Disclaimer: the following is a work of fiction. It may contain scenes of violence, bondage and/or sexual situations which may or may not be consensual, and is intended for adult readers only. All characters portrayed in this story are adults. This work in not for profit and is intended as entertainment only. The author does not support or encourage violence or humiliation towards women or anyone. Characters in this story are fictional and not based on any person living or dead, and are not meant to infringe on any existing characters in other literatures.
*******************
That Tuesday, it had taken every effort for Dana not to call Tom. She wasn't worried or jealous. Given what she had understood of herself and her needs during the weekend, she wanted to be there with him, even if she suspected it might be way too much for her to handle. She still needed to move at her own pace. She had been quite wild as a younger woman in her early twenties, then in her early thirties again. She was now forty-two and she hadn't been sexually experimental since the conception of her son, ten years ago. She needed to ease back into it. In many ways, Tom was ahead of her, though she wasn't too worried about catching up.
If she did it right, even if it were too fast, it would not be an issue.
Many times during the day when she wasn't spending time playing with her son, she checked her phone for messages. There were none - unsurprising, really, given that Tom was probably highly involved in whatever sexual activity the girls he entertained had planned for him. She had understood that much of his innuendo over the weekend.
It didn't change the fact that she wanted some news - any news - from him.
After supper, she had watched a movie with her son and forgotten about her worries until putting him to bed. Then, the tension had returned. She worried about her lover, and again, it had nothing to do with the other girls. Somehow, or perhaps she was imagining it, she felt that she should be there for him. Unable to chase these ideas from her mind, Dana called her mother.
Half an hour later, Claire Hendrix was over at her daughter's house to babysit the sleeping child. Dana thanked her profusely, apologizing for dragging her away from her home. Claire simply smiled at her daughter, telling her to 'go see her man'.
Dana didn't bother calling beforehand; she simply got in her vehicle and drove to Tom's place. As she parked, she instantly regretted her decision. What would Tom say? They had agreed not to meet today. He would think she was stalking him when all she wanted was to share in his experiences; then again, he might not be so wrong about the stalking. Dana sat in her car, motionless, listening to a soft rock radio station, bubbling under her confusion.
Suddenly, she saw Tom walking into his building. Her eyes hadn't played tricks on her. She almost got out of the car but then felt guiltier for being there. The fact he was alone troubled her. Had things soured with his 'fuck buddies'? Was she the cause? If so, she couldn't confront him directly. She reached for her phone to text him but the battery had died after being on all day. She didn't have her car charger. Cursing her luck, Dana hesitated between getting out of the car and leaving.
Instead, she just sat there, listening to more music as she pondered her current state of indecision.
Roughly an hour later, past eleven, she gathered her courage and exited her vehicle, walking resolutely towards the door. She had come this far; she would see it through. She entered the apartment building and walked up the stairs to Tom's door. She knocked gently; it was late and she didn't want to disturb his neighbors. There was no answer. She tried the handle, finding it unlocked; she gently pushed the door open.
Finding her beau sleeping naked on the couch was no surprise; his clothes were tossed onto the floor. This reminded her of a prior visit to his place. She didn't dare come in - instead, she just stood motionless in the entryway.
What was she doing, exactly? Why had she come again? The answers eluded her. Silently, she retreated back into the hall, closing the door in front of her. She leaned on the wall facing the door, staring at the apartment number.
"Dammit," she whispered to herself. "You gotta make up your mind, Dana."
Did she want to go back in and disrupt his sleep? How would he react? Could she jump him? Would he enjoy her unexpected presence or would he balk from it? The confusion that had earlier cleared had popped its head in again; what did Dana need to clear it?
"I love Tom and I want to be there for him... with him..."she mumbled in the hall, mindful of not disturbing his neighbors.
Down the hall, where the stairs led up and down, sounds drew Dana's gaze. She panicked and started off in that direction as if she were leaving: she didn't want to be spotted hanging outside Tom's door. She saw two young women walk up the stairs and exit onto this floor. The one in front was half-Asian with brown hair; the moment she spotted Dana, she averted her gaze. The one behind her was perhaps a bit older, with dark locks, a busty chest protruding under her blouse. The women walked by one another, ignoring each other. Dana looked back and saw them walk past Tom's door; Dana reached the stairs and vanished around the corner but didn't go down. She halted so she could peek back to see where the people were headed and when they would vanish so she could return to her unplanned stalking.
She saw the black-haired woman stop, grabbing the other's hand, pulling her in. They chatted silently for several moments, with Dana unable to pick up the words. They gave each other a big hug, then the half-Asian girl continued to the end of the hall, taking the stairs at that end. The lady with the dark locks turned around and headed back in Dana's direction, stopping in front of Tom's apartment door.
It was one of them, Dana fully realized - she didn't understand why the other girl, perhaps another of Tom's fuck buddies, had left. Not that it mattered. The woman that had remained stalled in front of the door, looking down the hall to where Dana had vanished.
Did she know she was waiting there? Caught between her desires and the stress of this sudden appearance, Dana could barely move. It was entirely possible the woman had seen her peeking.
Her intervention confirmed it as her whispered voice was carried to Dana.
"You can come out now."
Dana moved out as a reflex; she appeared down the hall and trotted towards the unknown woman. She waited patiently until Dana was within arm's reach.
"I'm Lois. You must be Dana."
"...you know my name?" she replied, quite surprised.
"Of course. Tom speaks very highly of you."
The shock of the revelation gave way to a sudden calm; somehow, knowing that Tom talked of her with his other partners eased some of Dana's worries. Perhaps there was a bit of jealousy after all.
"I was going to walk in," Lois said, "but maybe we should talk first."
"Maybe... who was that other girl?"
"My ride. She... had to go."
During their private chat down the hall, Myriam had explained how she had recognized Dana and how the university teacher - Tom's mentor - could not be made to identify her. Lois had promised it wouldn't happen.
"You were here for Tom?"
"Yes," Lois plainly stated.
"He's sleeping."
"You already checked?"
"Yes... the... door is unlocked."
Lois smiled.
"Well then, let's not wake him yet. Let him sleep it off. But I was looking forward to spending some time with him. Perhaps you can keep me company instead."
Dana froze, stunned by the woman's frankness.
"It's... uh... wow. I mean... I haven't kissed a woman in ages."
"Who said anything about kissing?" Lois replied with a smirk, amused by Dana's unease. "I just think we should talk - and not here."
"Oh... ok. I have a car. We can talk in there."
As they started to head outside, Lois added a detail to have some fun with this new woman.
"Of course, if we do get to kissing, I certainly wouldn't mind."
They left the floor; Lois took out her cellphone and texted Myriam to let her know what was happening.
Dana dragged the new woman to her car; Lois insisted they climb into the backseat. In the relative darkness of the night, the only light coming from the street corner, they could barely make out their features. It gave the scene an even more surreal look than their initial unplanned encounter.
"So..." Dana mumbled. "You're... one of the women who sleeps with Tom?"
"Yes," Lois replied, "though I'm also a liberated 27 year-old independant lady who works full-time at an accounting firm; I do yoga in my spare time and I love watching
Girls
on HBO. My favorite pie is maple."
"Point taken," Dana said.
"And you're a teacher?"
"Tom told you that much?"
"Not really... but I know about that aspect of you."
Lois didn't dare explain this came from only a few minutes ago, in the hall with Myriam.
"Why are you here, Dana?" Lois asked politely.
"I don't know anymore... I'm wondering that myself."
"You want to run ideas by me?"
The accommodating nature of the woman's attitude puzzled Dana; then again, if there truly wasn't any form of competition for Tom, the teacher understood how it could have been a non-issue.
"Well... I was thinking of Tom all day. I mean... I knew what he was doing, just not who he was with."
"Go on."