Disclaimers: All characters referenced in this story are mine and mine alone. Any similarities between them and anyone else living, dead, or fictional, is purely accidental/coincidental. Basically, hands off without my permission-pretty please.
Warnings: No violence, sorry. This does involve a look at loving relationships between women. If this is not your style, you are under 18, or if this is not legal where you live: Either don’t read it, don’t get caught reading it, or forget you ever saw this stuff.
For those who think lesbianism is wrong -sorry, perhaps one day after we cure stuff like cancer and AIDS we’ll work on stupidity-until then, don’t read and don’t flame.
Sex: Of course-not in all sections but it does happen now and again.
Sue: Always for you!
Anything I missed? Fill in the blanks or email me.
All comments, questions, suggestions and nice stuff are LOVED!
Jeaninehemail-public@yahoo.com
Chapter Nineteen
Sharon left her office after one more glance around to make sure she hadn’t forgotten anything. She needed to hurry though, she and Riley were having dinner soon,and she wanted to change before Riley came over. Things were going really well between them, and Sharon felt a lot less nervous about things now. In fact, she was starting to think it was time to move things along a bit. Up until this point, they hadn’t done more than a little kissing and cuddling, and Sharon thought it was time that Riley stopped being quite so chivalrous. They spent a decent amount of time together, considering their schedules, but they had both been content to let things develop slowly, building trust and intimacy before leaping into bed.
Tonight, Riley was coming over for a quiet dinner and Sharon had decided it would be a good time to talk about their relationship a little bit more. When she got home, she pulled out the chicken to warm up and went for a quick shower to rinse off her day, before changing into jeans and a sweater.
When she got back into the kitchen, Sharon washed and dried the chicken breasts and seasoned them with some garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Next, she tossed them into a warmed skillet with a little more olive oil in the bottom, and browned the chicken before moving it to a casserole dish. She arranged chunks of potato, onion, carrots, celery, and parsnips around and under the chicken, squeezed some lemon juice over everything, and added in some poultry seasoning and a little white wine. Everything went into the oven, and Sharon checked the bread machine that she had set before leaving for work that morning. The dough was ready, so she pulled it out to shape and rise, before going to set the table. By the time the doorbell rang, the dinner was almost finished, the bread had just gone in the oven, and the wine was chilled and ready.
Sharon opened the door and grinned up at Riley. They were close in height, but Sharon still had to tilt her head to look into her eyes. She pulled her inside and gave her a hug, sliding her hands under Riley’s winter jacket before taking it from her with a quick kiss. She hung up the jacket as Riley removed her boots, so she wouldn’t track wintry sludge into Sharon’s home.
“Something smells amazing. Please tell me that’s our dinner.” Riley realized she was hungry, and the wonderful smells of freshly baking bread and roasted chicken were overwhelming her senses.
“Yes dear, dinner is almost ready,” joked Sharon as she led them into the eat-in kitchen. Sharon poured them both a glass of wine and brought one over to Riley, before joining her in the alcove that was outfitted with a small love seat and had been turned into a little reading nook.
Riley felt her heart jump a little when Sharon called her “dear,” even though it she knew Sharon had said it jokingly. She was finding herself rather invested in this relationship. Riley was a little nervous about that, since neither of them had dated anyone seriously in several years, but had pushed aside her fear when she recognized that they both wanted to go slowly. When Sharon settled in next to her, Riley put an arm around her. As Sharon snuggled in to her body a little, Riley couldn’t help but think about how right it felt to hold Sharon and listen to her talk about her day.
When Riley interrupted to ask a question, Sharon smiled as she realized that Riley was not only listening, but was interested in hearing her out.
Sharon got up to check on dinner, and announced that it would be ready in about ten minutes. She pulled the chicken out to rest, tenting it in foil to keep it warm, and set it on top of the stove. Rejoining Riley, she asked how Jay was doing, and what the results of today’s visit to the cancer center were. This had been the visit that Jay was going to talk to everyone about her chemo treatments.
Riley ran a hand through her hair and took another sip of her wine. “She really doesn’t want to do any more chemo, but Dr. Goldman wasn’t all that impressed with the study she showed him. There isn’t any evidence that doing the chemo hurts her chances, but there is no evidence that it helps either. He wants to be aggressive and play it safe by covering all their bases, and she just doesn’t want to be sick anymore. The whole mess just sucks.”
Sharon could see that Rye was hurting for her friend and didn’t know what to do, so she just leaned against her and gave her a hug. “You’re doing everything you can you know.” Sharon looked in her eyes, “You’ve been amazing, but you have to let her decide. She’s the only one who has to go through it. She and Bailey will figure it out and do what they think is best honey.”
Riley looked a little surprised and then she smiled. “Hey, that’s the first time you called me that.”
Sharon looked a little flustered, “I’m sorry, it just slipped out. Is it all right?” she asked a little shyly.
“It’s perfect,” Riley said kissing the tip of her nose.
Just then, the timer went off and Sharon jumped up to save the bread. They both let their conversation drop and got dinner on the table together. They sat down to eat and switched to casual topics during dinner.
When they finished and cleared the table, they took their wine glasses into the living room. Sharon turned on her gas fireplace and put on a relaxing mix of Celtic music. They snuggled together on the couch, and Sharon turned to Riley, ready to speak her mind about their relationship. Riley turned to her and started to say something, just as Sharon started to speak. They laughed and both indicated the other should go before Sharon got frustrated and took charge.
“I’m going to start. We’ve been seeing each other for a little while now, and I thought we should talk about it. I just want to make sure we’re on the same page.”
Riley felt a knot of fear form in her stomach. She thought about it and was confused, because hadn’t Sharon just called her “honey?” Was she about to end things because she was growing attached? That didn’t jibe with the woman she was getting to know, so she took a deep breath, and tried to listen carefully.
“I’m really glad we met Rye. I’ve been attracted to you since that day in the hospital. Watching you with Jay and Bailey has just made you all the more attractive. You’ve become such a good friend to me, and so much more.” Sharon paused, then took another sip of wine before setting her glass down, and continued. “I want to take things to the next level, I want us to be exclusive, and I want us to become a little more …”
At that, she stalled out but Riley was smiling from ear to ear. “Sharon, I want that too. I haven’t been seeing anyone else and I want us to go forward as well. I think we have something pretty amazing going and I’d like to see where it leads.”
With that said she leaned forward and kissed Sharon’s mouth gently at first, then growing in boldness. She slipped her tongue inside Sharon’s mouth, and found that Sharon’s tongue was ready and waiting for her. They deepened their kiss and Riley felt Sharon’s hands moving restlessly over her shirt.
Riley slid down on the couch more, bringing Sharon’s legs up to join her, and stretching out partially on top of her. Sharon moaned deep in her throat, and her hips started moving against Riley as they continued to kiss. Riley slipped one hand under Sharon’s sweater and gasped at the warmth of her bare skin. She let her hand drift upwards until she brushed against the satin of Sharon’s bra and gently cupped her breast.
Sharon pulled away enough to look at Riley’s face. Riley looked back and then asked, “Is this too soon? Too fast?”
Sharon shook her head but bit her lip. “I’m sorry. I want this but I’m worried.”
“Worried? Why?”
Sharon bent her head down and blushed. “I’m just not as young as you or the women you met on the golf tour. I’m worried about if you’ll think I’m sexy enough.”
Riley’s first thought was to laugh because this woman has her twisted up in knots from the first time they met. She thought better of it and decided to just be honest. “You are partially right. You are older than me by about six years. You are also right that I slept with some younger women on the tour. But Sharon, I have never, ever, wanted a woman the way I want you right now. You are so sexy that I think my heart might beat out of my chest if I don’t get to touch you soon.”
Sharon looked up into Riley’s eyes and saw nothing but the truth, love and desire. She reached up and pulled Riley back down to her mouth, stopping after a searing kiss to thank her. “That was what I needed to hear baby. I’m sorry, I’m just a bit insecure. I know you want this too. I know it isn’t just a game. Please, don’t stop.”
Riley bent her head down and starting kissing a line down Sharon’s neck to her cleavage. She spread kisses as far as she could reach without removing Sharon’s clothes.
Sharon arched up into her then, pulling her lips away from Riley she gasped, “Take it off, please take it off.”
Riley groaned and lifted up enough to slide Sharon’s sweater over her head and unclasp her bra, before sliding that off as well. Riley quickly pulled off her own sweater and bra, before settling back down on Sharon with one jean clad thigh between Sharon’s legs.
They started exploring each other’s skin, gasping when their hard nipples rubbed against each other for the first time. Sharon urged Riley on, as she kissed her way down Sharon’s neck and to her breasts. Taking one hard nipple in her mouth, she licked and sucked gently, as Sharon arched into her moaning her name. Sharon ran her hands up and down Riley’s back, and then grabbed her ass, pulling her more tightly against her, as they moved together. Riley could hardly believe this was happening, and she was so turned on that she worried she wouldn’t be able to hold out for long. She paused for a second to calm her libido down a bit but Sharon had other ideas.
“Oh God, don’t stop, please don’t stop. I want to feel all of you against me, please Riley.”
With a growl, Riley leaned down and moved to the other breast, feasting on it as she moved her hand down to cup the warmth between Sharon’s thighs. She reached to undo the jeans that barred her way, but Sharon gasped when she felt the hand move away from her. Riley reached back down and cupped her and squeezed gently. Sharon’s hips bucked and drove harder, as her breathing became more erratic.
“Oh God Riley, don’t stop, you’re going to make me come,” she cried out.
Riley redoubled her efforts, moving into her more forcefully, and paying attention to both breasts. She knew there was no way she had time to get into Sharon’s jeans this first time, but she knew there would be plenty of more chances that night. Suddenly, Sharon stiffened and groaned as she came in Riley’s arms. Riley slowed, easing the pressure as she felt the shock waves slow down.
Sharon looked up at her and smiled, “I can’t believe I came that fast. I’d say I’m sorry, but I don’t want to lie.”
Riley grinned, “It is totally fine with me, there’s plenty more where that came from. I didn’t even get to the really good stuff yet.” Riley stood, offered her hand to Sharon, and helped her up, “Let’s go get more comfortable. I know you have to have a bed around here someplace.”
Sharon laughed and pulled her along, up the stairs, and into her bedroom. She stood Riley before her bed and lowered her gaze to the top of Riley’s jeans. She bit her lip, and slowly worked the buttons and opened Riley’s fly. Sharon started pushing the material down, taking Riley’s panties with it, and Riley helped her, stepping out of her jeans and turning back to Sharon. Sharon quickly stripped off her remaining clothes, and the two women fell into each other’s arms and onto the large bed. Riley was amazed at the passionate woman in her arms. She knew Sharon had many different sides, but this was one she had kept hidden quite well, until now. They kissed deeply before Sharon made her way down Riley’s body with her mouth following her hands.
When she reached the triangle of hair between Riley’s legs, she looked up and asked her, “Is this all right? I really want to taste you, please baby?”
Riley moaned and nodded, throwing her head back as Sharon lightly kissed her way down and found her clit with her tongue. Sharon licked her way through the wet, swollen folds before going back to her clit while she slid first one, then two fingers into Riley. Sharon moaned softly, as she felt her fingers slide into the moist heat and she started to move in time with Riley’s hips. She felt herself growing wet and hard as she made love to Riley, but pushed it aside as she reveled in the joy of her lover. She felt the muscles tighten around her fingers and started sucking on Riley’s clit harder and moving her fingers faster. With that, Riley let out a scream and came hard, shaking and shuddering for a full minute, before the tremors eased. Sharon slipped out of her and slid up the bed to embrace Riley.
“Was it worth the wait?” she asked.
Riley started laughing before she could respond, “Well worth it, want me to prove it again?”
“Umm hmm,” grinned Sharon as they continued their explorations for the majority of the night.
#
Jay looked up from her laptop when Riley came in the room. “Hey buddy, when did you get here?” she asked.
“A few minutes ago I guess. I heard you working in here, so I made us some tea,” she said passing over a mug to Jay.
“Thanks,” she took an appreciative sip before setting it on the coaster and asking, “Are you feeling okay? You look a little tired today. I’m fine if you need to head out and grab some sleep, or you could crash here in the guest room.”
“Nah, I’m fine, but I’m glad to see you feeling so much better. You’re not over doing it, are you? No one expects you to do much work right now.”
Jay shook her head and reached for her tea again. “I’m mostly just catching up on e-mail and such. I’m taking it slow, I promise.” She looked up at her friend and decided to come clean. “I’m just trying to get some stuff done while I have the benefit of feeling better, before I go back for chemo in a week.”
Riley looked up at her in shocked surprise. “I thought you were dead set against it? What happened?”
Jay filled her in on the discussion she had with some of the members of her support group, and her radiation doctor, Dr. Zach. A few people had pointed out that even if she was prepared to live or die by her choices, they asked her one good question time and time again.
“The question most people asked me was, ‘How would I feel if I have a reoccurrence and didn’t finish my chemotherapy treatment?’”
“And?”
“The truth is, I think I’d be fine, but I thought about how Bailey would feel if I didn’t do it. The guilt of making Bailey wonder if chemo could have saved me is too much to live with. I never want her or any one I love to question the choice. If I have a reoccurrence I don’t want any of you wondering if you could have saved me by forcing me into chemo.”
“So, you’re doing it for us? For Bailey and the rest of us?” Riley couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She had been certain that Jay was going to stop treatment.
“Yeah. Basically, you all mean too much to me to let you have that kind of guilt if I don’t win in the end. Plus, the doc agreed to change chemo drugs to a slightly less caustic drug called Carboplatin, instead of the Cisplatin, added in a shot for red blood cell production, and another for while blood cell production.”
“Why didn’t they do those shots before now?” Riley wondered if that was why Jay had gotten so sick.
“Based on my age and health after the first round they decided to hold off. But, he also assured me that me condition was more a result of the combined effects of the radiation and the chemo together. Since I’m done with radiation I’ll be in better shape to withstand the chemo. The new regimen should mean less nausea, though much more fatigue. I decided I could use with more sleep anyway, so that isn’t as big a deal as getting sick and being nauseated all the time.”
Riley was glad to hear that she had decided to go forward with treatment. As much as she was willing to support any choice Jay made, this one was what she felt most comfortable with for the long term.
“So, Rye, tell me, why are you looking so tired anyway? Are you sure you feel okay?”
Riley blushed, something Jay didn’t think was possible, and it let her know something was seriously going on.
“C’mon, spill it dude, I wanna know, and you can’t deny a sick woman her wishes.” Jay grinned knowing that playing on her illness was a totally dirty trick. She suspected the reason for Riley’s exhaustion from the blush and she wanted to find out if she was right.
“I just didn’t get much sleep last night is all. No big deal really.”
“Uh huh, and I’m not mostly bald either,” retorted Jay. Most of her hair had fallen out and Bailey had shaved what little remained when Jay told her it actually hurt to lay her head on the dying hair that hadn’t fallen out yet. Jay wore a headscarf or knit cap when she went outside to keep warm.
Finally, Riley admitted that she had spent the night with Sharon, and Jay hooted.
“I knew it! I knew it! You’ve totally fallen for her, haven’t you? Admit it!”
Riley looked at her with a bashful look and said, “Yeah, I really have I guess. She’s so different from other women I’ve dated. She’s not what I would have considered my type, but I can’t stop thinking about her. We just mesh so well that it scares me a little. Last night just kind of happened when we started talking about how things were going and where we thought we might be headed.”
Jay chuckled, “So, you were headed to bed?” She smirked as her friend blushed even more then let her off the hook. “Rye, I’m happy for you. You deserve to be happy and so does she. Sharon’s come a long way in a short time, and I think you had something to do with that change. You’re both good people and I hope you’re both happy together.”
Riley ducked her head and grinned, and then decided it was time to change topics. She started talking about some changes at the club as far as staffing, and some renovations planned for the course next season. Soon, Jay was sleepy and went off to take a nap, and Riley stretched out on the couch to do the same.
#
The next couple of months went by in kind of a blur for Jay and Bailey. Jay had two more rounds of chemotherapy, with almost four weeks between sessions, to give her counts a better chance to recover. Bailey was busy at work, and at home, taking care of things for Jay. Mostly Jay slept a lot. The doctors had been serious when they warned of a lot of fatigue, but she still thought it better than being sick all the time. Her mouth had mostly healed, and she could eat relatively normal foods as long as they were bland and easy to digest. Her mouth was still sensitive from the burns but her neck was healing. It looked much better than it had during her time in the ICU. All in all, life had settled down, at least a little bit, for them.
The last days of Jay’s treatment were literally a blank for her. She knew that Riley had been the one to take her to and from, and hang out with her, but she honestly didn’t remember going to treatment, or anything else from that Thursday and Friday. It was not a big loss to her way of thinking, not remembering treatment didn’t seem that bad of an idea.
Bailey was still worried about her, and kept a close watch to make sure Jay didn’t over do things, and ate a healthy diet. Bailey had switched over most of their food to organic products and had looked for cancer fighting foods to incorporate into their diet. Riley found a book, of course, and brought it over, along with a quart of pomegranate juice since that was supposed to contain immune system boosting agents.
Sharon and Riley had gotten more comfortable as a couple, and were hanging out with Jay and Bailey about once a week or so, to help out and keep them both company. Riley had even donated her hair to Locks of Love, the organization that makes human hair wigs for cancer patients. Now she really looked like a lesbian golfer, she joked, with that short golf pro haircut. Jay was touched that her friend had done that, especially since Jay really missed her own hair. It had never been a source of much vanity, but she found that her head was cold most of the time. She had taken to wearing bandanas around the condo to stay warm. She even slept with something on her head or she woke up freezing during the night.
Bailey spent most of her time at home watching Jay sleep. She was so happy that the treatments were over but terrified that they hadn’t worked. She was less afraid though since she had joined Jay’s online group and talked to other caregivers. Everyone seemed to say the same thing. Having a great support network was a key to survival for all concerned.