As Bob observed just before he left Karen and Rachel alone, Rachel had not been this happy in a long, long time. Rachel was finally realizing that her life did not have to end with her husband’s.
In the past 48 hours, Rachel had discovered that she could not only feel attractive, but that she could even look attractive to others. She sighed as she remembered Bob’s and Karen’s admiring glances earlier in the evening. She certainly could not believe how erotic she looked in the photos now on Karen’s laptop.
Now that she was alone with Karen, Rachel desperately wanted to explore a sexual relationship with another woman, particularly her best friend who had done so much to finally wake Rachel from her ten-year slumber.
One half of Rachel’s brain was focusing on the sensual possibilities for the remainder of the evening. The other half, however, was telling Rachel that would be wrong … because Karen, her best friend, was sobbing uncontrollably beside her on the sofa.
“Don’t cry, Karen,” Rachel said to her friend, squeezing her hand and breaking the silence that existed since Bob left. “There’s nothing wrong.”
“Bullshit!” Karen replied firmly despite her tears. “I have totally fucked up my marriage. This wonderful man, who has taken care of me so well for most of my life, thinks I’m now a fucking lezzie. God only knows what he is thinking right now. I love him so much, and I know I have hurt him badly.”
Rachel continued to try to console her friend, although Rachel knew that Karen was wrong. If anything, Rachel thought, Bob would probably be excited – not threatened – by the fact that Karen was interested in a relationship with a woman. She knew from the stares that she received from Bob at the beach years ago that Bob was a sexual person, and probably a broad-minded one at that. But, seeing Karen in such a state of despair, Rachel decided to wait to see if Karen could cry herself dry before she attempted to reason with her.
After about five minutes, Karen was slowly getting herself back together. Breaking the silence, Karen asked Rachel, “Do you honestly think Bob hates me?”
“Of course not, you silly woman,” Rachel said softly and reassuringly. “You and Bob have one of the best marriages that Stephen and I had ever seen. Stephen and I used to argue a lot, and I am embarrassed to say that I was tempted to sleep around from time to time after our arguments. That’s one reason I was so miserable after he died … I felt so guilty for even thinking about cheating on him.
“You and Bob have something uniquely special,” Rachel continued. “I know Bob pretty well. Nothing will ever split the two of you up, unless that’s what you want.”
Karen sighed and put her head on her friend’s shoulder. “I guess you’re right,” Karen said. “I know I could not live without Bob’s love. He means everything to me; the only other person who come close, other than my son, is you.”
Rachel tried to react calmly to Karen’s words. However, Rachel’s head was now spinning. “Did Karen just say what I think she said,” Rachel thought to herself. “Does that mean ...”
Her thoughts were interrupted when Karen gave Rachel a chaste kiss on the cheek.
“I’m sorry about being so theatrical,” Karen said staring to get herself back together. “I was shocked that Doug had included those intimate photos in the slideshow, and I was so pissed off at myself for not viewing them before I showed them to you and especially Bob. However, I thought you should see the photos at the same time I did, if not before. In fact, Doug should have sent them straight to you, but I guess he only had my details. I am so stupid ...”
“No, you’re not,” Rachel interrupted. “I was so shocked by what was happening on the sofa yesterday that I didn’t even notice that Doug was taking pictures. I am sure you didn’t notice, either.”
“Shocked?” Karen asked urgently, as began to sob again. “Oh shit, I’m so sorry. I never meant to hurt you. But, you looked so miserable on the sofa, and you looked so sexy in that La Perla underwear I had bought for you. I couldn’t control myself, so I went into the dressing room, took everything off, put on that slip. I wanted you so badly …”
Rachel placed her index finger against Karen’s lips and said, “Shh. I shouldn’t have said ‘shocked’, rather I should have said ‘surprised’. I had no idea that you had feelings for me, at least in that way, and I was trying to take it all in. And, you were right: I was a bit miserable. I am not that shy, but I was not very comfortable lounging on a sofa barely dressed posing for photos before a guy who I had never met!
“But, I did not push you away, despite my surprise. Now that I have thought about what happened, it was probably the most beautiful experience in my life,” Rachel told Karen.
“My only regret is that we did not tell Doug to go away so that we could have continued what you started.
“My question now,” Rachel asked, going for broke, “is whether you will push me away if I try to continue what you started yesterday?”
Rachel did not give Karen a chance to answer. Rachel pressed her lips against Karen’s and, when it was clear that Karen was providing no resistance, Rachel slowly began to trace Karen’s lips with her tongue. Emboldened by Karen’s silent encouragement, Rachel began kissing Karen’s neck. Karen simply lay back against the arm of the sofa. Rachel continued kissing, down Karen’s chest between the buttons of her blouse and finally nuzzled her face between Karen’s breasts.
Suddenly, though, Rachel stopped.
“Karen,” she said, “we’re fifty-something women, not teenagers. As much I would love to continue to snog you on the sofa, it would be a shame if we did not use the big bed that I have. Can we continue this in the bedroom?”
Rachel reached for Karen’s hand and was overjoyed when Karen offered it to her. Without speaking, they walked hand in hand to the bedroom, although Rachel noticed that Karen seemed unsteady on her feet.
The alcohol that had been consumed and the emotions that had been generated when Bob left Rachel’s house had been too much for Karen. As soon as she removed her high heels and lay on the bed, she knew that she wanted sleep, even more than she wanted Rachel.
“Rachel, please do not be hurt, but what I would really like right now is for us to take off our clothes, get under the covers and just hold each other. If something happens, that would be fantastic. However, I really think I need some sleep after everything that has happened tonight.
Rachel was disappointed as she though that she was about to have sex, whether it be with a man or a woman, for the first time since Stephen had passed away. She was worried that she could not control her desires. On the other hand, she realized that Karen was in a very delicate state, and Rachel wanted to do nothing to injure what she hoped would for now on be a beautiful, sexual friendship.
“OK, Karen, you’ve got it. I only have one request. Since you saw see me naked yesterday, I would like you to remove your clothes first so I can take in you beauty fully.”
Karen rose from the bed. She slowly began unbuttoning her silk blouse, and once that was removed, she unbuckled her belt and pulled down the tight black jeans. Standing close to Rachel, who was staring intently at Karen from the bed, Karen unclasped her bra, revealing breasts that were considerably smaller than Rachel’s but still large enough to fill a B-cup. Finally, she removed her lacy knickers, revealing a trimmed bush through which Rachel could see her friend’s core femininity.
Rachel had seen many naked women in the changing room at the gym, but she thought that Karen was the most beautiful woman she had ever seen, despite her fifty-plus years. She had agreed not to jump on Karen that evening, but it would be difficult to resist.
Karen walked around the bed, allowing Rachel to get a full view her petite bottom. She slid under the covers on the opposite side of the bed from Rachel and said softly, “OK, Rachel, it’s your turn.
Karen, of course, had seen Rachel’s body full-on at the photography studio on Friday. Still, as Rachel undressed, Karen was amazed that the ‘old hag’ from yesterday morning possessed such a lush body: large breasts; a firm waist for a woman of her age; a full but rounded derrière; and shapely legs that reflected Rachel’s obsession with exercise during her years of grief. After removing her bra and knickers, Rachel, too, slipped under the duvet and turned out the light.
Rachel felt Karen reach over in the darkness and stroke her breast and then lean in for a soft kiss.
“I know you want to make love, and so do I,” Karen whispered. “However, let’s just hold each other. If we sleep, that’s fine. If something happens, that’s fine, too.
“I love you, Rachel. I love Bob, too; I probably love Bob more. But, I want you to know how much I love you.”
“I love you, too, Karen,” Rachel replied tenderly. “It’s been a long evening, and I know you are tired. But, please do me a favour and try to sleep as close to me as you can.”
Karen wrapped her arms around Rachel. She then moved her leg, so that it rested against Rachel's pussy. Slowly, their legs became intertwined. Their breasts touched. The two women could not have been closer together.
“Good night, my love,” Karen said, closing her eyes and slipping immediately into sleep. Despite her excitement, the warmth and tenderness that she felt in bed with another person, and a woman at that, soon caused Rachel also fall into a delicious sleep.
Two miles away in another house, Bob was also in bed, but he could not sleep. His mind was still hard at work.