Stone Walls, part 6
Sorry about the delay, I began reading First Lady By Advocate and T Novan and couldn’t stop!
They woke up in the early
evening, refreshed but lazy. Sandra thought of everything being left undone and
forced herself to get up.
“Come on lazy butt, we need
to get cracking…and no wise remarks!” Duster pouted then saluted as she was
given a shove towards the bathroom. “Shower then change. We’re going shopping
before the stores close and then I’m taking you out to dinner. I seem to
remember a promise to treat you once you got out,” she reminded Debra. The
former prisoner whined when Sandra refused to share the shower, but she knew if
she had joined her in that small stall, shopping would be forgotten.
Turning on the water, she
jumped in surprise when it came out hot, nearly scalding her. “Holy shit!” she
cursed, jumping out and reaching for the controls. She had forgotten all about
things like hot water. In the prison, she just turned on hot and ignored the
cold control. Adjusting the temperature, she settled on very warm then
reentered the stall.
A few minutes later, she
left the bathroom, toweling off.
“That was fast,” Sandra
commented, grabbing a fresh towel from the tiny closet for herself.
“We’re only allowed sixty
second…” She had forgotten she wasn’t in prison anymore. Old habits died hard.
Sandra understood. “Well,
you can take them for as long as you want now,” she said kindly, closing the
door and starting her own shower. Afterwards, she redressed in her worn
clothing, hating not having fresh to put on. “Let’s go shopping!”
Sandra headed for the gently
used store, knowing they were cheaper than new, keeping in mind Debra would
sweat over every penny spent.
“Let’s just get casual for
now. That’s all you’ll need for working anyway,” she suggested. Debra nodded,
following her into the building. She had forgotten what shopping was like.
Soft music played in the
background and a subtle aroma of perfume scented the air. It was so different
than what she had grown used to. The prison smelled musty, almost like a locker
room, except for the disinfectants used to clean. Carpeting covered the floors,
muffling their footsteps. A woman nicely dressed in a mauve outfit and heels
asked if she could help them.
“We’re looking for casual
clothing, my friend…she lost a lot of weight and needs new clothes, you know,”
avoiding the truth to spare Debra any embarrassment.
“Any idea of your current
size?” the saleslady asked kindly.
“No, afraid not,” Debra
answered. The woman looked her over. “Are you looking for unisex or more
feminine attire?” the woman asked, already guessing that the large woman was
far from the frilly type.
“Unisex is fine.”
The woman led them to a
section further to the back. Looking over what was available, she pulled out
several pieces. “Why don’t you try these on?” she suggested. “Let me know if
you need any help,” she smiled, giving Duster an appreciative look, then walked
away.
“Bad girl aura,” Sandra
grinned.
They settled on three pairs
of pants, four shirts, and a one piece outfit. They walked up several doors and
entered a small shop and bought underwear and bras.
“Do I really need to wear
bras?” Debra whispered.
“Well, I hate to say yes,
but you ought to at work,” she admitted, preferring the sight of those luscious
beauties swaying freely. Besides, if one person so much as leered at her lover,
she wouldn’t be responsible for her actions.
Sandra suggested a
restaurant down the street and Debra agreed, having few experiences with them.
Her father never took her to one as far back as she could remember. The closest
she came to one was on the SV. They window shopped as they strolled down the
street but as they passed one shop, the guard stopped and grabbed Duster’s arm,
leading her into it.
The smell of leather
permeated the air.
“I gotta see it on you!”
Sandra grinned, pointing at a black leather jacket with silver buttons.
Grinning, Duster took it off the hanger and put it on. It was a perfect fit.
Sandra’s grin spread in delight.
“Good fit, but you need
black pants to match,” a salesman said from behind the counter.
“And boots too,” Sandra
added. Duster rolled her eyes.
Thirty minutes later, she
walked out of the store dressed all in black. Her ‘old’ jeans were actually new
but fashionably scuffed, and her boots were modeled after the biker boots of
the 1950’s. The outfit had drained Sandra’s credit card but the effect was
worth it. Even now she wondered if she could wait until they got home before
she ravished her bad girl lover.
The restaurant had a short
waiting line, so they went to the bar until their names were called. The noise
of the room startled the ex-con as they walked through the crowded bar. She
noticed several stares and instinctively put on her ‘I’m the head bitch here so
don’t fuck with me’ look and followed Sandra to the bar. There, she asked for
an iced tea, never had grown fond of the taste of liquor.
Sandra swallowed a giggle.
An iced tea hardly fitted the look. She pictured Duster asking for a beer or
whiskey instead, but glad she didn’t. Part of her parole was no alcohol or
drugs. She would be tested monthly for it.
They looked around for a
pair of seats but the place was crowded with the local drinkers. They found a
lone stool and Duster motioned Sandra to it. The smaller woman sat down and
turned the stool so she could face Duster who stood behind her, one foot
propped up on the ring of metal near the bottom. She leaned closer and rested
her hand on the back of the stool, bringing them to a casual snuggle.
“I really love you in that
jacket,” she grinned, running her fingers down one lapel as her face showed
exactly how much she admired the view. Duster felt the instant arousal to the
look and growled quietly.
“Ain’t you two just so
cute?” A male voice asked sarcastically.
Looking up, they saw a man
dressed in his dirty work overalls, holding a beer. Unkempt hair flopped down
into his eyes and a five o’clock shadow was heavier than most men’s attempt at
growing a beard after a week. He looked towards Sandra and leered.
“Ain’t you just a little
piece of heaven sent down to bring joy to a bum like me? Wanna go to my place
and f-“ his eyes crossed as he slumped down to the floor. Duster never saw
Sandra move, only feeling a slight flexing of muscles just before the man
dropped.
“Some people just can’t hold
their liquor,” the guard commented.
Duster grunted and watched a
couple of men drag the unconscious man from the room. She didn’t comment on
Sandra’s actions but felt a funny little emotion bubble up inside. Irony. She
was the tough looking butch of the relationship, but came to the realization
that she had better hide behind Sandra during a fight, where she’d be safer. The
guard’s sweet feminine appearance hid the deadly warrior under the surface.
Seeing the humor in it, she
grinned and raised her glass in salute to her lover, who nodded regally.
They went to Sandra’s
apartment after dinner so she could change clothes. Neither woman spoke aloud
about their expectations for the rest of the night. Although she wanted to
sleep in her own place tonight, she was too bashful to ask Sandra to join
her.
While Sandra was in her bedroom,
Duster looked over the room, noting the décor and such. On one wall was a group
of trophies for martial arts along with photos of her in her little white
outfits. Then framed certificates caught her eye so she walked over to them.
Reading the diplomas in awe, amazed that Sandra had degrees in engineering,
chemistry, and computer programming. What in hell was she doing working as a
poorly paid prison guard?
A dull ache of fear sat in
her gut. And why was Sandra even bothering with her? An uneducated ex-con with
nothing going for her? All her insecurities rushed to the surface. She was in
love with a woman a thousand times better than she was, but to what good?
Sandra never said she loved her. She only agreed to date her when she got out
of prison, nothing more. Maybe all she felt was pity for her—and lust. But
those couldn’t last and eventually Sandra would drift away from her.
Debra brushed away several
tears and walked out the door, wallowing in self-pity.
She shouted a question
through the door but got no response. Opening her bedroom door, she poked out
her head and wondered where Duster had gone to. Figuring she was in the
bathroom, she finished dressing and grabbed her overnight case. It was rather
presumptuous of her, but what the hell, a girl had the right to hope.
Noticing that the bathroom
was dark and the door wide open, she looked around. “Debra?” She wasn’t there.
A quick inspection proved that her guns and valuables were untouched. Glad she
hadn’t been wrong on those issues, she was still wondering where Debra had gone
and why. There wasn’t even a note. Grabbing her keys and bag, she headed out
the door.
She kept her eyes peeled as
she slowly drove in the direction of Duster’s apartment. Within a minute, she
spotted the woman. Something was very wrong. Duster’s usual cocky gate was
slow, her shoulders drooped in utter misery, eyes down. What was wrong? She eased over to the side
of the road, stopping. Duster glanced up, the shimmer of shed tears
highlighting her face.
“Debra? Sweetie, what’s
wrong? You left without a word.”
Duster shrugged her broad
shoulders and kept walking.
Frustrated, Sandra parked
the car and got out. A few running steps to catch up and she grabbed her
sleeve, pulling her to a halt.
“Talk to me damn it! What’s
wrong? You owe me some sort of explanation after what we’ve been through.”
“It’s over. You filled your
part of the bargain, now you don’t have to bother with me anymore,” Duster bit
out.
“What in hell are you
talking about? I thought we were working on a relationship. Now you’re telling
me you had your fun and out of prison so bye, nice knowing ya?”
“No!” Debra spun away and
tried to walk away but Sandra held on tightly
“Tell me what’s going on
inside that head of yours Debra.”
Duster refused to speak, her
throat tight.
“Then I have no choice but
to believe you used me. Did you bet with the others that you could fuck me? Or
maybe saw me as a sucker who could be conned?” the small woman forced out
between sobs. How did things turn so terribly wrong? She spun on her heels and
stomped back to her car.
“It wasn’t like that,” came
a pitiful whisper. Sandra stopped, not daring to breathe. “I love you Sandra,
more than anything.”
Tears poured faster down
both their cheeks.
“Then why are you walking
away?” the guard asked.
“Cuz I’m scared,” came the
answer many seconds later. Sandra began walking slowly back to her.
“Of what?”
“That I’m not good enough
for you. You could have anyone you wanted. You’ve got brains and looks, so why
bother with me?” she admitted.
“You think I’m going to grow
tired of you and just leave, don’t you?” Sandra couldn’t find it in her to be
offended, just weary.
Debra shrugged. Wasn’t what
everyone thought anyway? That Sandra was slumming?
Taking the last step that
separated them, Sandra lifted Debra’s chin and forced her to look into her
eyes. “Didn’t it occur to you that I loved you too?”
Debra’s full lip trembled.
With painful clarity, Sandra
realized she had never told her so. Snaking her arms around Duster’s solid
frame, she snuggled close. “I do love you Debra. I’m sorry I never said the
words before now.”
Duster’s arms lifted and
gripped her hard as a sob of relief tore from her. They stood under the
streetlight, too afraid to let go lest they awoke and found it that it had been
nothing more than a dream.
She winced as the sunlight
hit her in the eyes. Grunting, she eased out from under Sandra and searched for
the bar that would shut the blinds.
“What a lovely view,” came
the sleep husky voice from behind her. Grinning, she turned her eyes towards
the bed. Sandra was on her stomach, her dark eyes roaming over her nude body.
The ex-con didn’t know that her tanned and muscular body was covered in stripes
of sunlight and backlit, causing a soft glow around her. Turning the control,
the blinds closed, taking away the light show.
Duster returned to the bed
and nuzzled a soft shoulder. “Good morning,” she murmured happily. The night
before had eased many of her fears. They had spent the too short night just
loving one another gently until they were both sleepy and content.
Sandra hummed with a smile
and stretched. “Good morning yourself,” she smiled, easing to her side and
moving closer to Duster’s warm body, drifting back to sleep, barely aware of a
soft kiss to her cheek and being recovered.
The scent of coffee woke her
from her nice dream. Breathing deeply, she opened her eyes and got up, taking a
robe from the closet before strolling to the kitchen. There, she saw Debra
hastily scraping a pan clean over the trash can. Chuckling, Sandra wondered if
she had to buy a new one. The kitchen was a disaster, dirty dishes everywhere.
Chuckling softly, she walked into the battle zone.
“Damn, you woke up too soon.”
“Hoping to hide the
evidence?” Sandra asked with a crooked grin.
Duster looked slightly
embarrassed. “Yeah. I thought I’d turn my hand to fixing breakfast. It looks
easy on SV,” she grimaced.
“It’s okay. I’ll cook for
now. You can help me clean up in a bit, after I have some coffee.” Sandra
grabbed a mug and started pouring herself a cup.
“Um, Sandra, did you get
your health insurance yet?”
Sandra lifted an eyebrow and
peered into the cup.
“I, uh, found out I can make
a decent cup of tar. Just to warn you,” she said with a guilty shrug.
Sandra laughed and poured it
down the drain. “Okay, lesson one: How to make coffee.”