As they continued riding in the gondola, Natalie took Janice's hand and placed it on her breast, placing her hand on top of Janice's and squeezing. When Janice squeezed on her own, Natalie let out a soft moan. The gondola had circled back to where it had picked them up, and they exited the boat. They made the walk back to the car holding hands and drove back to the villa. Once there, they went to Natalie's room and sat on the bed.
"Can I ask you something, Natalie?"
"Of course."
"I have seen you flirt with several guys in the office and have heard you talk about dates you have been on. But I have not really heard you talk much about dating women. And yet, you seem quite comfortable talking about it with me."
"So, what is your question?"
"Are you a lesbian?"
"I am bisexual, Janice. I like boys and girls. But Italy is a very Catholic country, so while I don't hide the fact that I date and sleep with women, I do not flaunt that fact, particularly at my place of employment. By the same standard, or perhaps a different one, it is acceptable and even expected for a man and woman to date, so I do not hide it as much. I have been flirting with you since you came to the office, and was beginning to wonder if you were ever going to notice. If you really pay attention, you will see I actually flirt with the women more than the men, just quieter."
"You have? I never realized that."
"This is my point. At first, I thought you just were not attracted to me, but then I came to see that you might not know. It is why I asked you here this weekend. To perhaps make you think."
"I see. Well, I see that I haven't been seeing much all these years. Now that you have made me think and have made me look, things make a lot more sense. But now I don't know what to do next."
"Why don't we just go swimming? It would not be right for me to push you here right now. We must, or you must just let things happen in their own time."
"Thank you, Natalie. I was not quite sure how to say I am not ready to jump into bed with you... or anyone, without hurting your feelings."
The two young women went out to the pool and jumped in. They were both naked and swam around for a while, then laid out on the lounge chairs sunning themselves. When the hot sun got to be too much, they jumped in the water again. As they swam around, they occasionally brushed up against each other but did not go any further than that. They made some small talk until Rosalinda finally called them for dinner. They got out of the pool and wrapped themselves in some towels, then went inside and took turns rinsing off in the shower and dressed for dinner.
When they were done eating, they took a cab to the next town over where there was a small nightclub that had live entertainment on Friday and Saturday nights. They found a small table, and each ordered a drink. A couple of women came over after a short time and said hi to Natalie.
"Chi è il tuo splendido amica, Natalie." ("Who's your beautiful friend, Natalie?")
"This is my coworker, Janice. She is from America but will be working here for some time. Janice, these are my friends, Marie and Tina."
"Hello, Marie and Tina. Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you, too. But Natalie, why are you and your friend not dancing?"
The two girls each grabbed a hand and pulled Janice and Natalie out onto the small dance floor where they danced through several songs. Both girls were quite touchy-feely as they danced with each other and with Natalie and Janice. Janice had the definite impression that not all the touches were accidental. They finally worked their way back to the table and ordered more drinks. The next several hours were spent drinking and dancing. A couple of guys asked them to dance a few times, but they danced mostly with each other.
Several times during the evening, they paired off in different combinations and danced a slow dance. When Janice and Natalie danced, she was sure that Natalie was holding her a bit tighter than was necessary. Tina tended to do a lot of rubbing with both her hands and her body, while Marie just planted her hands on her partner's butt and left them there the whole dance. Between the drinks and the dancing, Janice found herself rather aroused by the end of the evening. When the lights were turned on, the four girls said their goodbyes, complete with kisses. Both Marie and Tina gave Janice long hard kisses that left her a bit breathless.
They went outside where several cabs were lined up to drive people that had been drinking home. Marie and Tina each got in a taxi and left. Natalie and Janice hopped in one and Natalie gave the driver her address. It was about a twenty-five minute drive home, and they held hands the entire ride back. Natalie paid the driver, and they went inside the villa trying to be quiet but were giggling. They got to Janice's bedroom door, and she started to go in, but then turned back to Natalie and kissed her.
The kiss was tentative at first, but then she pressed her lips a little harder against Natalie's lips. Natalie placed her hands on either side of Janice's face and pulled her closer. She gently pushed her tongue against Janice's lips until they parted. They stood there in the hallway, locked in a passionate kiss as Janice's heart began to pound. They finally broke the kiss and took in a deep gulp of air. They leaned in and kissed again; this time, Natalie's hands found and squeezed the other girl's breasts.
When they broke the kiss this time, they just looked at each other in silence, then Natalie took Janice's hand and pulled them towards her bedroom. They kissed again and again, then got undressed. They lay down next to each other and explored the other's body with their hands.
"We cannot do this tonight, Janice. It would not be right. We have both had much to drink, and you might not feel this way tomorrow."
Natalie pushed her down on the bed and pulled the covers over them both, cuddling together, both falling asleep within minutes. In the morning, Natalie woke up first and just laid there with her arm still wrapped around Janice. When she finally felt her stirring, she began softly caressing her breast. Natalie felt her nipple harden as Janice let out a small moan. She pinched a little harder Janice rolled over.
"Boun giorno, (Good morning,) Natalie. Uhmmm, thank you for stopping us last night. You were right. If we had done something, I would never have known if it was because I really wanted to, or just because I was drunk and my inhibitions were less than normal."
"Boun giorno. I do not want to force you or trick you into anything, Janice. As much as I would love to taste you and make the love to you, I want you to be fully aware when or if we do."
While they were talking. Natalie continued playing with Janice's nipples and breasts. Janice could feel herself responding and began running her hand up and down Natalie's arm.
"You are a wise woman, Natalie. And while I do think I might like to do this with you, my head is throbbing, and I am in desperate need of some coffee... and maybe some food."
"I think I could use that too. Let me buzz Rosalinda to get something started while we shower and dress. My parents should be here early afternoon, so we should try and be sober by then."
Natalie called on the intercom to let Rosalinda know they were up and would be needing some food and coffee. Janice went to her room to pick out some clothes and take a couple of aspirin, then went into the bathroom when she heard the water running.
"May I join you?"
"Of course you can. We can wash each other's backs."
The two women showered and helped each other wash. They explored each other's body and kissed a few times, but did not go further. When they were done, they dried off and put on a couple of robes, then went to the kitchen. Rosalinda had a couple of plates set at the island counter and poured two cups of robust coffee as they walked in. They could smell something baking.