Love, the Second Time Around

I let out a disappointed sigh.

She drew me to my feet and leaned in, as if to kiss me. Her lips brushed mine, but she pulled away again. My pulse raced, my desire nearly taking over.

Amberle smiled, her eyes flashing with wicked delight.

In each hand, she held a small vibrator.

"I have something for you," she said with a teasing laugh.

"Remote control?" I asked.

"Not quite," she replied. "I told Melinda that I needed something I could use to drive you crazy, and she sent me these."

Melinda Dransfield was one of the girls on the beach trip where we met. Our mutual friend was Melanie Westcott, who invited five of her friends along for a girls' weekend away at the beach the previous summer for my birthday. Melinda was sexually liberated and adventurous, but I guess living in a polyamorous relationship for close to thirty years will do that to someone, huh?

"One is for you and one is for me," Amberle drew my skirt up and pushed my panties down. "I want these gone. We're both going commando tonight, sweetheart."

I let out a moan as she pushed the vibrator inside my slick pussy. It fit me just right. Once it was snug, I felt her move a switch and it buzzed, sending a jolt through my body.

She closed her eyes and bit her lip as she slipped the other one inside her and activated it.

"There's a computer chip inside the vibrator that will cause it to go off at random intervals," my lover said with a grin. "It will vary in intensity and duration. And you won't know when it's going to go off next."

"So what's the catch?" I asked, taking her in my arms. "Why didn't you stick just me with one?"

"Because I have a proposition for you."

"I like the way that sounds." My heart raced.

"The first one to take it out loses."

"Loses what?" I was intrigued.

"If you take yours out first, I win." She brushed the hair out of my face. Her fingertips traced a soft line across my cheek. "And that means you have to take me on vacation. At least three weeks to the destinations of my choosing. Out of the country. And no working while on vacation."

"And if I win?"

My body tensed as she pulled me close to her and bit gently on my earlobe. The hair on the back of my neck stood up as she breathed into my ear. "I move to New York for three months. We start our life together."

"I'll start cleaning out space in my closet," I teased. I was going to do that anyway.

"And no brushing your teeth; I want you to taste like pussy all night," she squeezed my breast, sending a chill up and down my spine. "My pussy."

She gave me a quick wink, and then sauntered off towards the bedroom.

I straightened out my skirt and blouse, then checked the ten text messages I had been ignoring and went back downstairs.

As soon as I hit the floor, Emily pushed a champagne flute into my hands. "Stop it."

"Stop what?" I downed it all in one gulp.

"Stop going over the arrangements in your head," my sister scolded, and she wasn't very nice about it. She was using her Air Force officer voice. "This is your party, so enjoy it. Melissa, Courtney and I will take care of everything."

I breathed a deep sigh, again trying to will away my nerves. I was almost there when the vibe inside me went off. It was just a second, but it sent an electric tingle throughout my body.

Oh, Amberle was going to pay for this!

The room buzzed with service staff. Servers were carrying trays of hors d'oeurves around. The bar was fully stocked. A buffet table was set up with hot and cold food. There was music playing in the background, but it wasn't too loud.

This night was costing a small fortune, but since I had invited a bunch of people from my circle of work friends and associates, all I had to do was say something like "zoning district" or "rent subsidy" at some point and I could write the whole thing off as a business expense.

One of the anonymous servers replaced the champagne flute in my hand with another and I was sipping it before I realised what happened.

The first guests arrived a few minutes after the announced start time. Of course, they were my mother and Michael's parents.

"Where's Amberle?" John asked, giving me a familial hug.

"Getting ready," I replied. Emily took their coats and sent them up to my apartment with one of Nathan's kids.

"She's a nice girl," he took me by the arm. "You did good this time."

"Unlike last time?"

"Everyone makes mistakes," my surrogate father shrugged. "You fell quickly for him, but I'm glad you came to your senses fast enough. Don't give me that look, Nichole; we all tried to warn you."

"Do you think it's too soon?"

"Too soon for what?" John snorted softly. "Listen, I'd be lying if I told you none of us were surprised you are seeing another woman. But we all see the way your eyes light up when she's next to you, and we haven't seen that look since . . . well, since you and Michael were together."

Neither of us spoke for a long moment.

"What do you think he would say?" I whispered, afraid of what the man who was as much a father to me as my own was thinking.

"He'd want you to be happy, Nichole. That's all he ever wanted. From the moment you stepped back into his life. If he hadn't been in that accident . . ." He paused for a second to choke back tears. "I know you'd still be together. And you two would have made us a softball team's worth of grandchildren. As long as you have your smile back, we're happy. Michael would be, too. And so would your dad."

I wrapped my arms around him. John was always a sentimental guy. Fun and jovial. My father was the stern one. Michael's dad was the fun one. He laughed hard. Played hard. Loved hard.

So when I found out he didn't like my third husband, I knew something was wrong.

And to hear that he liked Amberle, I knew I was doing something right.

"Thanks, Dad," I whispered. He gave me a quick kiss, then we both wiped our eyes.

The tingle inside me interrupted my maudlin moment. It lasted a few seconds and was a lot more intense than the last one. I shifted a little until it stopped, hoping John didn't notice anything unusual.

A few more guests arrived, including a small army of Stormtroopers, Jedi and Mandalorians. There was a Han Solo, non-slave Princess Leia, and even a guy dressed up as Darth Vader. They were Maureen's idea; it was no secret that she was a ginormous Star Wars fan, just like her mother (and I don't mean Amberle). She mentioned something about raising money for charity. I just smiled, nodded and let them do whatever it was they were going to do.

I knew the kids would get a kick out of shooting them up with Nerf guns.

Circling the room, I greeted as many guests as I could. A part of me wondered why my girlfriend hadn't shown up. It was her party, after all.

Rhett was already at the bar. He and Courtney were scoping out the guys and making snarky comments about who was wearing what.

"Hey, sister!" he called, his voice already a bit slurred. I tried to wipe the annoyed look of my face.

"The spring rolls rock," Courtney said. She was the youngest of our brood, and many of the older siblings found her kind of irritating. To be fair, she's sweet and fun and pretty. We like to say that the rest of us broke our parents down, and she is the spoiled one.

"I would hope so; the caterer is charging me a fortune," I muttered, careful not to completely empty the champagne in my glass, else I find it full again.

"Who is that guy over by the—hot damn, Nic! Your girlfriend is smokin' hawt!"

The room fell silent when Amberle walked through the door.

She was wearing a spaghetti strap floor-length slinky black dress with a slit than ran well up her thigh. It was low cut, but pushed up her boobs and hugged her curves in all the right places. A pendant lay in the top of her cleavage, adorned by what looked to be the fabulous Baseball Diamond.

Her strut was accented by her four-inch fuck-me pumps. Her hair was pulled back into a simple tight braid.

How she could have put this together in the last forty-five minutes was beyond me, but she was the envy of every woman in the room. And she was all mine!

Amberle sauntered over to me and made a big show out of giving me a quick kiss. It was appropriate for public places and in front of children, but left no room for speculation about our relationship.

Before I could say anything, she stepped back and twirled around, I think mostly to show off her magnificent rear end.

I bit my lip when the vibe went off yet again. It was just for a fraction of a second, but it was the most intense buzz yet. My nipples felt like they were going to pop out of my bra and blouse. It was all I could do to keep from crying out.

That made me wonder what Amberle's was doing to her.

She winked as if reading my mind and blew me a bright red lipstick kiss.

"I didn't know we were dressing up," I managed to say, trying my best to keep my voice under control. Everyone one was admiring her beauty.

"We weren't," she replied with a devilish grin. I wasn't under-dressed, but nor was I dressed to kill. "I'm showing off for you, sweetheart. I want every man and every dyke here tonight to know what you've got waiting for you at home."

Rhett giggled. "Does that make you Nic's trophy wife?"

"I'm her MILF in waiting," Amberle scoffed.

Everyone laughed. I wanted to say something snide, but some of my other friends were making their way over to see us, and it was time for introductions.

I took Amberle by the arm and we strode around the room, all smiles and waves. She was bombarded by names and faces of my friends and business associates, and took it all well. I think.

When I came up with the idea for this party, I wanted to make sure there were some familiar faces around.

"What are you doing here?" she laughed, stepping into the arms of a stormtrooper who was easily a head taller than her.

Kevin Westcott lifted her as easily as he could while wearing his armor and spun her around playfully. "How did you know it was me?"

Amberle took his arm in hers and started scanning the crowd for his wife and her dear friend Melanie. "Kev, I watched you build this armour in your garage. I'd know it anywhere!"

"We're raising money for Make a Wish," he slipped his helmet off and leaned over and gave her a familiar hug and kiss.

"Did Maureen put you up to this?"

"Of course not," he snorted, but we all knew he was lying. With a wink, he slipped his helmet back on. His voice was clear because of the voice amp he wore under the chest plate. "Mel is around somewhere. Probably at the bar."

And with that, he turned and headed back to the other Star Wars characters and some time the business end of a few Nerf guns.

I took Amberle's hand and started to lead her over to another group of my friends when the vibrator went off.

It was all I could do to keep from collapsing onto the floor and letting out an ear-splitting scream right there. Instead, I dug my fingernails into my evil girlfriend's arm and rode out the longest and most intense burst yet.

My pulse raced. My pussy flooded with warmth.

Biting my lip. My knuckles turned white. Teeth clenched.

What felt like five minutes was probably only twenty seconds or so.

"Ready to give up yet?" Amberle smiled sweetly. "Slut."

"Not a chance," I whispered, my body still shaking. "Bitch."

She winked. "Your bitch."

When she smiled, I noticed her eyes. They softened for a moment and she smiled warmly. Her gaze seemed to bore right through me.

Neither of us spoke, maybe afraid to break whatever it was that held us spellbound.

My heart skipped a beat, when she took my hands in hers.

All of the conversations and music faded away. The faces of everyone around me blurred. Everyone except Amberle.

I'm the tall one, but in her heels, I had to look up to her ever so slightly. She leaned in and I tilted my head back.

I didn't realise I was holding my breath until our lips touched.

Her skin was so soft. The smell of sweet vanilla lotion washed over me.

My heart raced. And fell with disappointment when she pulled away.

"I love you," she whispered in my ear.

Any reply I might have had was erased when the vibrator went off inside me. Again. And again.

I swear to God she must have had that thing on a remote control because it went off in a short staccato burst that lasted about five seconds.

My scream was only stifled by my clenched teeth.

"I'm going to fuck the shit out of you tonight," I swore once I found my voice.

"All you have to do is pay for a three week vacation," her eyes danced with delight as she slipped her arm into mine and we went back to mingling with our guests.

"No goddam way," I muttered, determined to outlast my girlfriend. And her secret, evil plan.

Come hell or high water.

*************************

Amberle

The party raged on for a while.

I caught up with Melanie and Maureen who were at the bar. Mel was buying drinks for my daughter, who was technically underage, but no one seemed to notice or care. I think the bartender knew she was with Nichole and me and that she wasn't driving home or anything like that.

In addition to Melanie, our friend Lara was there with her husband. She had also gone on our beach retreat where Nichole and I met. I was trying to be good and cut back on the champagne, but Lara is one of those people who never lets your glass get to empty, and I ended up drinking way more than I should have.

So after an hour or so, I was extra tipsy. It's a good thing Melinda wasn't there, too, because I probably could have been talked into karaoke. Or streaking.

I've always been a happy, affectionate drunk, and that night seemed magical. I hadn't had that much fun in years.

McKayla was a very social person. I was never as outgoing or gregarious as my wife, but I liked it when she'd drag me out of my comfort box to be with people I wouldn't normally meet on my own.

Nichole is also very social, but I don't think it comes as naturally to her. Like me, she can be very introverted and she likes her space, but due to her business associations, she has to get out there and schmooze clients and sponsors alike.

There was a good mix of folks at the party. Some were Nichole's friend and family who were there to meet me. Some were people she did business with: tenants, suppliers, service support and so on. Some were residents of the building, who were there to mingle and pick up some free food at their landlord's expense.

What turned out to be an unexpected highlight of my evening was when Nichole introduced Maureen and me to two of her favourite tenants. The husband had lived in the building since before Michael had moved in. His wife was almost twenty years his junior, but from the moment I first saw them holding hands, I knew they were soulmates.

"This is Gabriel and Bailey MacKenzie," Nichole introduced us and the champagne-induced glaze immediately melted off my eyes only to be replaced by starstruck wonder. "They've live on the east side of the fifth floor."

"Oh, just above us," I blurted out and could only blush.

"It's nice to meet you," my daughter stepped in. "We've been big fans for years!"

"Thank you," Gabriel returned with a knowing smile. He was much more handsome in person. When I was little, my mom and I used to watch his soap opera, The Sun Also Sets, and after she passed, I continued to watch the show until it was cancelled when Maureen was in high school. We used to tape it and watch it together over dinner as well. "It's nice to meet you, too."

"We saw you in the revival of Into the Woods a couple of years ago, and again in Spamalot when the tour stopped in Charlotte," Maureen continued. "Do you think they'll bring back Sunday?"

"I hope so," he raised his eyebrow, apparently surprised that my daughter might be aware that his attachment to the Sondheim musical was little more than mere rumour. "It's a good show, and would do well in another run."

"Bailey is a family doctor, specialising in rural health care. Did I get that right?," Nichole broke in to keep the conversation from going too deep into musical theater, maybe to head off her brother ovearhearing parts and breaking into a medley of showtunes. "Maureen is in the pre-med program at Duke."

"Oh, really?" it was Bailey's turn to appear interested. "Are you going to Duke for med school, too?"

"I'd like to," Maureen replied.

"Can I talk you into Columbia?" she asked with a sly smile. "I have some connections there. In fact, I'm meeting with the chair of the Pediatrics Department on Tuesday if you've got some spare time."

I don't think I have ever seen my daughter speechless before. Her eyes got wide, and then she broke into a big smile. It took her a second to form any words. "I'd love to! Can I, Mommy?"

My initial response was to frown, because I figured she was already missing school, but if she wanted to make some contacts at an Ivy League school, this was a good way to do it. Of course, Duke isn't some third-tier med school, either. Besides, between the champagne and the vibrator that kept going off and was turning my insides into a slip-n-slide, I was in a good mood.

I just smiled, "Of course, sweetheart, anything you want."

"It was nice to see you, Gabe . . . Bailey," Nichole took my arm as someone across the room was waving at us. "Stephen is with me this week, so if the kids are around, send them down after school."

"We will," Gabriel reached out and gave me a friendly hug, and I seriously considered never letting go of the handsome actor.

But I did, if only to keep his wife from strangling me. I'm sure she's used to it, though.

The whirlwind of names and faces, when combined with all the booze, left my head spinning.

The one thing that kept me grounded was the steady, calming touch of Nichole. She never left my side and seemed to have a much more level head than I. Of course, I could tell when the vibrator inside her went off because her eyes would flash for just a second and she'd bite her lip or clench her fingers around mine.

The vibe inside me continued to go off all night, but instead of fighting it, like it looked like Nichole was doing, I just embraced the waves of pleasure coming from between my legs.

I think I probably had four or five little orgasms throughout the night. One time, I had to steady myself against the bar to keep from falling over when it went off for about ten seconds on high.

Melanie gave me a strange look, but said nothing. Then it was back to our guests.

After a couple of hours, the party had split into two distinct camps: those who were there for business, and those who were there for the party.

By ten o'clock, the business crowd had mostly cleared out. And the partiers were just getting started.

I brushed up against Nichole from behind, wrapping my arms around her waist. My lips attached themselves to the back of her neck, drawing a delighted squeal from my love. She leaned back into my arms.

"Ready to give up yet, slut?" I nibbled playfully down her shoulder.

"Not a chance, bitch," she turned he head and kissed me, her touch right on the fine line between loving and hungry.

I was acutely aware of the eyes upon us, as I publicly and eagerly expressed my affection for the woman in my arms. Many years ago, I gave up caring about what people thought about me when I kissed McKayla or held her hand in public. I knew she had a terrible disease which was going to take her from me, and I was not about to hide my love for her behind social niceties and mores or the disapproving looks of southern fundy Christians.