Part Six - Every particle of matter in the universe attracts every other particle with a force which is directly proportional to the product of the particles' masses.
Three and a half hours later Grace was having her usual difficult time with the security entry pad to her door. The fact that Dana was sucking on her neck did not help her concentration. Dana reached over her shoulder and punched her secret code into the mechanism, and the door clicked.
"I really hate it when you do that."
"No, you don't," Dana replied, gently nudging her forward.
Grace flipped the wall switch to illuminate her small house and tossed her briefcase and coat on the chair by the door. Dana allowed her eyes to roam over the familiar, yet foreign surroundings. The kitchen counter was cluttered with newspapers, mail, and things the doctor had picked up at the store but failed to put away. The floor was covered with fuzzy debris, not having been vacuumed for several months. Magazines of all sorts were stacked on the coffee table, as were a pair of red pumps and a sweater.
"Damn, Grace, you need a maid."
"Wait until you see the bathroom."
Dana walked over to the little john and flipped on the light. "Yuck. You haven't cleaned it since I left."
"Just about."
"I'm glad I'm all caught up on my shots. How's the kitchen?"
"Clean only because I never use it."
Except for a sink full of cereal bowls and spoons, and an overflowing garbage can, which Rip found quite appealing, she was right.
"Oh, Chipmunk, you really do need me," she said facetiously and let her hands slide around the torso of the beautiful, overworked slob.
"I need a day off is all." The blonde tried to play it down. "I'm going to take a shower. I feel kind of grungy."
"Do you actually think bathing in there is going to help?"
"Be quiet," she said, slapping the tall brunette in the abs.
Dana made the most of the time alone by dressing the bed with clean sheets and blankets. And then she saw it, the one thing she could not resist. Slowly it drew her closer until she was standing next to it. It beckoned her, and she caved in to its calls. As soon as she pushed the knob in and the hot water started running into the washer, she knew she had gone too far, but it felt so good. A second later the wall was vibrating from Grace's fist pounding against the tile. "Heh, heh, heh," Dana chuckled as she pulled the knob back out and the water stopped.
After programming the stereo with Fleetwood Mac, Van Morrison, and two slow songs by Melissa Etheridge, she stripped out of her jeans and tossed them into the soapy water, along with her sweatshirt and some of Grace's clothes that were piled on the floor of the laundry closet. She shook her head, noticing that she had barely made a dent in the mountain of garments.
What she assumed to be clean laundry was strewn across the hope chest at the foot of the bed. While the music played, she began folding and putting away the clothes into the bare dresser drawers. Once the water stopped running in the bathroom, she restarted the washer and settled on the edge of the bed to finish sorting the clothes. She was matching socks when she heard the door open. A cloud of steam whooshed out of the bathroom, followed by the beautiful, damp woman. Wrapped in a towel, Grace approached the bed.
"Can I have that T-shirt and underwear?" she asked, indicating the little stack Dana had built.
"What for?"
"Why, to wear, Dana."
"But I'm not planning on you wearing anything tonight."
"Gimme."
Dana held the shirt and panties out, but as soon as Grace reached for them, she pulled them away. After several attempts, Grace grabbed the nano tech's wrist and yanked the garments away, only to disappear into the bathroom again.
When she returned, her golden hair was combed back, and her small frame was covered with the shirt. Dana began to laugh. "What in God's name are you doing, Grace?" she asked her uncharacteristically shy friend.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
The shirt hung down past her knees and elbows. "I'm talking about that outfit." She laughed again. "Are you wearing your bra too?"
"No," she said, her hands on her hips. "I was cold."
Dana sighed. She thought her friend was kind of cute when she was insecure.
Grace tried to change the subject. "I like the music you chose." The Mac were singing "chains" in their oh, so kicking way.
"Come here," Dana whispered, reaching for the edge of the shirt.
Grace spun it out of her hand and backed away a half-step.
Confident blue eyes bore into timid green. Dana wanted to tell her not to be afraid, that she would never leave her again, that Grace was the only thing she thought about before falling asleep and the first thing when she awoke. She searched for the words to describe how terribly she ached for her touch...her sound...her breath on her neck. "Grace, I would really like to see you naked," she stated and reached out again.
Again she was thwarted with a spin.
"I'll be right back." The doctor retreated from the room.
"Smoooooooth, Dana," the tall techie mumbled to herself as she fell backward on the bed. "Jesus, Dana. That was fucking dumb." She pounded her gauze-wrapped hand against her forehead. "Stupid, stupid, stupid."
Grace stopped in the doorway with a bottle of water and watched her lover castigating herself. "You go first," Grace bravely challenged after a few moments of silent observation.
Dana sat right up. One of her eyebrows shot up into her bangs, and a mischievous smile settled on her lips. She reached for the bottom edge of her shirt and pulled upward, revealing her tanned, rippled flesh.
Grace's throat became parched but instead of sipping from her bottle, she found herself licking her lips. Yikes, Dana looked good, she thought, as the round breasts revealed themselves...then the shoulders. She took a long swig of dihydrogen monoxide.
The powerful fisherwoman moved to her feet, bringing herself closer to the mesmerized blonde. Sliding her fingers under the waistband of her shorts, Dana pushed them down until they dropped to the carpet of their own accord. Of course, Grace's eyes followed the falling garment past the dark triangle, past the knees, and down to the ankles. While Dana stepped out, Grace's eyes leisurely climbed the long, tan legs.
"Your turn." Amused blues met startled greens.
"Uh."
Dana sat back on the bed, crossed one long leg over the other, and nodded.
Gingerly Grace approached and stood before her. "One thing," she said timidly.
Dana sighed. "Hmmm."
"I've put on some weight."
"So have I."
"Yeah, but you were sort of skinny."
"So were you." She was running her hands under the shirt over the soft skin of the doctor's sides. A half-grin formed on the dark face.
"What?" Grace's voice was pregnant with insecurity.
She let her hands roam down the hot body and began to remove the underwear as she pulled the beautiful blonde closer. Her hands then slid up over the soft, naked buttocks and strong back to pull her closer still.
"I look like my sister."
"Your sister is beautiful," Dana whispered, enthralled by what she felt under her callused hands. Those hands began to push the T-shirt upwards, revealing golden curls and a smooth belly. The rippled skin was gone, but a definite line still ran straight from her sternum through her belly button. Dana tried to measure the amount of body fat by pinching but barely achieved an inch. Her hand was slapped when she looked up with that silly half-grin. In an effort to apologize she leaned forward and placed her lips on the exposed skin of the blonde's stomach just below the belly button. "You are beautiful," she mumbled into the softness. She pressed her cheek against the warmth. "And crazy for thinking I could ever find you unattractive." She looked directly into the other woman's eyes. "Grace, you look really good, and you haven't put on much weight at all."
"Fifteen pounds."
It was more like twenty, but Dana was not going to argue. "In all the right places. Now I won't get poked by those bony hips."
Grace smiled, pulled the oversized shirt over her head, and straddled the muscular legs of her love. "My hips were never bony."
"I have scars, see?"
"Shut up," she said. Using her weight, she pushed the protesting woman backward on the bed. An unpleasant memory flashed through Dana's mind, but it was exorcized by the exquisite sensation of Grace's hot, wet mouth on hers, soft breasts pressed against her own. Hardened hands gripped Grace's head, and the bodies began to slide against each other fervently until they both became desperate for more, much more.
Dana awoke at dawn to the soothing sounds of the ocean and the rhythmic sound of her lover breathing next to her ear. Grace was up on her elbow watching her and playing with the long, dark hair. She had been watching her for at least forty-five minutes.
"Morning," Dana said, trying to roll over to face her. Still drained from the night's activities, her body was slow to respond. "Ummm," she mumbled as she tried again. She decided to stay on her back. "I do believe I have been rocked."
"Rocked?"
Dana smiled at the ceiling, having finally discovered the true meaning of the term she had heard her bawdy, sex-crazed crew use to describe a great hump. She sighed and relaxed into the soft mattress. "Rocked," she repeated with a longer, satisfied sigh. She did not know if it was the exhaustion of working and staying up through the night, or the little extra Grace was packing these days, but boy, oh, boy, she was feeling well loved this morning.
"You're implying I rocked you."
"I think it was you, unless your sister is visiting."
"I can't believe you said that to me." The pink, chapped lips of the smaller woman began to pout.
Dana rolled over and kissed her on those full lips and tried to convey in the touch that she was the only one. Releasing her, she drifted back and watched Grace's eyes flutter open. "Let's go swimming," she said, springing out of bed and yanking her naked companion along. Dana surveyed the large number of purpling love bites on the pale skin and smiled wickedly.
"It's still September, Dana. My neighbors will be out there," she protested.
"It's five a.m. Who the hell is up at this hour? Joy would do it."
A sinister look passed from the doctor to her lover as the one dragged the other through the house to the back door. "Noah would kill her."
"Yeah, right. He'd be taking pictures." Dana opened the back door to the deck and let Rip go out first. The nearest summer home was a hundred yards away toward the main road. "Stop being so...." She drew a square in the air, making chalkboard noises along each edge.
"God, I hate when you do that," she hissed through gritted teeth.
"No, you don't." She was beginning to draw a fresh shape when Grace grabbed her fingers.
"Enough."
"I love you, Chipmunk, but I think you need a dip."
"I think I just had one."
"That's it, you sassy, Hee-Haw, frog-eating hillbilly. She grabbed the smaller, nude form by the waist and slung her over her wide shoulder.
Blood flooded Grace's head while she watched the wooden planks of the deck and then the white sand pass under her, her butt stuck into the air for all of the morning sea gulls to dive-bomb.
"Oh, hi, Mrs. Nesmith." Dana waved to a pretend neighbor. Grace panicked and strained to look around, but before she could right herself, she felt her body being thrown into the cold, green waves of the ocean. Before she could panic, strong arms reached in and lifted her above the surface, holding her tightly against an equally powerful golden body.
"You are such a shit," she said, wiping saline and snot from her face..
"That's not what you were calling me last night," Dana replied with a wiggle of the eyebrows. She moved in and began to nuzzle an already purple mark on the soft shoulder.
Tender hands wrapped around the long neck and tugged down until her mouth could reach the full bruised lips above her. High tide gently rose and fell against their chests. They broke the kiss when they heard Rip barking and saw her chasing a twilight jogger who had to veer off the beach, more concerned with avoiding having his rump bitten off than the two naked women getting it on in the surf.
"I think we should take this inside before we get arrested," Little Miss Propriety suggested. She led her tall companion gracefully from the waves across the sand and back to the house. But they did not get any farther than the dining room table before Dana said the hell with propriety.
A few hours later, after Dana had had a chance to clean the bathroom and Grace had vacuumed, they rested together on the sofa under a century-old, hand-crafted, Kentucky quilt. Grace was sprawled across Dana's outstretched legs and was feeding her spoonfuls of ice cream for breakfast. It was the only thing Grace had that did not come in a can or require nuking.
Dana, who rarely watched television, was flipping through the Saturday morning cartoons. "These things sure have become tame since I was a kid. They don't even let Sylvester get mauled behind the fence by those dogs anymore."
"Television desensitizes kids to violence."
"Yeah, right, those scientists can bite me," Dana said, taking a mouthful of butter-pecan ice cream from the offered utensil. "We're talking Looney Tunes here."
"Studies show."
"Ugh!" Dana groaned her frustration as Wyle E. Coyote managed to escape the falling boulder again. "This sucks," she exclaimed, flipping the channel to the weather station, where they were told about the weather in California.
"You're incorrigible."
"No. I'm in Connecticut." She changed the channel again and took another spoonful. She landed on the Adventure Channel, which was playing old reruns of a series about Hercules. "Ruth and Dad used to bust my butt for watching this show." Another spoonful was offered and accepted. "By the way, I've noticed it's always two for you, one for me." Grace leaned over and offered a sweet, sugary kiss, which was savored. On the television screen a nasty, green, slimy monster was holding Hercules upside down.
"That guy looks like Booger."
Dana tilted her head to get a better look at the dangling actor. He did look a lot like Booger. The monster vomited on Hercules, and then there was a break for a commercial. "The violence on these shows never affected me."
"Dana?" Grace said in surprise.
"What?"
"You tried to drive Sam Greer through the wall yesterday."
"He hurt you," Dana said and flipped the channel.
Grace, although somewhat frightened by the sheer power Dana could wield, was also touched that she had used it to protect her. "What time will the lattices be ready?"
"Around four."
"And then we assemble the new machines for the trials."
"First we have to remove any stereogenically impure substances; then we assemble the machines."
"And then?"
"And then we'll add a radioactive tracer carbon so that we can measure whether or not the machines can locate the tumors in the rats."
"And if we're successful, will you leave?"
Dana turned from the television to the woman who was asking her a very important question. "We'll need to talk about that."
Fear cinched the insecure woman's gut.
"We need to find something that will allow us both to be happy. Let's not worry about it now." Her good hand cupped a smooth, fair cheek. "Okay?" Dana offered a cunning half-smile when Grace pressed into the cradling hand and kissed it.
"This is a dream," she murmured.
"There aren't any commercials in dreams," Dana quipped and switched the channel again.
"Give me that," Grace said, tossing the carton of Hood onto the coffee table next to the red shoes and lunging for the remote control.
Using her long arms, Dana was able to thwart the attack by holding the remote high above her head. The smaller woman tried to claim the booty by climbing the reclined body, playing right into Dana's hands and her sexual advances and quickly diverting further bloodletting in the battle for the remote.
"Oh, God," Grace exclaimed, sliding her hands into the thick head of hair that was attached to the freezing teeth and tongue that had latched onto her left nipple. Her right knee slid against Dana's supremely tender and rapidly warming southern region, eliciting a muffled groan from the nano tech. Dana had an idea. She reached for the container on the table and dug out the melting cream with two fingers and then swirled it around the hard, pink nipples in front of her.
Grace arched into the touch. "That's cold."
"I can see that," Dana said with a very naughty grin on her face. Then she began to taste the dessert herself and groaned again at the sweet double prize. She lifted them both up, still attached to the tasty nipple, and flipped them over so that Grace was writhing under her. Using the other hand, she reached over for a larger dollop and began to smear a line from the smaller woman's breasts to her belly button. Grace began to giggle as Dana licked her way down. When she finished cleaning the rounded abdomen, she reached for another scoop and smiled evilly at her impromptu plate.
Grace began to laugh harder at the stained face of her lover and wiped a round smudge from her nose. "You have a pencil mustache and a goatee," she giggled. "You look like a snowboard junkie."
Dana arched her eyebrows in question, managing to heighten the comedic look and making the blonde laugh even harder. As if Grace would mind, she took a larger scoop of cream and smeared it on the rounded belly. Using her shoulder, she spread the doctor's legs and covered the tender flesh of her inner thighs with cool stickiness. She started the taste test smack-dab in the middle of her tummy and used the next hour to decide which section tasted best. They spent the rest of the afternoon passed out under the soft blanket, tangled in each other's arms.
"Your have butter pecan under your chin," the little blonde said with a chuckle. She reached up with the soap and began to wash the sticky crust away. Dana held the slick body in front of her loosely while the hot water pelted her back and relaxed under her touch. Grace was soaping up her muscular shoulders and chest, running her soft fingers over the new ripples and old scars. When she touched a firm, tender breast, Dana slipped her tough hands onto the round bottom and found a hot mouth with hers. Smaller arms moved around to blindly lather her back.
"I don't think I will ever get tired of tasting you," Dana said, swaying them gently.
"Turn around so I can wash your hair." Grace stood on her tiptoes, balanced by Dana's hands on her waist, and scrubbed the raven locks. "Okay, rinse, and then you do me."
"Gladly," Dana replied, forcing the soft, smooth body against the tile wall. "Should I start anywhere in particular?" she whispered into the ear she was nibbling.
"I meant wash me."
"Ohhh." Dana took the soap that was offered to her.
"You're insatiable."
Dana let one eyebrow arch as she began to work the soap into a thick, fluffy lather.