By
Jan
Chapter 8
Nikki
opened her eyes and gently eased herself out of Trisha’s embrace. Since that
first night, three months ago, they had been inseparable, waking each morning
in each other’s arms.
Trisha
had suggested this holiday in Switzerland. Her father, a well-to-do
businessman, had a lakeside holiday home and he was letting them use it. It was
Nikki’s first time abroad and she was like a kid experiencing the new sights
and sounds and tasting different food. Trisha had laughed at the disappointment
on her face when she had demanded where all the snow was and where were the
cuckoo clocks. At the first opportunity, Trisha had found a gift shop and
bought her a souvenir cuckoo clock then they had driven up into the snow-capped
mountains and the sights had taken her breath away.
She
rose quietly and crossed to the window. She loved to stand here – as she had
done every morning since their arrival a week ago – and watch the mist rise on
the lake. It had an ethereal quality and the castle on the far shore looked as
if it was straight out of a fairy tale. She started as she felt Trisha’s hand
touch her naked back.
“’Morning,
babe,” Trisha said sleepily, as she moved in front of Nikki and slid her arms
around her.
A
rush of desire invaded her as Trisha pressed her naked body against her.
“’Morning. Did I wake you?” she asked, as she dropped a kiss onto Trisha’s
mouth.
Trisha
shook her head. “I’ve watched you stand here every morning and I wanted to know
what was so interesting out there.”
Nikki
gave an embarrassed laugh. “I was just looking at the lake. It’s beautiful,
like something out a fairy story.”
“Let’s
go back to bed and have our own happy ending.” Trisha smiled lovingly at her
then lay her head against Nikki’s chest and hugged her close. “I love you,
Nikki,” she said softly. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
Nikki
kissed the top of her head, her arms tightening around her. “I could never have
imagined the happiness you’ve brought me.” She drew back and, placing her
fingers under Trisha’s chin tilted her head until their eyes met. “You’re
beautiful and I love you and I won’t ever let anyone hurt you.” She promised.
She bent her head and pressed her mouth against Trisha’s, kissing her thoroughly
before tracing a path to the hollow at her throat and across her bare shoulder.
She forced her knee between Trisha’s legs, feeling the soft silky hair brushing
against her skin.
Trisha’s
fingers threaded in her hair and she lifted her head to the waiting mouth as
Trisha gyrated against her thigh. She heard soft moans as Trisha’s hands slid
down the contours of her body, cupping her buttocks and pressing their bodies
closer together.
“What
if someone sees us?” Nikki asked softly.
“It’s
too late to worry about that now,” Trisha rasped harshly. “Please, Nikki. Help
me out here.” She took Nikki’s hand and pushed it between her legs.
“You
seem to be doing quite well on your own,” she teased, as Trisha continued to
move against her.
“Please,
Nikki!” she begged breathlessly.
“For
you, my darling, anything,” she murmured, as she started to caress with her
fingers, only to be rewarded moments later with Trisha’s cries of satisfaction.
Trisha
licked her dry lips...her now sweating body still pressed tightly against
Nikki. She cupped the dark head and kissed her lovingly. “Thank you,” she
sighed softly.
“My
pleasure,” Nikki drawled with a smile.
“Oh,
it will be,” Trisha replied, as she took her hand and led her over to the bed.
Once
they were back in England, she sold her flat and moved in with Trisha. Her
housemate had moved out to get married so it was just the two of them. Trisha
was the peace and stability she had waited for all her life. Trisha’s family
became her family. Her parents became the mother and father she had lost and
her brother, Edward, became the brother she had always wanted. She couldn’t
believe how welcome the Johnson’s made her feel. Her own father had looked at
her as if she was unnatural but they treated her as if she was a second
daughter. They could see how happy the tall, beautiful woman made their
daughter and that was all that mattered to them. Even Edward’s young daughter
called her ‘Auntie Nikki’.
She
still worked in the club but now when she finished her shift Trisha was usually
patiently sitting at the end of the bar waiting for her.
“I’ve
got a surprise for you, babe,” Trisha remarked one night as she was driving
them home. “I asked my father to look for suitable premises for us.”
“Suitable
premises?” Nikki echoed with a frown.
“For
a club, of course. We’re going to look at a place tomorrow,” she answered
triumphantly.
“You’re
joking!” Nikki exclaimed, a stunned expression on her face.
“So
you’re pleased then?” Came the teasing response. Nikki grabbed hold of her head
and kissed her hard on the cheek. “You’re pleased,” Trisha murmured, with a
satisfied smirk as she struggled to steer straight.
“Do
I take it you don’t approve?” Trisha demanded impatiently. “You’re not usually
at a loss for words.” They had been wandering around the deserted warehouse for
twenty minutes and Nikki hadn’t said a word.
“I…I
don’t know what to say,” Nikki stammered.
“Do
you like it? Is it what you want? If not, we can look for something else.”
Nikki
looked at her, her eyes filling with tears. “Of course it is. I can’t believe
you’re doing this for me.”
“Just
say ‘yes’, Nikki,” Trisha ordered lovingly.
“Yes!
Bloody yes!” Came the echoing cry, as she punched the air.
Trisha
listened indulgently as Nikki outlined her plans for turning the warehouse into
a top-class nightclub, smiling at her obvious excitement.
As
she paused for breath, Nikki caught the gleam in Trisha’s eye. She flung her arms
around her and gave her a bear-hug. “Trish, I love you so much!” she exclaimed
vehemently. “And I love you even more for doing this.”
Trisha
slid her arms around her neck. “It’s just me and you now, Nik. All the way,
fifty-fifty.”
“Are
you sure this is what you want?” Nikki asked anxiously. “I don’t want you doing
something you don’t want to do, just because it’s what I want.”
“If
I understood what you’d just said, I’d probably agree,” Trisha teased. She gave
her a lingering kiss. “I want you, Nikki and I want you to be happy. That’s
all. Come on. Let’s go and tell the agent we’re taking it.”
For
the next few months their lives were filled with builders, carpenters,
electricians and sundry workmen and the two women found themselves falling into
bed in the early hours, often too tired for anything except a perfunctory
‘goodnight’ kiss before they fell asleep in each other’s arms.
Just
days before they were due to open, Trisha eventually put her foot down. “That’s
it, Nikki. We are taking tonight off!”
Nikki
put down the table she had been in the process of re-arranging. “Oh, but…” she
began only to be interrupted sharply. “No ‘buts’, Nik! We haven’t had two
minutes for each other lately. When we started this venture, I didn’t think it
would come between us.”
“OK!
OK!” Nikki held her hands up in submission. “Tonight, I’m all yours.” She drew
Trisha into her arms and ran her long fingers through the silky blonde hair.
“Tonight and every night,” she said softly, as she bent her head and kissed her
soft mouth. She drew back, a mischievous smile on her face. “Do you fancy going
up and christening the couch in the office?”
Trisha
shook her head at her. “No!” she retorted. “We’re going home. We’ll pick up a
take-away and a video on the way then we’re going to get sloshed. I think we
deserve it.”
Nikki
draped her arm around Trisha’s shoulders as they went outside to the car park.
She pointed up at the sign…Trik’s. “Just think, babe, this place will be packed
to the rafters in a few days.”
“Hopefully,”
Trisha replied softly. She slid her arms around Nikki’s neck. “Have I ever told
you how much I love you, Wade?”
“Once
or twice,” she grinned. “Come on, you can take me home and prove it.”
Nikki
looked across at the two young girls standing at the bar. Mick, the doorman,
was going to get a bollocking the next time she saw him for letting them in.
Even at this distance, she could see that under all the make-up they were only
schoolgirls.
She
walked over and leant on the bar beside them. “Evening, girls,” she said
chattily. The two youngsters giggled. “Does your mother know where you are?”
“Of
course she does!” one of them retorted.
“I’ll
bet. Don’t you think you should go home and do your homework?” Nikki asked
sarcastically.
“Who
the hell are you, anyway?” the other one demanded.
Nikki
smirked. “I’m the boss.”
“Our
money is as good as anyone else’s,” the first one observed.
“No,
it isn’t! Your money could make me lose my licence. The door is over there, use
it!” The duo looked about to object but under Nikki’s glare soon backed down.
“Come back when you’re old enough,” she called after them as they walked
dejectedly away. “In about three years time!”
“What
was all that about?” Trisha asked as she walked up behind her. “Throwing your
weight around again?”
“Bloody
kids!” Nikki snorted. “They should be at home in front of the telly, not in a
place like this.”
“What
do you mean, ‘place like this’?” Trisha retorted. “I’ll have you know, my
partner and I run a decent establishment! Anyway, you told me yourself, you
went into clubs when you were under-age.”
“And
look what happened to me!” she said teasingly and slid her arms around Trisha’s
waist. “Led on the road to ruin by a wicked woman.”
Trisha
laughed softly. They had no secrets from each other and she knew all about
Kate, the woman in the nightclub. “Well, I have a lot to thank her for. Your
road to ruin led to me.” She cupped Nikki’s face and kissed her gently.
As
they drew apart, Nikki grinned impishly. “You’re the wicked woman I’m talking
about!”
Trisha
looked at her fiercely then her lips softened into a smile. “Come and dance
with me.”
“I’ve
got to go and give Mick a bollocking.”
“No,
you haven’t. You’ve got to keep me happy.” She took Nikki’s arm and propelled
her onto the dance floor. They danced, their arms wrapped around each other,
nuzzling each other’s necks, until Nikki felt a tap on her shoulder.
“Cat
fight in the ladies’ loo, Nikki!” Jenny, one of the bar staff, spoke against
her ear.
They
walked to the edge of the dance floor and Nikki dropped a kiss onto Trisha’s
cheek. “Catch up with you later, babe. Handbags at dawn!” she said wryly as she
walked off with Jenny in her wake. Nikki was the one the staff called for when
there was trouble because her well-developed sense of humour usually managed to
defuse inflammatory situations before they got out of hand.
Trisha
looked longingly after her partner’s disappearing back. They had been together
five years but she still felt stirrings inside her like first love when Nikki
looked at her. Nikki was still the only one who was able to inflame her senses
with a caress from her long slender fingers or the touch of her lips. She had
seen women in the club giving Nikki the eye but she seemed to be totally
oblivious to the effect she had on those around her.
They
had talked about having children but over the past few years the idea had been
pushed into the background. Now the club was a success and they had a
comfortable life-style, maybe this was the time to talk to Nikki about it
again.
She
tentatively broached the subject when they were in bed that night. “I’ve been
thinking, Nikki, about us having a baby.”
Nikki
jerked her head sideways and looked at her. “A baby!” she exclaimed.
“Nik,
we’ve talked about it before. I just thought, now we’re so settled this would
be the best time,” Trisha replied defensively.
“Babe,
this would be the worst time,” Nikki protested. She turned on her side and
raised herself on her elbow. “Trish, we’ve just got to the point where we’ve
time for each other again. We’ve hardly been able to catch our breath these
past few years, I want us to do things together…take a holiday.”
“But
it would make our happiness complete,” Trisha protested.
“So,
what you’re saying is, on my own I don’t make you happy?” she demanded
bitterly, turning away so Trisha couldn’t see the hurt expression on her face.
Trisha
touched her cheek forcing Nikki to look at her. “Darling, of course you do but
we have so much to give a child. Will you at least think about it?”
Several
seconds passed before Nikki finally spoke. “If you insist,” she replied curtly,
before turning over, her back towards Trisha. “’Night. We’ll talk about it in
the morning.”
Trisha
shook her head sadly then switched off the bedside lamp. This was the first
time in their relationship they hadn’t kissed ‘goodnight’. She sat up and
switched on the lamp. “Nikki, talk to me,” she said softly.
“I’ve
said I’ll think about it, Trisha, just leave it at that!” Came the angry
retort.
“But
I think we should talk.”
“Well,
I don’t!” she snarled. “Go to sleep!”
When
Trisha awoke the following morning, she automatically reached for Nikki but her
side of the bed was empty. She climbed out of bed and, dragging on her dressing
gown, hurried downstairs. The house was deserted but there was a note on the
table bearing just one line: ‘gone for a drive’!
Nikki
drew up outside her friend, Mynah’s house. Mynah and Chris were the only two
she still had contact with from the old days. Trisha’s friends had become her
friends and consequently her own friends had drifted away.
Chris
opened the door to her knock, looking in surprise at Nikki’s unsmiling face and
the dark patches under her eyes from lack of sleep. “Rough night, Nikki?” she
asked sympathetically. Nikki nodded. “Mynah’s in the kitchen. Go through.”
Mynah
gave her a hug and made her coffee then sat her down at the kitchen table. “OK,
what’s happened?” She listened sagely as Nikki related the disagreement she’d
had with Trisha over starting a family, keeping her own council until her
friend had finished. “So, you don’t want kids then?” she asked after a while.
“I
don’t know, Mynah,” Nikki admitted honestly. “Trish and I have talked about it
but I hadn’t really given it much thought until last night.” She gave a deep
sigh. “I went through so much at school because I was gay. Imagine what it
would be like having gay parents. I couldn’t let a kid of mine suffer like
that!” she exclaimed passionately.
“Have
you told Trisha how you feel?” Mynah demanded gently. Nikki shook her head.
“So, you just went into one of your sulks?” she said accusingly then laughed at
the embarrassed look on Nikki’s face. “Go home, honey. Tell Trisha exactly what
you’ve told me and kiss and make up.”
Nikki
let herself into the house. She had rehearsed what she was going to say to
Trisha all the way home but when she went into the lounge and saw Trisha
sitting on the settee, tears streaming down her face she almost burst into
tears herself. She gathered Trisha into her arms, soothing her gently. “It’s
OK, baby, I’m here. I didn’t mean to hurt you. I’m so sorry.” She stroked her
hair until she was calmer and tenderly wiped the tear-stained face.
“I
thought you’d left me,” Trisha gulped.
“Never!”
Nikki exclaimed. “I went to see Mynah. She said I should tell you why I
over-reacted,” she explained as she proceeded to tell Trisha exactly what she
had told Mynah.
“Oh,
Nik!” Trisha said lovingly when she had finished. “What happened to you
happened because you didn’t have the support of people who were supposed to
love you. A child of ours will be loved so much but if you want to wait, we
will do. We’ll spend some time together then we’ll have a baby.” She raised her
head for Nikki’s kiss, cupping the dark head. They were young, they were in
love and they had all the time in the world!