Twice in a Lifetime Read online

  To drown out the horn, Sally gathered up all her bravery and rolled on top of Harriet, and the feel of her naked body on top of Harriet was on another level: she couldn’t help the groan that escaped her lips, and she suspected, neither could Harriet.

  It took a moment to gather her thoughts, and when she opened her eyes, Harriet was staring back at her like she hung the moon.

  “They don’t teach this in sex ed, do they?” Sally said, shaking her head.

  Harriet followed suit. “There would be a stampede, that’s why.” Then she crushed her mouth to Sally’s again, and they writhed, Sally pressing her thigh between Harriet’s legs, feeling her wetness on her skin as she did.

  She pulled back in wonder. “I… I don’t know what to do.”

  “Just touch me,” Harriet blurted, her face bright red, her pupils like flying saucers.

  Sally reached down, her heart racing, her fingers skating through Harriet’s coarse hair.

  Harriet gasped.

  When they connected with Harriet’s wetness, Sally gasped, and Harriet’s eyelids closed as her whole body shuddered.

  Sally paused: it had got a good reaction, so she did it again.

  Same result. She smiled, kissing Harriet again, getting bolder. This time, she left her hand there, circling Harriet, feeling her passion fully. And then, she slipped a finger inside and Harriet lifted her shoulders off the floor, then slumped back down again with an “oooof!” sound.

  “Good?” Sally said, sliding a finger out, then in again. Was this right? She had no idea, but it felt amazing, like she was dipping into Harriet’s soul.

  Sally could feel herself throbbing as Harriet squirmed underneath her. Then she kissed her again and Harriet moaned as Sally buried another finger in her, then Sally was moaning too, kissing her through the moans, sliding her fingers all over Harriet.

  They rolled to one side and Sally lost her bearings.

  No matter, Harriet just grinned, and did so even wider when Sally found her again and slipped back inside.

  “Oh my god, Sally,” Harriet groaned as Sally picked up a rhythm and stayed with it. Sally was lost to this all-encompassing feeling, lost to watching Harriet, lost to this precious moment. She never knew it could be like this; she’d hoped, but this was beyond all expectation.

  Harriet’s face contorted — with pleasure, Sally hoped — and then she stilled, before her whole body shook and she came with a mighty gasp.

  In response, Sally plunged her fingers back in, feeling Harriet’s walls shake around her, and just like that everything she thought she knew came undone. She had no words, just kisses, which she rained down on Harriet.

  When Harriet reversed their positions moments later, sucking on her nipples, Sally closed her eyes and floated away: from her real life, from the sunlight, from everything she wanted to block out. She felt Harriet’s hot breath on her skin, her tongue like velvet, her fingers like silk.

  And when Harriet’s silk slipped into Sally’s core, she couldn’t quite believe what was happening, couldn’t quite grasp it. But she felt it in every single inch of her body: Harriet was inside her and they were having sex. And she knew then they’d do it again this weekend, and the weekend after, and the one after that. Until Harriet had to leave, but she wasn’t going to think about that.

  She opened her eyes to see Harriet’s gaze on her, her vision hazy as her orgasm built inside. Harriet’s fingers were playing a delicious harmony on her, one she recognized from doing it herself. But with Harriet on her, the tune took on a different depth, bringing in new instruments, new melodies, ones she longed to hear again.

  Sally began to groan, to writhe under Harriet, just like Harriet had done with her. Sally gripped Harriet’s free arm and dug her fingers in, groaning as a wave of ecstasy swept through her, wiping her mind of everything that had gone before.

  She felt like her eyes were pulsing in their sockets as a sensation she’d never felt before whipped through her like a hurricane. She clung on, but she knew it was impossible as another wave swept through her. Sally surrendered and came in a spluttering mess, Harriet’s mouth pressing into her, the boat hard beneath her, not able to recall her name, where she was, who she was.

  So this was an orgasm with somebody else involved. This was what it was like to be had by Harriet Locke. She didn’t think there could be anything finer.

  After a few moments, Harriet stopped and Sally’s body stilled, as Harriet covered it in kisses. And then there was silence, apart from the gentle ripple of the water around them, the occasional bird flying by, squawking as it did.

  Sally lay still, getting her breathing back to normal, as Harriet’s fingers curled around her own, sticky and oh so sweet. Eventually, she smiled, and turned her head to Harriet; they were both still naked, and Sally took a moment to take in Harriet’s tanned, toned physique. She’d never been shy of showing it off, whereas Sally was feeling a little exposed.

  “You know, lying here like this, we look kinda goofy.”

  “We do?” Harriet replied, smiling.

  “Yes — you’re all tanned and I’m the opposite.” Feeling suddenly self-conscious, Sally sat up, reaching for her T-shirt.

  Harriet sat up, too, putting a hand on her arm. “Don’t rush to put it back on,” she said, her eyes sweeping Sally’s body. “I’m kinda enjoying the view.”

  Sally blushed anew. “Now I’m definitely putting it on,” she said, doing just that.

  Harriet stayed as naked as the day she was born. “Have you… done that before? I mean, with another girl?”

  Sally’s heartbeat quickened again as she shook her head, still distracted by Harriet’s perfect pale breasts — one of the few parts of her body that wasn’t tanned.

  “No,” she replied, her voice small. “You think we did it okay?”

  Harriet laughed gently, kissing Sally’s cheek. “Felt okay to me.”

  “Felt more than okay to me,” Sally replied, feeling another rush at Harriet’s touch. It restarted the fire in Sally’s belly and further below. “Have you done it before?”

  She didn’t want to look at Harriet, just in case the answer wasn’t what she wanted. She didn’t know why it mattered, but somehow, it did.

  Harriet cleared her throat, before looking down. “No. You’re the first.”

  Sally risked a glance her way, shielding her eyes from the sun. “I’m glad,” she replied, leaning back, her arms on the deck behind her. “Have you with a boy?”

  Harriet nodded. “Yes, and it was nothing like that.” She paused. “Have you?”

  Sally chewed her lip before shaking her head.

  At that, Harriet hastily pulled on her shirt, before taking Sally in her arms and kissing her cheek. “I’m so glad my first time was with you,” she whispered in Sally’s ear.

  A rush flushed through Sally’s body at the words, as she leaned back into Harriet, the sun on her face, the lake all around them, her orgasm still pulsing within. If she’d ever had a more perfect moment in her life, she couldn’t remember it.

  “I am, too,” Sally replied, twisting her head to kiss Harriet’s flushed cheek. Then she lay down on the deck, her hand in Harriet’s — and Harriet did the same. A sensation of falling overtook her body, and she gripped Harriet’s hand tighter, smiling at all these new feelings.

  Smiling at making love with Harriet.

  She understood the term now, completely.

  “My heart’s still thumping in my chest. Is yours?”

  Sally nodded, not opening her eyes. “Yeah.”

  Harriet brought Sally’s hand up to her chest, placing it on top of her heart. “I never want it to stop.”

  Sally turned her head, gulping up Harriet. “Me either.”

  “I never want to let you go.” Harriet’s words were laced with such sincerity, it made Sally’s breathing still.

  “Then don’t,” she replied.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Sally had spent a fantastic morning reacquainting herself with the
city, flexing her fresh memory muscles to erase the old, embracing the town like new. So far, it was working. She’d visited a couple of times since she and Casey imploded, but she hadn’t stayed long enough for the grit to get under her skin again — even a long weekend here last year had made her twitchy, which had annoyed her mom no end. Her mom was of the opinion that Sally had to reclaim her city, because it wasn’t just somewhere she’d lived with Casey — she’d grown up here, it was her home.

  Maybe her mom had a point.

  This morning, she’d ridden the L, marveling at the architecture as the metal tracks sizzled beneath her, steam rising up from the streets below. In Andersonville she’d browsed in the vintage stores and tried not to think about how close by Casey lived — assuming she still did. She’d also taken in The Bean at Millennium Park, looking at her reflection in its shiny surface, wondering who she was today.

  Because today was different.

  Today, she wasn’t hungover and she was meeting Harriet Locke for dinner. Today, she was ready to deal with her emotions in an adult fashion, not like last night, where sitting in the diner and listening to their old song had caused all sorts of old emotions to slosh around her body. Today was just catching up with an old friend, one who happened to be gorgeous, single, and a whole lot of fun to be with. Their ease together had warmed her: she and Harriet still fit, Harriet the Locke and Sally the key.

  Now she was sitting in Links Taproom in Wicker Park, waiting for Harriet to arrive, jitters in her stomach. Her aunt had told her about this bar and it wasn’t what she expected — but then, Sally didn’t really know her aunt, did she? She’d anticipated something classy, but this bar showed Paula liked something more rough and ready, too. It was a hipster hangout, all wood, craft beer, and old-school tunes, the front windows wide open to let the summer in. The Ramones blared out of the speakers, and every guy at the bar wore a beard.

  Sally ordered a coffee and was just finishing it when Harriet walked in, black sunglasses covering her electric green eyes, the golden streak in her chestnut hair taking center-stage. She was out of breath, her cheeks showing a hint of pink, her yellow shirt popping against her black jeans. She looked like she wasn’t even trying to be effortlessly cool, but she pulled it off with aplomb.

  “Hi,” Harriet said, approaching the stool Sally was sitting on, not sure how to greet her.

  Sally understood: they were on odd terrain here, not knowing where they stood emotionally or physically. The last time they’d spent any significant time with each other, when they were teenagers, they’d mostly spent it naked and in bed, the lock on Harriet’s bedroom door securely fastened and checked a million times.

  So on days like today, it wasn’t a surprise that neither knew quite what to do with their hands, their mouths, their everything.

  “Hey — sorry I’m a bit later than I said. Work was hectic, and then my mom wanted me to do some grocery shopping for her.”

  “I didn’t think your mom did the grocery shopping?”

  Harriet laughed. “She doesn’t normally, but Dad’s recovering from surgery and she’s gone into super-wife mode. Which mainly involves trying to cook him meals and then hiding under the hood of her beloved Mustang. Plus, getting your children to do the shopping. She’s acting weird, too — like she wants to interact and she keeps patting my arm.” Harriet shook her head, baffled. “It’s very strange.”

  “Things have changed in the intervening years,” Sally said. She still remembered the buttoned-up, staffed household she’d visited all those years ago, when the only reason Harriet’s mom had to visit the kitchen was to get Robert to whip her up more food. “What’s happened with your dad?”

  Harriet ordered a beer from the waiter, who arrived with waters for them both.

  Sally ordered a Diet Coke. “Starting off easy today.”

  “Wise woman,” Harriet replied. “Dad went into the doctor’s with suspected indigestion and came out being told he needed to go to the hospital. He still didn’t think much of it, but when they checked him out they found a bunch of blockages that meant he wasn’t allowed to go home. That was nearly two weeks ago — he was admitted, had open heart surgery, and now he’s recovering while Mom tries to work out what to do now he’s at home all day with her. She’s still processing.”

  “She’s retired?”

  Harriet nodded. “Yep, two years ago. She’s taken up golf like a good retired person, along with a whole slew of other activities.”

  “And your dad’s going to be okay?”

  “Fingers crossed, but the doctors say he should make a full recovery. He’s young and fit otherwise — just a little overweight but I think that’s coming down with every day that passes. So long as he takes up a more active and healthy lifestyle, there’s no reason he can’t live to see his grandchildren, so the doctors told him.”

  “Is he getting grandchildren any time soon?” Sally said, giving Harriet a quizzical look.

  Harriet coughed, then took a sip of her water. “Don’t look at me,” she said. “Can you imagine me pregnant?”

  Sally squinted, cocking her head at the same time. “We did say last night we don’t really know each other that well anymore.”

  “I don’t think I’ve changed that much since I was 18.”

  Had she? Sally had no idea. “No, maybe not.” She paused. “Sorry to hear about your dad, anyway. I remember him as a very active guy.”

  “He was — he still is. Hopefully he’ll make a full recovery. And I have to say, you clearly made a big impression on him.”

  Sally was flummoxed. “I did? I thought he’d remember me as that woman who drank his wine and corrupted his daughter.”

  “Maybe that’s why he likes you,” Harriet said, laughing. “When I told him I was meeting you, he said to say hi.”

  “Tell him hi right back.”

  Sally was enjoying how comfortable she was feeling in this conversation, like they had chats every day, like their banter had never stopped. Maybe it hadn’t really, it had just been going on in Sally’s subconscious, seeping out of the box marked “Harriet.”

  “So what’s in store tonight, wise city woman? I’ve done the tourist thing, now I’m at your disposal to do with what you will.” And then she blushed as she thought about the impact of her words.

  If Harriet noticed, she didn’t say. “I was thinking a meal at a bar I’ve heard a lot about, my treat for ditching you today.”

  “You didn’t ditch me.”

  “No, but I wasn’t available and I should have been. It’s the weekend, after all. Everyone keeps telling me I should free up my time a little more, but I’ve always said what for? I’m single, I don’t have many weekend plans. But you’ve made me see I never will unless I free up the time, correct?”

  “Parkinson’s law,” Sally replied.

  “Sorry?”

  “Parkinson’s law. It means, if you allot a certain amount of time for a task, that’s the amount of time it will take you. If you give yourself two hours or ten hours, it will take you that long.”

  Harriet pointed a finger at her. “Story of my life.” She paused. “So today, I’m going to make sure you have a great time in Chicago and I give us,” she checked her watch, “around 8 hours to make it happen. You think we can do that?”

  “What happens at midnight, do you turn into a pumpkin?” Sally cast her mind forward to still being with Harriet at midnight, after dinner, drinks, and more chat. More time spent studying her face that still held the kindness Sally remembered, her hands that still held promise, her skin, which Sally had never wanted to run her fingers over more than right now.

  Her eyes caressed the skin Harriet was showing through the opening of her shirt, and when Sally lifted her eyes to Harriet’s face, their gaze met and they both stiffened.

  It was still there, she knew it.

  All of which made today terribly complex.

  “I can’t believe you’re here!” came a booming voice from behind, breaking Sally’s tho
ughts.

  She turned to find her Aunt Paula, arms outstretched, larger than life despite being only 5ft 5.

  “How’s my favorite niece?” Paula asked, pulling Sally off her stool and into her arms. The fans overhead whirred around as Sally was crushed by Paula, then let go, her aunt grinning at her.

  “I had so much fun yesterday, I called your dad right after, asking him where he got such a good, funny kid.” She paused, looking at Harriet. “Hi, I’m Paula, Sally’s aunt — only she’s under strict instructions never to say that in public.” Paula stuck out her hand and Harriet shook it.

  “Harriet,” she said. “Nice to meet you, Sally was telling me all about you last night.”

  Paula raised an eyebrow at that. “Was she now? All good things?”

  “Every last one.”

  “Good,” Paula replied, checking her watch. “I’m meeting a friend here for pre-dinner drinks, but you mind if I join you while I wait?” She indicated their drinks. “Join me?”

  They both nodded and Paula pulled up a stool, signaling to the waiter to come and take their order. “It’s hot today, right? I’m roasting in here, these fans aren’t cutting it.”

  Sally shook her head, her whole body alight with adrenaline.

  It was one thing meeting up again with Harriet when it was just the two of them, but adding someone else to the mix was dangerous, because then they’d have to explain who they were and how they came to be.

  And she still wasn’t sure of how to answer those questions.

  “Harriet, nice name,” Paula said, still grinning. She was dressed more casually today, but she still had an air of money about her. Navy pants were paired with a mustard-colored shirt and white slip-on shoes, her pale skin matching Sally’s. She took a long pull on her beer when it arrived, just like Sally knew she would. “So how do you two know each other?”

  And there it was, that fear coursing through Sally’s veins. She couldn’t tell the truth, because that was too stark: she was my first love and she broke my heart. No, that would never do.