“For fuck’s sake, Helen, it’s just a bunch of women! What are you getting so jittery about?”

“It just doesn’t feel right, sorry.”

Helen was one of my best friends. I’ve worked with her for years in the same office. It wasn’t like we’d not been to the pub before although, on previous occasions, it had been an after-work drink or two with a load of others from the office. This time was different, at least in her eyes. It was the first time I’d managed to get her out on her own. Her husband, worthless moron that he was, her words not mine, was off working for about a month and no doubt getting up to who knew what. She’d started off hesitant when I first mooted the idea but then slowly changed to mild acceptance. My mistake had been to tell her where we were going before we set off. I should have kept it as a surprise.

I’ll lay my cards on the table for you from the start. I’m a lesbian and I don’t give a fuck who knows it, those days are gone. Anyone reading my Facebook profile would take about five seconds to find it out. To her credit, Helen had known that almost from the moment we’d started to work together, and it was never something that had been an issue between us. It wasn’t even a subject up for discussion. She wasn’t shocked or even wary about being seen in my company. She was married and that was fine by me although admittedly he was a total jerk. She’d even met a couple of my girlfriends, now sadly ex-girlfriends, and was totally cool with them.

Our town, unlike most of the big cities, was too small to have a dedicated lesbian bar but somehow we’d managed to form a fairly strong group that met once a week in the back room of a pub. They were a jolly and diverse crowd and it was the one place where we felt we could be ourselves and relax. And that was the reason for Helen’s panic. I’d foolishly let slip that that was our destination. She knew about it as I’d mentioned it in conversation a few times and it hadn’t been a big issue. But now… she was faced with the prospect of actually going there.

“It’s just you and me going out for a drink,” I told her.

“But why do we have to go there?”

“It’s not some sleazy club, it’s just the back room of a pub. And it’s a load of my friends,” I explained, trying to make it sound less scary.

“But…”

“But nothing. It’s just a group of women having a good time together. What’s the worst thing that could happen?”

Okay, in retrospect that maybe wasn’t the best thing to say as I could tell immediately that far too many worst-case scenarios were churning about inside her head.

“But I’m not a lesbian.”

“Neither are most of the others. There’s me and maybe four others. The rest of them aren’t so what’s the problem?”

That seemed to calm her a little, so I didn’t add that several more were happily bi and at least two were on the cusp of god knows what. The stupid thing was I’d knew she’d be safe unless she made the decision to say “yes”. I won’t lie to you, I was hoping she would say it and I was praying that I’d be the one she’d say it to but if it didn’t happen then I was fine with that. In the end, I think I’d assuaged her fear enough as she finished getting ready and came and sat down and took her first glass of wine. We talked for a while, mostly about work-related things, about the new supervisor who was turning into a real dragon. We decided, amidst a frantic giggling session, that she was a dragon cross-bred with a bitch. We laughed enough that she was totally chilled out by the time it came for us to go to the pub. Maybe the wine helped but I didn’t give a damn, I was just pleased to have my happy friend back again.

It only took two or three minutes to walk to the pub. When we entered we were confronted by the usual group of men propping up the bar and a mixed group sat round a table in the corner. The landlady, busy as usual behind the bar paused long enough to raise a hand and wave to me as we walked through. She had no real idea, but we all saw her as some sort of hero. She’d been the one who’d saved us by welcoming us with open arms, and a nice private back room, on that first night. A group of us had been out, or tried to go out, for a nice jolly evening together and been met with sullen coldness or outright rudeness in every pub and bar we went to in town. We were just walking back towards the area where we all lived and decided to give it one last try. Why we hadn’t tried this place first as it was really our local I have no idea, but it turned out to be one of the best ideas we’d ever had. She was as welcoming and warm as you could ever wish for despite the resentful frowns of some of her regulars. It was she who suggested the now infamous back room. When we turned up a week later, she was just as lovely and by week three there was a ‘reserved’ notice on the door to the back every Thursday evening.

When I poked my head round the door to see who was there, I was greeted by the now familiar raucous and ribald greetings. There were six women already seated round the large table and I went over and said hello to them before retreating to the bar where the landlady was already waiting. Helen had lingered just inside the door and now followed me like a frightened puppy to the bar. I bought myself a glass of wine and a G&T for her and then headed back to the table.

“This is Helen,” I said as I sat down, “she’s a mate from work.”

All heads turned in the direction of Helen who turned pink but managed a half-smile as they all greeted her. I was relieved for her that they quickly went back to their previous subject of gossip, the apparent blooming of a romance between one of the regulars, a girl called Suzi and a new girl called Linni. A few weeks back, they’d gone off together and then Suzi had disappeared for a few weeks before coming back on a night when Linni happened to be there as well. We’d all felt the tension between the two of them and we all pretended to be absorbed with other matters but quickly noticed when whatever rift there had been between them seemed suddenly to heal. That had been a fortnight ago and there had been no sign of them last week, so speculation was rife.

After a couple of G&Ts Helen was looking more relaxed although she said virtually nothing. I kept trying to bring her into the general chatter but with no success. It was almost a relief when the door opened again, and a couple more joined our group. What was especially pleasing was that it was Suzi and Linni which produced a spontaneous round of applause closely followed by a rude gesture from Suzi. They were unashamedly holding hands as they walked to the bar but managed to let go of each other when they came and sat with us. The group was suddenly full of questions which were fielded mostly by Suzi with a few quiet interjections by Linni. It was lovely to see that the romance was still on-going. The chat soon returned to more general topics; the goings-on on the latest TV soap, some celebrity scandal that I’d somehow missed, all the usual trivia that’s used to waste a very pleasant evening.

We all spilled out of the front door into the pleasant coolness of the late evening air and started to head off in different directions. Helen and I walked for a while with another couple of girls that lived in the same direction. We said our farewells when we got to my house and after a round of “mwah’s” they left us. As I opened the door I wondered how Helen had found her night out. We’d agreed that she could stay at mine as she probably wouldn’t be in any state to drive across town. But how should I play this? I was tempted to just forget about any ideas of seduction and just have a night-cap and then to separate beds. I let Helen past me into the house and turned and closed the door behind me. What happened next took me completely by surprise. As I turned away from the door, I was suddenly pushed back against it and Helen’s lips came onto mine in a frantic, almost desperate kiss. It took me a few seconds before I could work out what was happening before I automatically responded. We stayed in the hall for several minutes locked together, kissing like sex-maniacs. When we finally broke off for a much-needed gasp of air, I held her head in my hands and looked into her eyes.

“Fucking hell, where did that come from?”

“I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t…”

“Don’t fucking apologise,” I said, cutting her short, as I pulled her face closer and started kissing her again.

The next time we broke apart, I took a deep breath. I was in some sort of shock and I needed to calm down to make sure this was really happening.

“Wow, babe, I think I need a drink.”

I managed to free myself from her enveloping arms and made my way to the living room. A half-full bottle of wine and two glasses were waiting for us on the low table in front of the sofa, the remnants of our earlier drink. I sat down and, as I filled both glasses, Helen came and sat next to me. She seemed shy again and left a gap between us. Was she already regretting her actions? As I passed her glass, I shifted almost imperceptibly towards her so that we were just touching. I could feel the roundness of her hip and her thigh was resting next to mine. When she didn’t flinch, I took it as a good sign. There was an awkward silence as we both sipped our wine. Eventually, I had to break that silence.

“Whatever just happened I’m not complaining.”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t help myself.”

“Don’t be sorry it was great,” I looked at her and grinned, “but it was a bit of a surprise, to say the least. How long…” I trailed off and gave her space to reply.

She looked down at her glass before replying in a quiet whisper, “A few weeks.”

She seemed to be on the verge of tears, so I put my arm round her shoulders and gently pulled her into me. Her head came to rest in my armpit and we were still and quiet for a moment. Then she said something that I could barely hear.

“Or maybe most of my life.”

My fingers went under her chin and I tilted her head back until I could see her face. “You’re talking in riddles, babe.”

“You asked me ‘how long’ and the answer is that I’ve suppressed this feeling for most of my life. In your case for at least a few weeks.”

I sat in stunned silence looking down at her face. She was older than me by a few years and her face showed the struggle that had been her life but to me, she was beautiful in her new-found honesty.

“But why were you so reluctant to come along tonight?”

“It’s been like a sleeping demon inside me and I guess I was scared to wake it up.”

“Well, it certainly woke up in the hall just now,” I said trying to lighten the mood.

“I’m sorry if I shocked you.”

“So where do we go from here?”

“I don’t know,” she replied, “it’s all a bit scary.”

I bent down and kissed her on the lips, not the crazed and lust-filled kiss from earlier but one that lingered long enough to give out a message. I didn’t know what would happen next either, I was at just as much a loss as she was, but I knew that the decision couldn’t be mine. I’d happily carry her upstairs to my bedroom and ravish her in an instant, but it had to be her choice. I leant forward and picked up my glass and downed what was left of the wine then sat back leaning away from her and took her hands in mine.

“It’s not my choice to make,” I told her, “it has to be yours.” She nodded to show that she understood. A spark of a plan came to me. “You know where my room is upstairs, and you know which is the spare room. It’s all ready for you as I was expecting you to stop over. Why don’t you go up and choose which room you want to be in? I’ll clear up in here and follow you in about five minutes.”

I let the idea float around the silent room. She still held my gaze and her hands still nestled comfortably in mine, but I could almost hear the thoughts running pell-mell around her head. After what seemed like an age she nodded and stood up. Her hands slipped out of my grasp and she headed to the door. Just before she disappeared from view she glanced back at me. She still looked perplexed and I searched her face in vain for any clue. Then she was gone from my sight and I hear the faint sounds of her feet on the carpeted stairs. I strained my ears and I could just hear the sound of a door opening and closing and then total and utter silence. I still hadn’t the faintest idea which choice she would make but I knew I had done the right thing by letting her make it. I vaguely busied myself clearing up the glasses and the empty wine bottle and took them into the kitchen. I downed the remains of wine in her glass just to calm myself down. I went around switching off the lights until only the light on the upstairs landing remained. I have never been so nervous in my life as I was at that moment when I began to climb the stairs.

At the top of the stairs, I paused and looked right and left. I could see the doors to the two rooms, and both were closed and gave me no clue. I had only one way to find out. I hesitated again outside the door to my bedroom my hand shakily loitering above the handle. It was all so simple. If I opened the door and the room was empty then I would just go to bed alone and hope we would still be friends in the morning. It wasn’t what I wanted. Oh, fuck, it was so not what I wanted. It seemed like a blanket of silence had been laid over the world as I took several deep breaths and then took hold of the door handle.

She was sitting on the edge of the bed, her hands neatly folded in her lap and smiling. I stood in the doorway while I drank in the sight of her. I closed the door behind me and what I had intended to be a nice and gentle smile turned into a grin of delight. I guess I could have come up with all sorts of witty and clever remarks, but my brain had stopped working properly for some reason.

In the end, I managed a pathetic “hi.”

“Hi to you,” she replied, her voice soft and warm like honey.

I sat down next to her and wondered what to do next. I needn’t have worried as we were once more kissing like over-eager teenagers. I was pushed backwards onto the bed and she attacked me, but in the best possible way. Then she moved on from my lips and sought out other parts of my face. I let her have free rein and pressed my lips to whatever part of her I could reach. When her lips finally returned to mine I pushed out my tongue and traced the outline of her mouth. Her lips parted and welcomed me in. we finally broke apart and simply looked at each other then she buried her head in my hair and hugged me tight.

“Thank you,” came the muffled voice as she gave me another squeeze.

“I was scared to open the door,” I confessed.

“You’ll never know how close I was to going into the room across the hall.”

“And you,” I said, rolling onto my back and pulling her on top of me, “will never know how glad I am that you didn’t.”

She giggled and started kissing me again. I had one hand on the back of her head and the other was slowly caressing her back. I didn’t want to rush her as I was still not sure she knew what she was in for and I was scared she might bail out at any moment, but as my hand moved in wider and wider sweeps her kisses became more amorous so I grew bolder. It was one of those rare times of the year when it was sultry and hot even at night and she had worn a thin cotton sun-dress well suited to the conditions. I could feel the back strap of her bra through the thin fabric and, as I got bolder and she made no move to stop me, I could feel the waistband of her panties as I stroked across her bottom. I gave it an experimental squeeze and she squirmed and pressed herself into me.

Suddenly the kissing stopped, and she sat up straddling me. My other hand joined its partner and together cupped both cheeks. She reached down and nervously toyed with the top button of my blouse as if unsure how to proceed.

“May I?”

“Be my guest,” I replied and gave her arse an encouraging massage.

I thanked my lucky stars I’d decided to wear my best underwear tonight. A rather saucy set I’d bought online in a moment of madness. Nature has not been generous to me in the boob department and this bra was the only one I had that gave even the slightest hint of a cleavage. She finally managed to get her fingers to work and the first button sprang free from its confines. With a look of triumph, she moved on to the next. Slowly she worked her way down before, with a look of determination, she pulled the two sides apart. The bra was red and cut so low that hints of my aureole showed over the top although my nipples managed to stay hidden by some miracle. She seemed confused by the fastening between the two cups, so I helped her out by letting go of her arse for a moment and undoing the clip. Then I left her to explore.

Meanwhile, not wishing to be left behind, my hands had strayed under her short dress and were now fondling her naked bottom. It was so gorgeously soft and warm and yielding to my touch and her panties covered nothing leaving my hands to explore at will. Like mine, her hands had begun to roam. She was nervous and unsure to begin with as my bra fell aside and showed off my petite tits. She seemed shy about touching me this intimately but slowly grew bolder as I goaded her on with not so subtle gasps and groans. Soon she was stroking my nipples with her fingertips and watching them grow hard under her touch. Her arse was proving to be a pleasant playground for my busy hands as I squeezed and pushed them about, pushing the two cheeks together and then pulling them apart and making a yawning chasm of her cleft. I was still wary of going too far too quickly and resisted the temptation of reaching for the ultimate goal too soon. Above me, she straightened up slightly although her hands stayed firmly planted on my boobs. She looked at me with a serious face.

“I’m not sure what to do,” she confessed shyly.

“That’s ok, babe,” I said as gently as I could. She sounded like she thought it was her fault. “Of course you don’t, hun, this is your first time. Why should you know?”

She smiled down at me with a look of gratitude. “I have an idea,” I announced, and her eyes brightened, “why don’t I make love to you? That way you’ll learn what’s good and what’s not so good.”

Not giving her a chance to argue, I slipped my hands under the hem of her loosely fitting dress and slowly slid it up her body, caressing her warm skin as I went, over her hips and along her flanks. She sat there, still straddling me, immobile as a doll, completely frozen.

“Arms up,” I prompted her and, as if in a dream, her arms floated upwards, “good girl.”

I pulled the dress over her head and disentangled it from her arms before dropping it over the side of the bed. Her underwear was pink and prettily lacy and as soon as her arms were free she went suddenly coy on me holding one arm across her chest and using a hand to cover her thong. I smiled at her action and ignored her. I reached behind, and with a little fumbling managed to undo the clasp of her bra. I pulled the straps off her shoulders and worked it out from under her protecting arm. It joined her dress on the floor and out of sight. I took her by surprise by quickly rolling her off me onto her back and lying on top of her. Her arms had been flung about and I grabbed her wrists and locked them together above her head. She could easily have broken my grip, but she made no struggle. I leant down and kissed her again making sure she felt my nipples on hers. Two pairs of hardened points scraped against each other as I moved slightly from side to side.

When I let go of her wrists, they stayed where they were, so I pushed myself up until I was straddling her in an echo of the way she had been above me. I slipped out of my blouse and bra and tossed them aside. I played with my breasts while our eyes were locked together, rolling my nipples between thumb and finger then I looked down at hers. Like mine they were small and neat but, if anything, her hard nipples were even more pronounced than mine. I let go of my tits and reached down and felt hers. Fuck, they felt so good! Soft and warm and crowned by deliciously pink aureole circling those amazing nipples. I got my first moan out of her as I lightly pinched them. I took that as a signal that I was doing ok, so I bent forward and laid a little kiss on each one in turn. Then I could hold back no longer and started to devour one of them while my hand made the other feel less lonely and left out. I drew circles around it with my tongue and sucked it into my mouth. Her breasts were small enough that I could get almost all of them into my mouth and she moaned again, this time even more loudly with a hint of hysteria.

That was when I felt her hands on my buttocks. My short, pleated cotton skirt was around my waist and she was almost desperately pulling me into her. I had one hand free and I stroked it down her side and then pushed it between us and into the warm space between her thighs. Her only response was to tighten her grip on my arse. She felt damp through the thin covering of her thong, and I could easily trace the outline of her pussy with my fingers. I sensed a hand slide over my arse cheek and dip deep into the valley of my groin and then the light press of her finger on my pussy. We were no longer playing at it, this was the real thing. It was with sadness that I worked my way lower taking myself out of her reach as I trailed a line of kisses across her belly. My tongue explored the subtle depths of her navel before I moved on. I felt her tense slightly as my line of kisses approached their inevitable destination. The air down there was already heavy with the dense musk of arousal and I breathed it in, savouring it like the fine delicacy that it truly was.

I delicately kissed the small pink triangle of her thong. It tasted damp and had that familiar tang of savoury and sweet that I loved so much. I traced the outline of the vertical smile and she writhed under my touch and moaned again. Goaded on by her response I pulled the scrap of material to one side to reveal the real thing at long last. Pussies come in all varieties and I love them all but hers was so pretty and neat I nearly cried with joy. I began to suspect that she had secretly planned for this as she was neatly shaved and smooth and her lips stood out in contrast, pink against her pale skin. They already glistened with her moisture and seemed to beckon me forward. I took my first proper taste of her by running my tongue along the complete length from her entrance up to her clit which I licked and sucked it gently. Her fingers were now lightly entangled in my hair and she encouraged me further.

An even more blatant invitation came when her knees came up and her thigh spread wide, opening herself to me, displaying the more intense moistness inside. My ever-eager tongue pushed inside her, savouring her wetness and I felt her fingers tighten in my hair. I sensed she was close, so my mouth went back to her clit as one and then two fingers drove into her. It took very few thrusts before she gushed. Her body went rigid and she arched her back as she squirted everywhere. My hand and chin were drenched, and a large wet patch spread slowly across the cover of the bed. I lay between her thighs unmoving for several minutes, allowing her time to recover slightly before I softly started on her again. She wasn’t expecting that as she tensed up but slowly relaxed again as my ministrations took over.

Her second orgasm, when it came a few minutes later, was less intense than the first but that would have been a hard act to follow. I let my fingers slide slowly out of her and raised my head and looked up at her face. She was grinning from ear to ear and there was a slight sheen of sweat across her forehead. Her face was flushed with excitement and her cheeks glowed pink. I could only guess what she was feeling but I think it was all good.

“You Okay?” I asked needlessly.

“Wow! Fuck! Yes,” was all she managed.

Time to get serious. I grinned at her as I pushed myself up until I knelt between her legs. I took hold of both sides of her thong and started to pull it down. She knew she had already gone too far to object so she lifted her hips off the bed to make my task easier then she lifted her legs so I could get rid of it completely. Pushing both together, I forced my skirt and thong over my buttocks before rolling onto my back and pushing them down my legs and kicking them both off. Then I lay back and spread myself, displaying my pussy for her scrutiny.

We both knew what was happening next and I knew it was the ultimate test for her. For her, what had just happened, was the easy part, what came next was making her nervous. She seemed to steel her nerves and with a fluidity that surprised me she twisted round and manoeuvred herself into a ‘69’ position over the top of me. My world was composed solely of her pussy and her arse and I could see glimpses of her anus in the cleft of her bum. I silently told myself to stay away from there. I didn’t want to go too far this first time. I was brought back to reality when I felt the first touch of her lips on my clit. I stayed still and let her take her time. This was, after all, totally new ground she was breaking. I made allowances for her nervousness as I barely felt the first light pass of her tongue. Her second try was bolder, and I felt a shiver run through me. I lifted my head and gave her still soaked pussy a long kiss. This seemed to drive her on as she increased the speed and force of her lips and tongue as it travelled from one end to the other. That had the desired effect as I felt the first hints of a climax beginning deep inside me.

Her own knowledge of her own body and the demonstration I had given her guided her and showed her what to do. I tried my best to do the same for her, but it was tiring to lift my head up that far and was a strain on my neck. Besides, there were more important things going on. I felt her tongue delve inside me only to be replaced by one or two fingers. I’m not sure how many but by that time I was beyond caring. I was aware of all the animal noises that were coming from I knew not where, and I was aware of the orgasm that was banging on the door demanding to be released. It was out of my control and suddenly broke free and flung itself into the world. I don’t think I was as messy as she’d been, but I was still generous, and she avidly lapped up everything I gave her.

When I came I was holding myself up and kissing her pussy with my hands on her arse and in the fiery moment I broke my promise and licked backwards and over her anus. Even in the daze of my post-orgasmic bliss, I felt the tremor go through her. Had I gone too far too fast? But there was no further reaction and when she resumed attacking my pussy, I extended my area of exploration so that I licked all the way from her clit to her sweet-looking bud and back again. In the meantime, she was still eating and fingering me, determined to return the favour for what she had received. This time when I came, my tongue pushed hard at her anus, not with enough force to penetrate but enough to let her know it wasn’t a mistake. She left a suitable pause before she rolled to one side and swivelled round so we were face to face once more. Through a haze, I smiled at her and gave her a kiss.

We lay for ages looking at each other in the dim light, smiling softly. Eventually, her eyes lowered, and the shy Helen returned.

“Was that Okay?”

“You,” I said kissing the tip of her nose, “were amazing.”

“Are you sure? You’re not just saying that.”

“Truth is you were rubbish,” I said with a grin and her eyes widened in shock. “For fuck’s sake I’m joking, babe, it was earth-shattering.”

The look of relief that came over her face was a joy to behold and she playfully slapped me on the shoulder.

“Bitch!”

“Yeah I know I just couldn’t resist. Now shift a little so I can get the covers out from underneath us.”

Despite the warm night I was starting to feel chilled, so I rolled to one side and tugged at the duvet. After a bit of fumbling and getting tangled up, we both managed to snuggle into each other in the comforting warmth of the bed. Although I switched the light off neither of us was very sleepy, still high on the adrenalin of excitement. We chatted for ages about silly inconsequential things interrupted by long bouts of kissing and caressing and periods of silence where we simply looked at each other. In the end, she stopped responding to my chat and by the light of the street-lamp outside, I could see that her eyes were closed. I kissed her on the forehead and rolled onto my side and snuggled my back into her so that she was spooning me. Her arm came across my waist without disturbing her sleep and I drifted off.

When we woke in the morning, I was surprised that it wasn’t more awkward. I was worried that she would be filled with angst and regret, but she wasn’t. Her dress from yesterday was badly crumpled and creased so I lent her one of mine. I’m slightly taller but our figures are roughly the same so it would pass inspection for the day. After a quick toast and coffee, I drove us into work. Normality seemed very different today and I wondered if she felt the same. Neither of us had mentioned last night and I managed to concentrate well enough to sit at my desk and do the basics. Across the office, she sat with her head bowed over some files and she was typing onto her computer.

At the end of the day, she went back to her place and I went to mine. We never did become girlfriends in the proper sense but occasionally, we’d hook up and go out and sometimes we’d end up at my place and she’d sleep over. If hubby was away, which seemed to be more often these days, she’d sometimes come to the Thursday meet-up and even went off a couple of times with a regular. I wasn’t jealous just secretly proud that I’d helped her find herself. I’m still single and still waiting for Ms Right to come along but I’m not complaining.