Romance. Oh, yeah! Between women, and between a man and a woman.
Sex. Ooh, boy, and then some.
Comments. Reach me at, passionatetyger@aol.com. Tell me if you like it, or if you don't, but don't be purposefully mean, please, my young heart couldn't take it.
©1997
"Aren't you going to try to find her?" Garret Harrison asked, looking deeply into his childhood best friend's light blue eyes. He slouched forward, his arms resting on top of the table, his black round neck sweater stretching across the muscles of his chest and back. He studied her intently. She hadn't changed at all. Her black hair was still as beautifully curly as when she was eighteen. Her eye-brows were naturally thin and arched, giving her the gentle expression of innocence. She wore a red v-neck shirt, tucked gently into black slacks. Her wrists gently decorated with a bracelet and a gold watch.
Anthea stared back into his brown eyes. "No," She said firmly, looking away from him. They'd just walked into Ben's Best, intent on having a good lunch. They'd found each other again in the street, after almost ten years of not seeing or knowing a thing about the other. She'd been in Europe all that time, traveling, trying to get away from her past. She'd been planning to surprise him with her return, and on her way to his home, had found him getting ready to leave somewhere. She'd been lucky.
"Then you don't love her anymore?" He asked, his thick blonde eyebrows arching. His fingered his goat-tee, which was slightly darker than his blonde hair and eyebrows.
Her eyes snapped back to him. "I always have, and always will!" She said with great feeling. Her pale, milky skin flushed. Her eyes teared. "It's only been her, Garret." Her voice was low, suppressed.
Garret was exasperated, throwing his large hands up in helplessness. "Then why?" He demanded. "Give me one good reason."
She looked down at her hands, which were clasped together on top of the table, wringing and shaking nervously. "Garret, there is something that I never told anyone about ten years ago." She said quietly, twisting her hands even more.
Garret frowned, remaining silent and waiting for her to continue. He reached out a hand and took both of hers into it, squeezing them reassuringly. "You'll mangle your hands if you keep twisting them like that." He chided softly. "Anthea, what is going on?"
Anthea looked up at him pleadingly. "You know my brother," She began.
"Yeah, the only one you have. Gago." Garret cut her off without realizing it. "What about him?"
"Let me finish on my own, Gar." Anthea said firmly. She took a deep breath. "At first, as you know, Carmen and I were the best of friends." He nodded at her statement. "As you also know, the longer we were together, the less we could be apart." She continued, her blue eyes brightening with the still vivid memories. "You know she was younger than I, but I still loved her, wanted her. And she was so mature for her age and she wanted me too, loved me, Garret." Her eyes were anguished suddenly. "And we ended up making love, and it was our first time with anybody and it was wonderful." She paused, remembering.
"Her family didn't care about her, remember?" He nodded, also into his own memories of the young Carmen Ramirez. The beautiful Dominican fourteen year old girl with the soft brown eyes and straight black hair. Her remembered how he and Anthea had first met her at the Queens Center Mall. She'd been standing by the bathroom doors at the Food Mall, her eyes sad as she stared down at her feet. Garret could remember how Anthea had stopped on her tracks at the sight of her, how her breath had caught in her throat. How she'd been instantly attracted to her, had immediately approached her. He could remember the light in both their eyes as they looked at one another. Anthea's voice brought him back.
"So we got away with it," She continued, her eyes far away. "With pretending to be close friends, with loving each other. I introduced her to Gago. You were there Garret." She paused, thinking back. "My brother, you know, there's always been something wrong with him. He's crazy," Garret nodded in agreement. "He has this weird dementia, that's why his business deals are always in some way money making. Well, his intuitions about Carmen and I were not for our benefit. He's always been a little… possessive when it came to me, because of what happened to our older sister, getting pregnant with Jackie and everything else." She stopped, her eyes widening as if it were all happening to her at the very moment.
"The reason why I left her was- was…." Her voice broke, tears came to her eyes. "Was because he threatened her life! He came to me and beat me until I couldn't breathe and told me he'd kill her. That he could do it that same night." She stopped, bowing her head and crying.
"You could not possibly believe that!" Garret exclaimed. "Gago couldn't kill a…"
Her head snapped back up. "He almost killed you, Garret!" She continued. "The only thing that kept him from doing was the fact that I was laying on top of you, willing to receive that blow for you, a fatal blow. He'd grabbed you and flung you down as if you were a fly. Remember?"
Garret remembered very clearly. The much smaller Gago seemed to be as strong as three men put together. Gago had always been smaller than Garret's six-foot-two-inch, broad-muscled frame; he seemed weak next to him. But that night, Gago seemed completely to have lost it after Garret gave Anthea one of their customary, gentle goodbye kisses on the lips. They'd never kissed in front of Gago; that had been their mistake. Gago had taken Garret by the neck and punched the lights out of him; Garret was too shocked to even fight back.
Anthea was as shocked as Garret, at first staring with widened eyes and open mouth. But when Gago disappeared and materialized with a metal bat, she'd sprung into action, throwing herself on top her friend, not caring to know if Gago was disturbed enough to even hit her with it. "He threatened her life, Gar." Anthea said, bringing him back from his horrid memories of Gago. "I begged him not to; she was such a young beautiful thing. I would have preferred that he'd kill me. She was so innocent after all." Her eyes watered again, she lowered her head and cried again.
He waited patiently, wanting to hear the rest of the story. "But she's okay, Anthea. I've heard she's doing really well in the boxing business."
Anthea looked up at Garret with proud eyes. "That's what I've heard too." She said, and smiled shakily. "She must be so beautiful, Gar!"
Garret smiled at her, squeezing her hand. "Tell me what else Gago said to you." He prompted.
"He said that if I left her, he wouldn't hurt her." She said quietly. "And I agreed to do it. I said to him: 'The only way you'll really keep me away from her is if you send me away.' And Gago already had money, business was well for him. He sent me away the very next day, not even giving me a chance to say goodbye to either one of you."
Garret looked down, feeling his own tears sliding down his cheeks. He remembered going to Anthea's house, unaware of her leaving. Gago had come to the door, on his face an ugly, triumphant smile. "What do you want?" He'd snarled at Garret, crossing his thin arms over his small chest; his body rather smallish for a twenty-five year old man's, yet so strong.
"I want to see Anthea." Garret had replied, his nineteen year old's voice shaky.
Gago had widened his eyes with fake feeling. "She's gone far away." He'd said airily, mockingly, flinging a hand about to indicate it. Then his eyes hardened visibly. "She's not here to protect you anymore, so you better stay clear of me and this house. Understood?" He said harshly, and Garret knew he'd meant it. He never saw Gago again.
"Does Gago know you're back?" He asked her.
Anthea shook her head. "Not yet. He's bound to find out, though." Their food arrived and they ate silently, lost in their own memories. They'd ordered the same thing, their taste in food always being similar. Afterwards, as they waited for their coffee and tea, Garret said:
"Honey, I've got to go to the bathroom. I'll be right back." Anthea nodded and smiled. Garret stood up and walked deeper into the restaurant, towards the bathrooms. A sudden low rumble of cheery laughter caught his attention. He turned his face towards the source and stopped short, his mouth falling open. She looked older, even more mature, more self-assured than the shy fourteen year old girl that'd stood against a wall staring at her feet. Her smile was the same, though a little less childish, less innocent, and less happy.
Her companions were in their teens. One was obviously a lesbian couple, the other heterosexual. Garret was staring at Cami though, not believing the luck. He approached the table, Cami's eyes lifted as she sensed him, her smile faded. Her companions stared at them curiously. "Carmen, is it you?" He asked softly, though he had no doubt that it was, he'd seen the recognition in her brown eyes. They remained that way, staring at each other for a long time.
Her reaction was so sudden, so violent, that it left her companions shocked. She jumped off the chair and lunged at him, her hands grabbing the collar of his shirt. The momentum sent him stumbling backwards and she followed him, not loosing her balance. "Where is she?" She hissed, shaking him violently. Garret was surprised by her strength, he stared into her sorrowful eyes. "Why did she leave me like that?" She demanded, her eyes filling with tears and her grip loosening. "She hurt me so much!" And then she pressed her forehead against his chest and let out a heart-wrenching sob.
Garret wrapped his arms around her and held her while she cried, her shoulders shaking with every sob. "Oh, Carmen." He whispered softly, not knowing what to say. He stared at the young woman with the short dirty blonde hair, the very attractive hazel eyed young woman that'd jumped out of her seat in surprise when Cami lunged at him. She now seemed unsure of what to do. "It's okay." He said to her. "We're old friends."
Cami pulled away form him slowly, wiping the tears from her cheeks. The initial anger was gone, only pain remained. "Garret," She said, her voice contained, even. "Why did she leave like that? I thought she loved me."
"More than anything, Carmen. She loved you more than anything." He said. "You were the most important thing in her life. It was all true, Anthea never lied to you about her feelings." He looked back over his shoulder, wondering if Anthea heard the racket.
"Where is she?" Cami demanded.
He looked over his shoulder again. "I don't know, Carmen." He answered calmly.
Cami hadn't noticed his continuous glance over his shoulder. She was trying to relax, taking deep breaths. She shoved her hands into her pant pockets and gestured to her companions. "This is my family," She said, sniffing. She pointed to the strong young woman with expressive hazel eyes. "That's Mel." Then she pointed towards a beautiful black haired, petite young woman. "And Nicole." Then at a pretty green eyed girl. "Aileen," And then a cute, brown eyed, curly haired young man. "And Carlos. Everybody, this is Garret."
"Hello," Garret returned their greetings. He urged to return to Anthea, to tell her that Cami was there, to see her reaction. But she beat him to it, because she didn't see Cami standing in front of him. She came up behind him and grabbed his shoulder, saying:
"Garret, what's going on?"
Cami's eyes widened, she couldn't believe her ears. The voice, so familiar and missed. She mouthed the name, not finding her voice. She moved forward slowly, visibly trembling and pushed Garret aside, finding herself face to face with the love of her life.
"Oh, God!" Anthea sobbed as she found herself looking into the much remembered brown eyes of Carmen Ramirez. She swayed, feeling faint, her legs weakening. The bewilderment was so intense in Cami's eyes, leaving Anthea shaking. She stepped backwards, lifting her shaking hand to her lips, the memory of the last time she and Cami had been together so vivid that it left her insides aching with need.
It had been as if they felt their approaching separation, so intense, so full of love and passion. It had been the first time they'd said 'I love you' to one another, and they'd meant it…. Anthea felt the floor sway under her and her blue eyes rolled back, darkness enveloped her. When her eyes opened, she was in Garret's arms, her face pressed against his large and hard chest. She lifted her head a little and looked around, thinking that maybe she'd imagined everything. But there she was, beautiful as ever, now a full grown woman.
She was sitting down, on a chair, staring at Anthea in wonder, her hands quaking violently. Mel was offering her a glass of cold water, but it seemed that Cami wasn't aware of her at all. They stared into each other's eyes, each finding the unscathed love for the other. "Carmen," Anthea whispered, attempting to stand. Garret helped her, leaving her to stand alone as she slowly walked to Cami, her legs quivering and weak, towards her.
Cami's eyes were confused, hurt, full of awe. "Anthea," She whispered back, and stood. Instantly, they were in each other's arms. Carmen Ramirez was sobbing like Mel had never seen her sob, loudly crying into Anthea's shoulder, her arms tightly wound around her torso. "Oh, God!" She gasped over and over again, her voice full of pain, of love, and muffled by Anthea's soft shoulder. "Why did you leave me? Why?" She gasped, like an abandoned child to it's mother.
Anthea's arms were around Cami's neck, her hands in her hair, her own cries merging with Cami's. "Carmen, I'm so sorry! I had to! I'm sorry!" She said over and over again. The feeling of their bodies pressed together was overwhelming. "I wanted to see you before I went, but he wouldn't let me, baby! He wouldn't, oh God! I've missed you so much!" She buried her face into Cami's shoulder also and wailed.
Mel was frowning, her eyes watery. She turned to Nicole and took her into her arms. "Don't ever leave me like that." She whispered into her ear, her voice quavering.
Nicole pulled her head back to look at her in the eye, thinking she was so adorable. "Never." She whispered. "I won't ever leave you." And she pulled Mel into her arms again.
After a while, Cami and Anthea calmed, letting go of each other only enough to be able to look into each other's eyes. Anthea was overwhelmed with emotion, her heart felt as if it would explode. Cami's eyes were so beautiful, so sweet and tender when they looked at her. Her skin was the same soft caramel color, her hair the same straight black. Anthea's eyes lingered on her full lips, wanting to feel them again. "Oh, God, Carmen!" She gasped, looking down.
Cami was also staring at her, once again memorizing the beautiful color blue of her eyes, the gentle curve of her eyebrows, the beautiful heart-shaped lips…. She closed her eyes against more tears, and felt Anthea's lips touch hers softly, in that familiar way. Her breath caught in her throat and she pulled back. "Where were you?" She whispered hoarsely, her eyes filling with tears again.
"Europe." Anthea replied softly, her fingers gentle as they touched Cami's face and hair, as if she couldn't believe she held her again.
"Why?" Cami croaked, near tears again, feeling Anthea's soft fingers on her skin, closing her eyes to the intense feeling.
"I want to talk," Anthea whispered, her eyes everywhere on Cami's face. "But not here."
Cami stared at her for a long time, then nodded. "Wait a second." She whispered and went to Mel, whose head was still resting on Nicole's shoulder, her arms possessively around her waist. "Mel," Cami said gently, putting her hand on her shoulder. Mel turned to look at her. "I know there are a lot of things I didn't tell you, but we'll talk, okay?" Mel nodded. "I need to talk to her, to know why things went the way they did. Can you girls ride with Carlos somewhere? Just for a little while, I'm taking her to our place." Her eyes looked deeply into Mel's. "Is it okay with you?" She smiled.
Mel smiled gently in understanding. Her hazel eyes, now looking greenish, brightening. "Of course, it's okay. We'll go to the movies or something." She said.
Cami pulled her pager off her belt, handed it to Mel. "I'll page you if I need you." She said, and Mel understood well what she meant.
Nicole smiled at Cami, squeezed her shoulder. "Good luck, Cami. See you tonight." She said.
Cami smiled fondly at Nicole. "Thank you." She whispered. She turned and returned to Anthea, who was speaking quietly to Garret.
"I love you, Gar." She said, her voice breaking with emotion. She touched his face softly. "You're my best friend."
Garret's eyes filled with tears. "I love you too, honey." He replied. As Cami reached their side, he smiled warmly and extended his hand. Cami took it and shook it, smiling softly. "Nice seeing you again. Call me and we'll have lunch." He turned away from them and went to say goodbye to the others.
Cami took Anthea's hand and pulled her out of the restaurant, out towards her jeep.
Cami guided Anthea through the door and into the quiet apartment. Anthea's eyes roamed through-out the living room, she smiled at the neatness of the place. "It has your personality, Carmen." She said gently.
Cami stared at her, smiling. "It's not only my personality, it's Mel's too. We're very much alike." She smiled proudly.
Anthea saw the pride in Cami's warm brown eyes. "You love Mel a lot." She stated more than asked.
Cami nodded. "I'm not so much older than she is, but I've looked after her as if I were her mother. Her mother was a great friend of mine. It was only fair that I take care of her when her parents passed away." She said, motioning Anthea to sit down next to her on the couch. Their eyes met and they faced one another.
"I never met this woman." Anthea said wonderingly. "You seemed to have no friends other than Garret and I." She sat down and took Cami's hand, feeling a chill run up and down her spine. Cami's hands were so soft and smooth.
"Well, I did." Cami said slowly. "I just never got the chance to tell you. I met her a few days before you left me." Her eyes filled with pain again, the tears came, so easily. Anthea looked away, remaining silent. "Why did you leave me like that, Anthea? Why, when I loved you so much?" She demanded softly, her voice broken with her tears.
Anthea looked back into her eyes, her own full of pain. "Because I loved you too much to see you get hurt." She said brokenly.
Despite the pain, Cami's eyes grew curious. "How? Would you have hurt me?" She asked, it seemed to Anthea that she was so innocent still.
Anthea shook her head slowly, groping for the words she would say next. "Gago, my brother, he knew about us. Don't ask me how, he just knew. He said he'd kill you," She paused, looked at Cami, waited for a reaction, but there was none. Cami just stared at her with question in her beautiful brown eyes. "He would have killed you if I continued to see you. I made a deal with him, I'd leave the country and never see you again, and he'd never hurt you. He kept his promise." She remained silent, watched the conflict display itself on Cami's face.
Cami finally sighed, sat back on the couch with her hands clasped together between her wide open legs. "I was never, and never will be, afraid of Gago Luciano." She said slowly, decisively. She was thoughtful for a moment, then with a breath, continued: "Your niece, Jackie, she's always been an enemy of Mel. Competitive. He's using her to hurt Mel, because he knows he'd be hurting me also." She stopped again, thought some more. Her face was serious and contemplative, adorable to Anthea, who wanted to hold her in her arms again forever, but didn't know how to convey it. Cami said: "I've heard he's launching her into the Circle, that he's awaiting papers, sponsors, just like Mel. He wants Jackie to hurt Mel."
"My brother is mentally ill, and so is my niece." Anthea said softly, her gaze drifting somewhere else, thinking of just how mentally ill her niece really was… "I remember Jackie when she was a child, she scared me. She always used to manage to catch little birds or butterflies. To the birds, she'd feed uncooked rice, just to watch them die as their insides exploded." She grimaced at the memory, and felt her body shudder at more sick memories… She wanted to tell Cami more about Jackie's insanity, but found that she couldn't.
"Anthea," Cami said, sensing Anthea's inability to say more. She moved closer to her, turning towards her. "I've missed you so much!" She whispered ardently, feeling her breath quickening, and leaned forward to place a soft kiss on Anthea's lips.
Anthea responded, pulling her towards herself. Their lips pressed together, and suddenly, Cami slipped her tongue into her mouth, caressing gently. Anthea let out low groan, pulling Cami closer and tighter to her. Cami pulled back, gasping for air. "Come to my bedroom." She whispered softly, standing up shakily. Anthea stood also and allowed her to lead her to the bedroom.
With a deep quiver that left her body wanting, Anthea felt Cami's intense gaze fall over her body. Her own blue eyes travelled the length of Cami's strong body, marveling at the tautness of her beautiful body, yet with the most evident smoothness. Her body was fuller, more womanly. Her perfect breasts, now fuller, were round and her nipples stood erect. Her chest heaved as her breath was erratic, as she shivered.
Their eyes met and they moved towards each other, each feeling the vibrant love and desire that had never died between them. "Anthea," Cami groaned with passion as their naked bodies touched. "Oh, God!" And she buried her face into the softness where neck met shoulder, her body trembled violently, her heart swelling with love. She pulled her head back to kiss her on the lips, to slip her tongue deeply into her mouth, to rob the breath from her lungs. Their breathing quickened as one, became breathy moans.
Anthea shifted so that she was sitting astride Cami, kissing her lips passionately. Cami stretched her legs in front of her, remained sitting up and her hands ran all over her lover's body, remembering the rich texture of her skin, the creaminess and softness. It was still as pale as she remembered, and it was already beginning to flush with her growing passion. Anthea felt a surge of new wetness as Cami's mouth wrapped around one of her nipples, her hips jerked feverishly and she threw her head back with a low moan, her breathing quickened to the point of lightheadedness. "Carmen!" She panted, overwhelmed by the familiar feeling of Cami's soft, hot mouth touching her body. Her fingers went into her lovers soft hair, became vises that held Cami's mouth tightly to her aching engorged nipple.
Cami moved her mouth to the other nipple, wrapping her lips around it, gently flicking her tongue over it, knowing how sensitive Anthea's body was. She felt pain a little more than Cami would, felt pleasure even more intensely. Anthea's body was arching dangerously, her limbs tightened around her lover, her fingers were deeply into her hair. Her breathing was almost non-existent, her body ached and quivered uncontrollably.
Cami moved on the bed, to her hands and knees. All the while, Anthea held on to her, marveling at the strength in this womanly body. Cami lowered them so that she was laying her full body weight on Anthea, their lips and tongues met once again. Cami was loosing control of herself, slowly moving down along Anthea's womanly body, down between her legs. Her mouth sank into the deliciously hot, wet flesh with a hunger that left Anthea crying out as the first shudders of pleasure went through her body.
"Carmen!" She wailed over and over again, feeling the pleasure of the soft tongue flickering over her and pushing inside tenderly. Ecstasy came to Anthea like a lightning storm in her body, in a violent quiver that pushed her over the edge. And she fell and fell and fell, crying out fiercely in her passion, her body reacting kinetically. Ecstasy was intense, never ceasing, and insistent. She was aware of Cami's hungry sounds, of her gentle tongue bringing her over the edge again; oh, of her fingers slipping gently inside her and beginning a rhythm.
And again, Anthea felt her body rising, her hips jerking violently. Her body quivered inside, shook outside. She was crying out Cami's name again, the tears left her eyes, and she began to sob with the happiness, the love and pleasure that was inside her. Cami quickly moved up to her side and took her into her embrace, holding her until she quieted down. "I'm sorry!" Anthea gasped after the tears subsided, her face was buried into her neck.
"It's okay," Cami whispered, running her hand over Anthea's wavy hair, kissing her forehead softly. After a while, when everything was more calm, Cami felt Anthea's soft hand begin to feel her sensitive spots, spots that she knew so well. Caressing, gently arousing. Her fingers caressed the soft skin, the fullness of her breasts, the hardness of her nipples. She was gratified with a low moan from Cami, a drawn in hiss. Anthea's hand ached deliciously where it touched Cami, she moved it slowly down to the wetness between her legs. Cami arched, her breathing caught in her throat, her hips full undulation as Anthea felt her already engulfed fingers being coated by another welcoming rush of wetness. "Please," Cami gasped, her hands on Anthea's shoulders tightening. "Oh, yes!" She moaned, pushing her hips up to meet Anthea's expertly pleasing fingers already inside her. Moving quickly, hard. It wasn't long before Cami was exploding around her, moaning frantically, weakly holding onto her.
Their lips met as Cami's ecstasy subsided, their arms entwined tightly around each other.