Torquere Press Sips and Shots Read online

  “Gail,” Kathleen stated coolly, cutting me off as she returned from the pantry. “You’re up early.”

  “I couldn’t sleep so I came down for some coffee.”

  “Coffee doesn’t help you sleep.”

  That was such a mother comment. “Well, no, Kathleen, I’d given up on sleeping.”

  Kathleen tilted her head at me and asked, “You know Carmen?”

  “I love opera.”

  “I never would have guessed.”

  I shook my head. “I’m thinking there’s a lot about me you would never guess.”

  “I don’t know many bartenders who enjoy the opera.” She chuckled slightly and poured herself a cup of coffee, too.

  “And how many bartenders do you know, Kathleen?”

  She looked at me. “Oh, all right, Gail, very few.”

  I looked at her.

  “Fine. None. Well, you, that’s one,” she said with an exasperated tone. Her lips went flat. “But you know what I mean.”

  “Yes, Kathleen, I know what you mean.” Bartenders are uneducated idiots. I heard her loud and clear. The air went still and quiet and the tension could have fried the eggs she’d left sitting on the counter. Finally I joined in with the radio, singing softly just to break the silence. “L’amour est enfant de bohéme, il n’a jamias connu de loi.”

  “That’s French,” Kathleen informed me.

  “Love is a gypsy child, he has never heard of law.” I translated, just to make a point, before I realized with no small irony how relevant that phrase was. It wasn’t lost on Kathleen, either.

  “Indeed,” she said, looking at me from the other side of the counter with an unreadable expression. I sipped my coffee and tried to pretend that I had made that point on purpose. “Do you love Julie, Gail?” Kathleen asked suddenly, as if she’d been looking for that opening since we’d arrived and had finally found it.

  On its face, it was a fair enough question for a mother to ask of her daughter’s lover, so I decided to treat it as if it had been asked fairly. I set my mug down on the counter and looked at Kathleen. “Yes,” I said simply. Kathleen’s eyes seemed to be searching mine for something and I started to wonder in the moment of silence that followed if I’d missed something about her. “Julie is the reason I get out of bed in the morning, Kathleen,” I went on, in case she had any lingering doubts. “She’s my best friend, my crutch, my reality check. She’s my sunshine.”

  Kathleen studied me a moment longer and I noticed for the first time that her eyes were hazel like Julie’s, and the same shape. “I believe you,” she said softly, and turned away, reaching into a low cabinet to pull out a frying pan. “Omelet?”

  “I’m lesbian not a liar, Kathleen.”

  She turned on me and I saw a flash in her eyes that was reminiscent of Julie’s temper. “I’d have asked a man the same question,” she snapped and turned back to the stove, setting the frying pan on it.

  I dropped my head with a sigh and nodded, staring at the counter. Damn. I looked up again and blinked at Kathleen’s back before clearing my throat. “Sorry. Of course you would have. It was a fair question.”

  “I think it was.”

  “It was. Really. I’m just feeling defensive.”

  To her credit, Kathleen seemed to get it. “Me too.” She smiled at me over her shoulder. I think it was the first genuine smile I’d seen since we’d arrived. I smiled back and the tension was diffused by our embarrassed laughter.

  “I’d love an omelet,” I said finally. “You got mushrooms?”

  “In the refrigerator in the little drawer on the left,” Kathleen said, picking up eggs and cracking them into a glass measuring cup. I wasn’t sure what exactly just happened but suddenly I felt lighter and more at ease than I had in days. Kathleen and I didn’t say much more after that, but we whipped up breakfast quite amiably, and by the time Gareth, Julie and her brothers came down to join us we had eggs, muffins, fresh coffee and a plate of fruit on the table.

  Julie was wearing sweats and a soft cotton T-shirt and looked sleep-softened and so beautiful that I kissed her before she sat down at the table without thinking about it. She stiffened a little and then pulled away, and I realized with some discomfort that she wasn’t ready to be kissed in front of her parents.

  “Relax, baby,” I whispered.

  “You’ve been down here with my mother all morning?” she whispered back.

  “Yes, it’s fine, we made breakfast,” I assured her, but Julie looked doubtful. “Relax.”

  “All right you two, no whispering at the breakfast table,” Kathleen chimed in cheerfully. Julie glanced over at her mother and then back at me, her expression full of questions. I just smiled and winked at her.

  “I’ll get you some coffee,” I said, giving Julie’s arm a squeeze and then went to fetch the pot. I wish I hadn’t had my back turned for what happened next.

  I heard Kathleen clear her throat. “Lesbianlesbianlesbian,” she said clearly, if just a little bit rushed. I whirled around in time to see everyone at the table momentarily frozen, their expressions caught between shock and amusement. I watched as Kathleen set half a grapefruit down in front of Julie.

  “So we’re all speaking finally?” Gareth asked from the head of the table.

  Kathleen gave her husband a swat on his balding head and the table erupted in laughter. “Gareth McHugh, don’t borrow trouble,” Kathleen chided in a teasing tone. “Eat your breakfast.” She set a plate of eggs down in front of him.

  * * *

  It was cold the day we were to fly home. Actually, it was cold every day we were in Vail, but the wind that morning was particularly bitter despite the brilliant sunshine. Julie and I had packed the night before, so while she busied herself with farewells to her various family members, I played anti-social in favor of sipping some coffee and looking out the enormous windows one more time at the magnificent view.

  Andrew was sitting with me, playing some handheld video game; an X-2 or a Gamebox or something. Ever since we’d bonded over our love of ‘boobies’ on Christmas Day, he’d been spending most of his time wherever I was in the house. I guess he felt more comfortable with us than with his grandparents. Every so often he would talk back to the game, but he hadn’t said a word to me in close to an hour, so when he finally spoke up he startled me.

  “So, Aunt Gail…”

  I blinked. “Aunt?” God, that made me sound so fucking old. “Oh God, Andrew, just ‘Gail’. Please.”

  “Mother said—”

  I was sure he was going to leap into a long admonishment from his mother about respect for one’s elders that was going to make me feel ancient instead of just old so I interrupted him. “Just Gail. Okay?”

  Andrew’s brow furrowed thoughtfully, as if he was a having a hard time fitting my request in with his upbringing, and then he finally spoke again. “Gail,” he repeated. “Gail, are you seriously in love with Aunt Julie?”

  “Yeah,” I answered easily. “I am seriously in love with Aunt Julie.”

  “Aunt Julie is seriously in love with Aunt Gail, too.”

  Julie’s voice startled the hell out of me and I jumped off the couch, nearly sending my coffee cup flying. My heart was pounding. “Christ, Julie, you need to make more noise when you’re eavesdropping.”

  “She said just ‘Gail’,” Andrew chimed in, apparently not nearly as startled by Julie’s sudden entrance as I had been.

  “Well, ‘just Gail’, come out and say goodbye to my parents.”

  The whole goodbye scene was not something I’d been looking forward to. Shaking hands, being polite, smiling, thank you’s, none of it was my thing. I decided to play it cool. “I’m kind of busy right now.”

  “What?”

  “You know, my buddy Andrew and I were just having a little guy talk.”

  Julie arched one fine eyebrow. “Gail.”

  “Oooh. Fight!” Andrew climbed up to sit on the back of his chair and left his electronic widget on the table. It beeped
and chattered annoyingly.

  I bristled. “We’re not fighting.”

  Julie put her hands on her hips and flashed mock-threatening eyes at me. “Gail Anne Pietrowski, if you—”

  “Pietrowski?” Andrew parroted.

  “Shh!” I waved a hand at Andrew. “For Christ’s sake Julie, let’s not let your mother find out I’m a Polack, too, she might burst something.”

  Julie stepped into the room so it was harder to ignore her. Then she came around in front of me and sat beside me on the couch and there was no escaping those green eyes. “If you’re going to make them wait, let’s at least have a good excuse. How about you start with the part where you are seriously in love with ‘Aunt Julie’?”

  I looked at her and smiled. I thought about throwing back something sarcastic, but there was no point in trying to deny her anything. “I am seriously in love with Aunt Julie.” I repeated, holding her gaze. Julie was so beautiful with the sunlight in her hair. I licked my lips as my mouth went dry.

  “You are?”

  “Yeah. I mean, yes,” I answered with the slight correction. Julie was always complaining that I sounded like one of her teenagers. “Yes, I am.”

  “Are you guys gonna kiss, because I’m so outta here if you are.” Andrew demanded from his perch across the room.

  Julie nodded slowly, not taking her eyes off me. “I think we are.”

  “Ew!” Andrew shouted and hopped off of his chair. “Gross.”

  “Bye, kid. Tell your grandparents we’ll be a minute.” I said, pulling Julie into my arms.

  Andrew had to have the last word. “Lesbiablesbianlesbian!” he taunted as he ran from the room.

  Switching Sides

  Beth Wylde

  I rushed into my dorm room and slammed the door shut behind me. For the first time since starting college, I was extremely glad not to have a roommate. My hair felt like a rat’s nest and my outfit was a crumpled mess. I looked like I’d slept in my clothes, even though I hadn’t actually slept in anything but my birthday suit. In fact, I hadn’t really slept much last night at all. If anyone saw me now they would know immediately that I’d spent the night getting laid and that the sex had been good. To be perfectly honest, the sex had been fucking amazing. I’d done things last night, and had things done to me, that I didn’t think were humanly possible. I’m still not sure they are. The whole encounter seemed almost surreal now that I was alone but I knew it had really happened. The growing soreness between my legs was solid proof of our wild sexual encounter, and I missed Kara already even though I’d only been in my room for about five minutes.

  I couldn’t believe I had a girlfriend now. Me, the girl who had always been willing to open her pants at the drop of a hat for sex with just about any member of the male species, had gone gay. The sad part was that now that I’d been with another woman, I knew I could never go back to guys. I’d found something last night that I’d been searching for forever: companionship. Kara was more than just someone I enjoyed being in bed with, though God knows the time we’d spent horizontal was phenomenal. She was also someone I could relate to. Someone I felt comfortable with, in the bed and out of it.

  Kara and I hadn’t just had sex with each other; we’d made love. Something up until now, I thought only existed in fairytales. We also talked, laughed and even snuggled, which was totally out of the ordinary for me on a date. But after yesterday’s new revelation about myself I needed some time to think. A long, cold shower was also in order if I was ever going to get my mind to contemplate anything besides the thorough loving I’d received last night.

  I raised my tank top to my nose and inhaled deeply. I hated the thought of washing it. The subtle scent of sweat and sex and Kara’s feminine perfume still clung to the garment. One sniff of the combination had me wet and the thought of some of the things we’d done to each other started a fresh river flowing between my thighs. As I flopped down on my bed it was all I could do to reach for my journal instead of my vibrator, but I needed to sort out the jumbled thoughts in my mind. I knew the best way to do that was by writing down the entire encounter in my journal. I also knew I had to write quickly because I still needed to get clean and dressed before meeting Kara for our lunch date.

  * * *

  Saturday March 4, 2007

  The most incredible thing just happened to me. I’ve always been attracted to guys. Ever since I lost my virginity at the age of sixteen, I’ve been pretty straightforward with all of my dates about the fact that I’m looking for, and enjoy, sex.

  Yesterday Brad and I went out on our third date. I met him a few weeks ago at the campus library while doing research for a psychology paper. Something about his quiet and shy demeanor turned me on. I think the attraction was more the challenge he seemed to represent because, truthfully, he wasn’t all that good-looking.

  He took me out to an early dinner last night at a little club in town that I’d never been to before. He spent the evening sitting across from me, acting like the perfect gentleman. It drove me nuts. He hadn’t even tried to kiss me yet. I’d been dropping subtle sexual hints the entire time, but he seemed totally clueless to my advances. Finally, I decided to throw tact out the window and tried to outright seduce him. I slipped off my shoe and slowly moved my foot up until it rested between his legs. The minute I started to fondle his cock with my toes, he jumped up out of his seat, mumbled something about a missed appointment, and shot out of the restaurant as if I’d lit a rocket up his ass.

  His quick departure left me all alone and stuck with the check. I was extremely glad we had only ordered drinks because I didn’t have a lot of cash on me to cover the bill. I finished my strawberry daiquiri and waved towards the waiter. As he headed in my direction, I bent over to grab my purse. When I sat back up, I noticed I had company. Kara Nouveau, a student in my art class whose dorm room was two doors down from mine, now occupied Brad’s empty chair. She was shaking her head and chuckling loudly. Her reaction was so odd I couldn’t keep my mouth shut. “What’s so funny?”

  “I couldn’t help but notice what just happened between you and Brad.”

  I shrugged nonchalantly but the tone of my voice clearly reflected my irritation. “Yeah, so?”

  “Well, I hate to be the one to tell you this, but he isn’t interested in you.”

  I frowned. “I think his reaction was a pretty good indication of that.”

  Kara laughed even louder this time. “No, I mean he’s not interested in women at all.”

  I stiffened, thinking surely she wasn’t implying what I thought she was. As she opened her mouth to speak, I braced myself.

  “He’s gay. I thought you knew.”

  I shook my head in disbelief while Kara scooted her chair sideways until her leg was touching mine. “There’s more.” I felt the undeniable sensation of her hand on my knee as her fingers slowly crept up my thigh. She leaned over until her breath whispered across my ear. “You’re also in a gay bar.”

  If Kara hadn’t had her hand on my leg, I would have fallen out of my chair. My gaze darted left and right, noticing two guys chatting intimately at the bar and three girls in close conversation at a nearby table. The rest of the restaurant was empty.

  Kara reached out with her free hand and gently cupped my chin, turning me back to face her. “It’s still early. It doesn’t get crowded in here until around ten or so because the club stays open until nearly dawn.”

  As her fingers tightened their grip I suddenly realized how Brad must have felt, but I didn’t have time to dwell on it because Kara had more enlightening news for me. “The only reason he brought you here was because he thought you were gay, too.”

  I gasped audibly, shocked that someone might think such a thing about me. While it was true that I had a bit of a kinky streak in the bedroom that most guys seemed unable to handle, it was obvious that I wasn’t a lesbian. At least I thought it was. “I…I…I’m not.”

  Kara shook her head and I shivered as I felt her long brown hair glide ov
er my shoulder and across my neck. The feeling was distracting and more arousing than it should have been. “Are you sure?”

  My voice was raspy, whether with shock or desire at this point I wasn’t sure. “What?”

  Her hand moved higher until she found the inseam of my low-rise camouflage capris, and I swore I could feel my panties getting damp. “I said, are you sure?”

  I nodded, but my reply sounded weak, even to my own ears. “I like guys.”

  Her fingers felt like magic between my legs and, as she increased the pressure just where I needed it, I suddenly wished the cloth barrier between her hand and my pussy would disappear.

  “That’s fine,” she replied before leaning in and quickly sucking my earlobe into her mouth. “The question is, do you like girls too?”

  I started to say no when she pressed the palm of her hand hard against my clit. I opened my mouth, but nothing came out except for a loud groan. She smiled knowingly at me, and something inside my brain exploded. I suddenly wanted to know if her lips felt as soft as they looked and, considering where we were, I decided to take a chance and find out.

  I leaned forward, keeping my eyes open until the last moment, and focused directly on Kara. Her pupils dilated slightly in shock, and then appreciation, as our mouths met.

  The first few kisses were chaste and timid. I was exploring totally uncharted territory and felt very unsure about what I was doing. Kara noticed my hesitancy and took control. Her eagerness to dominate aroused me immediately and dissolved the last of my inhibitions. When her tongue slid across my lips, I threw myself headlong into the kiss. I wasn’t disappointed with my decision.

  I’ve kissed lots of guys, and enjoyed most of them, but what Kara was doing to my mouth felt almost obscene. I was so hot I couldn’t sit still. I rocked forward in my seat, and Kara’s hand pressed back against me, teasing and stroking me until I wanted to scream. I arched my back and broke away with a gasp. I was on fire, and I needed to come so badly I was about to beg for it. Sudden applause halted my plea, though, and as I looked around, I noticed all eyes were on us. My face reddened in embarrassment, but Kara just looked pleased. She threw a twenty on the table, grabbed my hand, and pulled me out of the restaurant behind her.