Tempted Souls: A Lesbian Love Story

Chapter 1-2

“You’re sure?”

“Positive,” Josie took out a couple of twenties.

Melanie leaned on the bench and studied her for a moment.

“Look, I’m sorry about givin’ you the third degree out there, it’s just been real hard at home, daddy gets depressed and I don’t have the answers, what does a twenty year old know about life he says, you know what I mean?”

“You’ve got twenty years of experience,” she held the money out, “just coffee, sugar and milk.”

“You got it,” she looked down, “come on, Dog, we gotta help the pretty lady from the city.”

“He can stay here if you want,” Josie reassured her, “I’m good with dogs.”

“Oh he won’t let me go anywhere without him,” she grinned, “come on, Dog.”

The hound rose and looked at her and then at Josie and sank down with a sigh.

“Well that’s a good sign,” she grinned, “he must trust you, I’ll be back real soon.”

But it was twenty minutes before she returned and Josie stared at the bags on the counter.

“I got us something from Wendy’s,” she looked up, “out of my money, I figured you’d be hungry and I haven’t eaten since this morning,” she smiled, “you do eat at Wendy’s don’t you?”

“Not normally,” she replied, “but I have been known to indulge.”

“Some folks like to keep their weight down but you don’t look like you put on much weight, you must work out or something.”

“I’ve always had a slim build,” she admitted, “my mom is the same, four kids and she’s still got hips to die for,” she opened a cupboard door, “I saw plates in here somewhere, ah, there we are,” she grabbed two, “I got Dog some water as well.”

“Thanks, he’s a thirsty beast, drinks a whole gallon in one gulp.”

She pulled the containers out, “I got a Chicken Caesar side salad as well as a couple of combos, do you like salads?”

“Thanks,” she brought the plates over, “this is really good of you, I didn’t know how hungry I was until you came back.”

“So, do your folks live in New York?” Melanie asked a little while later.

“Just outside of Detroit,” she replied, “I’ve got two sisters and a brother.”

“Younger or older?”

“My brother is the oldest, then there’s me.”

“How old are you?”

“Twenty eight, be twenty nine in a few weeks though.”

“Hey, we’ll have to go out for your birthday,” she grinned, “unless you got other plans?”

“No plans,” she smiled tightly, “I don’t get out much, work takes up too much time.”

“So,” Melanie arranged the food on the plates, “you got a boyfriend?”

“No,” she smiled, “I was married a while back but I haven’t dated a guy since then.”

“Girlfriend?” Melanie looked up cheekily.

It was the look in her eyes that slipped through the widening c***k in her armor, Melanie’s eyes narrowed as Josie looked past her.

“I have been with women, yes,” she exhaled.

“So, you’re like a lesbian or you just like both?” she pushed the plate across, “if I’m being nosy just tell me to f**k off. I’m just curious, not about what I am, but about you, I’m straight.”

“Gay,” she finally managed, “I guess that’s why the marriage failed, I just couldn’t function with a guy,” she picked up the food and drink.

“So,” Melanie followed her to the table, “have you always been that way or was it like a sudden realization?”

“I’ve always been attracted to girls but never thought of it like that, had a one night stand in college, but then Bob came along and I got married because that’s what everyone was doing.”

Melanie digested this news in silence while she chewed her food, eventually she swallowed and smiled a secretive smile, “so, you were like lying to yourself?”

“At the time it didn’t seem so,” she replied between mouthfuls, “but now I think about it, I was lying, but I guess I convinced myself that this was the right thing to do. He wasn’t a bastard. On the contrary, he was nice, gentle and loving but it was like every time we did it I couldn’t wait for him to finish and go to sleep so I could,” she stopped.

“Do it to yourself?”

“Yeah,” she nodded, “masturbate.”

“Nothing wrong with m**********g,” she shrugged, “I do it all the time. One time my boyfriend came home on leave and caught me lying on my bed m**********g, he thought it was so not cool.”

“He’s in the military?”

“Yeah, he just got back from Iraq last year, he’s married but he’s leaving her. He comes to see me every six weeks, except for last leave when he had to go to his mother in law’s funeral, but he calls me once a week and sends goofy pictures.”

“Sounds,” she frowned, “complicated.”

“It’s not quite like that,” she replied, “they’ve got two little boys and I respect the fact he’s trying to do the right thing by them, I know it sounds strange but I trust him.”

Josie looked into her eyes and smiled as she made the connection.

“I guess so, relationships are tricky, still I hope it works out for you guys.”

“So,” Melanie sipped her Coke, “in view of what you just fessed up to, are you okay with me taking you out for dinner? I mean it’s not a date date,” she grinned, “it’s your birthday and birthdays should be celebrated, you got no friends here except for me, so, how about it?”

“Of course I’d be okay,” she blushed, “I do have straight girlfriends you know.”

“If you don’t mind me saying,” she reached out and tugged at her collar, Josie looked down and Melanie smiled and withdrew.

“I don’t look like one?” Josie c****d an eyebrow, “well that’s a relief, I try to keep a low profile. I’ve never been into the whole butch thing, I like looking like a lady.”

“Real nice blouse, I’d like to get some style tips off you,” she picked up her Coke, “so it’s a date,” she grinned, “in a manner of speaking.”

“Okay,” she leaned on her palm, “it’s a date, just not that kind of date.”

“Must be hard trying to differentiate between girlfriends and you know, girl friends.”

“It makes life interesting.”

“So, how am I,” she fluffed out her hair, “am I attractive, to a woman?”

Josie blinked and swallowed her Coke, she pushed the face back into the dark recesses of her mind and smiled.

“Yeah,” she finally replied, “you are attractive.”

“Interesting,” she chewed slowly, “I’d be the butch type I think, I’ve always been a tomboy, comes from having five older brothers. While my girlfriends were having doll parties, I was out shooting birds and messin’ with cars.”

“Never been into guns myself,” she smiled.

“I’m a crack shot,” she grinned, “hit a polecat from a hundred feet away, daddy calls me li’l Annie, I got a Varmint rifle and a twelve gauge.”

“Yeah I saw them in the pickup,” she nodded.

“So,” Melanie pushed her plate away, “a little advice, don’t go outing yourself here, folks are kind of funny about it, they won’t go burning crosses on your front lawn but it could get difficult. We got us a lesbian out in Reedy but Ethel’s not your type. She fell out of the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down, she’d be about fifty five if she’s a day.”

“Sounds, interesting,” Josie winced, “but I’m more into ladies.”

The conversation lightened a little until just before Melanie left. She stood in the doorway one hand on the edge of the door the other stroking Dog’s head.

“So, would it be okay to come around and see you?”

Josie looked over as Melanie swept a hand through her hair, “I mean in a straight way.”

“It ain’t too often we get folks like you down here and I could give you inside information on the boys at the mill. Some of them make out they can do things they can’t and I’d hate for any of them to lead you astray. Like Bob, you’d think he can run rings around you with computers, but all he does is sit and watch lesbian porn, you want me to get you some?”

Josie smiled tightly and pulled her eyes from her slender throat.

“I mean, it wouldn’t make your girlfriend jealous would it?” Melanie put her hand to her throat, “I’d hate to be the cause of any problems.”

“I haven’t got a girlfriend,” she pushed the memory away, “and I’m not big on porn.”

“No girlfriend?” Melanie’s mouth dropped, “wow, you’d be a real catch. If I find any pretty girls around here who like women I’ll be sure to introduce you. So until we find you a lesbian, can I come around and see you? You don’t want Ethel, trust me, even a toothbrush curls up when it sees her teeth.”

“Okay,” Josie nodded, “hey, I’m not looking, work takes up most of my time but sure.”

Melanie pulled a phone out and tapped in the number Josie gave her, a moment later she raised the phone, “okay, I’ll send you my picture if you let me take yours,” she squinted, “big smile, think of Melanie Etheridge licking your love button.”

Josie grinned, the camera clicked and Melanie looked down, “well, Melanie certainly pushes your love button all right, cool, I got me a lesbian on my cell. I’ll send you one of me,” she checked her watch, “s**t I gotta skedaddle, I’ll send it later on,” she kissed her cheek, “later, Josie.”

What is going on? Josie touched her cheek as she drove away.

The mystery seemed solved when a picture came through four hours later showing Melanie sitting naked behind an upright guitar, her legs and arms wrapped around the body and a grin on her face, the caption read. The Girl’s Got Rhythm.

Josie: You sure do, honey, nice guitar!

Melanie: Yeah, I know but what about them legs?

Josie: Fine legs, almost as good as Melanie Etheridge’s legs.

Melanie: So you’d have Melanie 1 over Melanie 2? Well there’s my self esteem all shot to hell.

Josie: I was just kidding there, you got great legs and a cute face.

She set the phone down and stroked her belly as it buzzed again.

Melanie: I finish in an hour, you fancy pepperoni? Stan my boss won’t mind.

Josie: Sounds great!

Josie stared at her semi nude image in the dressing table mirror. She’d just finished a shower and was siting in her underclothes and a short dressing gown, if Melanie was coming around she’d better put on some more clothes.

Or not, a smile nudged her lips.

Some five minutes later Josie donned a button through summer dress with leaf patterns splashed over it, her old clothes were in a plastic bag and her laptop was powered up. She spent the next hour or so reading and replying to emails before getting down to the specifics of the Dyson’s contract. It was standard boilerplate stuff and she’d even drafted a version a few years back before that was outsourced to another company. It basically required her employer to perform one of three levels of service, dependent of course on financial outlay. Level one was the highest and required them to find every employee another job or arrange a suitable compensation package. It was rarely used due to expense and most clients preferred the level two package. Dyson’s had come in at three, which meant a basic care package that would merely point people in the right direction.

Ordinarily Josie might have gone along with the guidelines but tonight she was restless and just a little discontented with the framework. She could be out of here in a week if she pulled her finger out but the time frame could be stretched out for another six weeks without ruffling feathers. She rose and walked to the kitchen window and stared out at the pock-marked road. A pickup drove past slowly and the driver stared at the house as if trying to catch her attention. Josie didn’t move until he was out of sight.

The silence was a little disconcerting though, but right now it was a novelty and she glanced at the cell plugged into her laptop as the idea niggled at the fringes of her mind.

I could stretch this out for a few weeks, take some time out for me.

She slipped a hand beneath the collar of her dress.

And do what? Flirt with the cute straight?

She still hadn’t come to any answer though by the time Melanie turned up with dinner and a six pack of root beers. She was wearing a tee shirt with the pizza shop logo and name on the front, it was tucked into a pair of jeans and she smiled as she put the pizza down and took off her denim jacket.

“You ever had pepperoni rolls?”

“What are they?” Josie stared at the pizza box.

“Pepperoni rolls,” Melanie opened the box, “pepperoni sticks baked into bread rolls,” she eyed her, “but if you want to try something else I can always duck out and pick up some regular food.”

“When in Rome,” Josie shrugged.

“You’re not in Rome,” Melanie reminded her, “this is West Virginia.”

The pepperoni rolls however tasted good, even if it did look a bit like a hot dog and soon they were sitting on the back porch with root beers and Melanie’s playlist.

“I got me a Spotify account a while back, I been playin’ guitar for a few years now.”

“Cool, do you play for money or just fun?”

“I got me a regular gig out at a honky tonk not far from here, if you’re still here next Friday night you’ll hear me sing.”

The signs were all there she reasoned later that night as she took off her makeup in the bathroom, the raised eyebrows, the nervous smile. Was she? Her unabashed attitude to s*x had taken Josie by surprise when she casually remarked.

“There’s nothing I love more than a good f**k, it even makes Dog wag his tail when I’m coming,” she flicked to another song on her playlist.

But it was her parting comment that had her wondering as she leaned on the door.

“About this dinner date for your birthday,” she looked past her, “you fancy a drive on down to Charleston? If I’m going out to dinner with you I need me something nice to wear.”

“Sure,” she found herself saying.

“Cool,” she grinned, “so I guess it’s a date, in a manner of speaking, I’ll bet you got a peck of style tips filed away in that pretty little head of yours.”

Josie’s eyes flashed open and she exhaled.

What are you doing? Focus, it’ll never happen.

Nevertheless, the next morning as she was getting ready to leave for the mill Melanie turned up with Dog and a bag of groceries.

“These are from the mill, dad asked me to drop them off. Someone was supposed to stock up the pantry before you got here but I guess they got hungry on the way,” she put the bag on the table and fluffed out her hair.

“It ain’t much, just the basics but if you give me a list and some money I’ll do a real shop for ya’.”

“I’ll manage, but thanks.”

“So,” Melanie ran an eye over her work clothes, “these are your work clothes?”

“Pretty much,” she looked down at the white blouse and brown trouser suit, “the colors change but it’s usually a suit and either a blouse or a top.”

“You’re hotter than a goat’s butt in a pepper patch, I’m definitely gonna check out your wardrobe the next time I come around,” she leaned over and kissed her cheek.

“Stay cool, I gotta skedaddle,” and then she was heading for the door leaving Josie staring at her ass in skin tight blue jeans as she registered the quickening heartbeat.

I might just drag this out a little longer.