'Well, you should go and find out.' She makes me go back into the shop and find the rack with that particular dress.
I flick through and find one in my size. 'There is one here.'
'Good. Go try it on and ring me back.'
***
I ring her from the changing room, as I turn back and forth in the mirror. It is a nice dress, and I have to admit I look quite good in it. 'Hi, it's me. Well, it definitely fits.'
'Really? Good. Describe it to me, how it sits on you.'
'Well, um, it's shorter than I thought and just the right kind of tight in the right places. Not too tight, though, and not too short.' I hold my hair up with my spare hand and like the way the rich burgundy of the dress contrasts with my blonde hair and pale skin. 'It's a lovely colour,' I sigh, half to myself.
Catherine breathes in sharply down the phone. 'I want to see you in it. Send me a picture?'
'Um, OK.' It's a strange request, but I don't mind. The thought of Catherine liking the thought of me in the dress is slightly arousing. I ring off and take a picture of myself in the mirror, then I send it to her via my phone. I make it a nice picture, holding my hair up a bit and bending a leg to emphasise the curve of my body in the dress. I also text to say I'm going to buy the dress.
By the time I've changed back, paid for the dress and left the shop, she's replied: good idea. ;) c xx
***
She rings me again shortly afterwards. 'Hi. Listen, Fi.' She pauses. 'Thanks for doing that. I'm sorry to ask you. I don't know what came over me.'
'It's OK.' I smile to myself. 'I quite like the idea of you perving over a selfie of me in a shop changing room. You approve of the dress, then?'
She chuckles. 'God, yeah.' There's a pause. I wonder if she'd be cross if I suggest meeting up, and am about to ask. She blurts out, 'Can I see you again? Today?'
The butterflies start in my tummy. 'I'd really like that, Catherine. What time do you want to meet?'
'When can you get here?'
I love the fact that she's so eager to see me and decide to tease her. 'Oh, um, well. I don't know...'
She sounds a bit awkward. 'I'm sorry, you must think I'm very arrogant, assuming you can just drop everything. Or that you'd want to.'
I chuckle. 'When would you like me to be there? I can probably be there in about an hour.'
She breathes in sharply. 'Really? That would be perfect.'
'OK. What's the plan, then?'
'This is the plan, Fi. We meet and have a little drink in the Duck. Then we do something constructive together for the rest of the afternoon, then I take you to a nice little restaurant I know. And then, um, we maybe have another drink in the Duck?'
'And after that? Will I need to bring a toothbrush for the morning?'
She laughs. 'Yes.' She sounds a bit relieved. 'I didn't want to presume, but I'd would like it a lot if, after all that, you let me spend the night making love to you.'
'I'd like that a lot too, Catherine.'
There's a little pause. 'Good. OK. See you in a bit.' Another pause. 'Um, Fi? I hardly dare ask...'
'I'll wear the dress.'
She sighs. 'Thanks.'
***
In fact, I stay in jeans and a jumper, but take the dress to change into later. We have a coffee in the Duck, then we wander around the museum and shops and art gallery for a while. We don't kiss, apart from when we first meet, and we don't touch much. We do look at each other a lot, though, as if we're saving the touching for later.
Back at her flat, we change to go out, moving around each other in her bedroom. I like the way she watches me dress. She watches as I roll on my hold-ups, and I enjoy the feel of her eyes on me. She watches as I pull the dress on, and then I turn round and ask for her help. She holds my hair out of the way and gently pulls the zip up, running her finger up my spine as she does. It makes me shiver, as does the way she leans in and kisses my neck softly before letting my hair fall back down around my shoulders. Her body is close behind me and I lean back onto her.
'You look stunning, Fi.' Her hands move down to hold my waist. 'I'm sorry if I spend most of the night staring at you, but I won't be able to help it.'
'Thanks.' I lean back and kiss her, my head at an awkward angle. I know it's dangerous to love the way she makes me feel, but I'm too happy to care. I promise myself I won't fall for her any further, and that this is all just about having fun. 'I'm glad you think so. And I won't mind you staring.' I reach back and stroke her neck. 'I'm looking forward to this.'
'Which bit? Me staring? The restaurant?'
I smile at her. 'Well, all of it. But especially this bit.' I wave my hand to encompass her bedroom and her bed. 'When you put all those thoughts you'll have while you stare at me into action.'
She brushes my hair away from my neck and plants a series of very arousing little kisses in a line up to just below my ear. I can feel her like the way it makes me tremble with pleasure. She slides her hand around my front to hold my waist a little more firmly. 'God, yeah. I'm looking forward to that too.'
I turn round and we kiss properly for the first time that day. Softly, hotly, with tongues, and enjoying the lust pulsing between us. But we instinctively leave it at just one kiss.
She goes in search of her coat. I put earrings in and splash a bit of perfume, then pull on the cute black heels I've brought and stuff my purse and mobile in the pocket of my leather jacket.
***
We go for a drink before the restaurant. The meal is lovely. Catherine does stare quite a lot, and I am glad she talked me into getting the dress. Each time her eyes run over me I feel a little tremor of arousal. I give myself little thrills each time I remember how it felt when she zipped the dress up and as I look forward to how it'll feel when she unzips it again later.
We go back to the Smutty Duck after the restaurant, and enjoy the anticipation of where the night will end. Each glance and shared touch just reminds us where things are headed, and makes the waiting for it a delicious torture of fluttering, mounting arousal.