Chapter Fifteen

On Saturday morning, Abby extricated herself from Clancy's embrace and headed for her bathroom. She was scheduled to meet Ellen, Pam and Maria for a nine o'clock tennis match, and she knew she'd play poorly if she didn't have a decent breakfast.

After her shower, she tiptoed past the guestroom, hoping to allow Clancy to sleep as long as possible. Seconds later, she was met in the kitchen by a rumpled but smiling young woman who was in the middle of toasting a bagel. "What'll it be? I could make you an omelet, or eggs any style, cereal …"

"Aren't you just the sweetest thing," Abby said, giving her cook a warm kiss. "I thought you were still asleep."

"Nah. The girls and I want to see you off. We can go back to bed if the mood strikes us."

"You need to get your sleep when you work as hard as you do, Clancy. You really should catch a few more hours when I leave."

"I might. When will you be home?"

"Mmm … depends. We usually have lunch after we play, but I don't think I want to be gone that long."

"Go ahead. Really," Clancy urged. "I know you enjoy seeing your friends. Don't rush home on my account. Actually, I could spend the morning visiting a client or two. Saturdays are the best times to catch most people at home."

"All right," Abby agreed. She draped her arms around Clancy's neck and said, "I'd like a bagel with a little peanut butter and some granola. I need some protein before I play."

"Coming right up. I'll watch you eat, then take a little nap and get some work done."

Abby watched her prepare the simple meal, sipping a cup of coffee as the younger woman moved around the kitchen. "I really appreciate that you don't begrudge me my time with my friends. They mean a lot to me."

"I'm not that kind of person," Clancy said. "I need time for myself, too, so I really do understand the pull."

"We're a pretty compatible pair, Ms. O'Connor," Abby said, her lips quirking into a grin.

"Couldn't agree more," Clancy said, delivering breakfast and a sweet kiss.

Ellen Chenoweth wiped her face repeatedly, finally bending over the sink to splash cold water on herself. "Whose bright idea was it to switch partners?" she grumbled. "I swear you ran my legs off, Abby. Never again, sweetie! I'm on your side of the net, or I'm going home!"

"Now you see what we have to put up with," Pam said. "It's nice to get a breather."

Maria gave her lover a lethal stare, and Pam tried to extricate herself from the hole she had dug. "I didn't mean that you're an inferior player, honey; I just meant that … uhm … Abby's a little taller, and her serve comes in at a funny angle … and …"

"That's okay, Pamela," she said archly. "I know exactly what you meant - but since it's the truth, I can't really complain. Abby could kick our respective asses in singles. Hell, she could probably beat any two of us as a single!"

"Enough!" Abby didn't generally mind being complimented, and she was a far superior player, but she hated to have it brought up too frequently. "I play more than you guys do, and I've played longer than any of you - it stands to reason that I'd be sharper."

"Honey," Ellen drawled, "I could pitch a tent on that court and play every moment that I wasn't sleeping, and I still couldn't beat you. Face facts, Abby, you rock!"

"Somebody's kids are home from school," Abby teased. "You only use colloquialisms when you hear them from the boys."

"Yes, I revert to their ages when they're home," Ellen agreed. "And of course, they both need a car today, so I can't stay for lunch."

"That's okay. We'll catch you next week," Abby said.

"Oh! I almost forgot! I have a new man for you, Abby," Ellen said, bursting with enthusiasm. "He's a lawyer with the Federal Exchange Commission, and Neal says that he's a real find. He's just getting back on his feet after a nasty divorce, but luckily his ex-wife is a surgeon, so she didn't suck him dry." Smiling brightly, Ellen added, "No kids, either." Dropping her voice, Ellen said, "I think he has a low sperm count."

Be still my heart, Abby thought to herself. She shook her head briefly and said, "Keep him on hold, Ellen. I've, uhm … met someone … and I want to see where it goes before I accept any more blind dates."

"Tell me all about him," Ellen demanded, Maria and Pam looking on interestedly.

"Mmm … I don't want to jinx it," Abby said. "Give me a few weeks, and if we're still together, I'll tell all."

Ellen gave her a long, appraising look. "I wasn't going to say anything, but you've got a spring in your step that I haven't seen in years. This guy must be good for you."

"We'll see," Abby said, trying not to lie too much.

"One way or the other, we'll get you fixed up, Abby," Ellen said. "I won't stop until you're married again. You're too fabulous a woman to be alone when you don't want to be."

After a round of goodbyes, the remaining threesome left the locker room for the outdoor restaurant. They were seated under a large umbrella, idly observing a good singles match when Maria said, "Ellen's right, you know, Abby. You have a spark in you that's been absent for far too long. I know you don't want to talk about this guy, but I want you to know that we both hope this works out."

Abby gave her friends a shy smile and lowered her eyes to pick at her Cobb salad for a moment. "I uhm … would like to talk about it a little. It's kinda complicated, so I didn't want to get into it in the locker room, but if you're interested …"

"Yes, we are!" Pam said, her eyes flickering between her partner and Abby.

"Okay," Abby said slowly, trying to figure out where to start. "Uhm … like I said … it's complicated …"

"He's not married, is he?" Maria blurted out, drawing a scolding look from Pam.

"Do you do that at work, honey?" Pam asked dryly. "I can't imagine that's good for business."

"I'm perfectly well-behaved when I'm with a patient," she sniffed. "But I'm not with a patient now, so I can be as abrupt as I want, right, Abby?"

"Right, Maria. I don't mind your direct style one bit - as a friend, that is. If my psychiatrist did that, I'd fire her!"

"You neither have, nor need, a psychiatrist," Maria scoffed. "You just need to get laid with some regularity by a man who can appreciate a wonderful woman."

Abby flushed deeply and cleared her throat. "Well, that's where you're off, Doc. I've been being laid quite spectacularly - but it wasn't by a man."

Only the plop of the ball hitting the court could be heard for several moments as the women tried to get their minds around Abby's announcement. "You're sleeping with a … with a woman?" Pam asked, her voice an octave higher than normal.

"I am," Abby said soberly. "I don't know quite what I was thinking of the first time, but since then it's … she's … become quite addictive."

"What does Hayley think about this?" Maria gasped.

"Oh, I must not have mentioned that Hayley is up in Maine for her annual visit. She's going to be gone for another week. She doesn't know - and I'm not sure how, or when, to tell her."

"Well, I have an opinion," Maria said. She looked at Abby for a moment and said, "I wouldn't tell her unless you're serious about this woman. I think it's bad for Hayley to learn too much about your sex life - unless it's going to impact her in the long term. Now, if you're serious about this, and you want to have a relationship with her - then by all means you should tell Hayley and Trevor. But not until then."

Abby nodded agreeably. "That's what I thought."

"I told you that you didn't need a psychiatrist," Maria said.

"I'm gonna need one if I don't get some details!" Pam burst out. "Who is she, how did you meet her, have I ever dated her …"

Abby smiled at the teasing and told the tale. "She's the landscape architect who's been working on my house. Little did I know that you could obtain a perfectly delightful lesbian lover by home delivery," she said. "Now, I can't guarantee it, but I doubt that you've dated her, Pam. She's only been out for twelve years, and you've been with Maria for twenty. So, if you have dated her, neither Maria nor I want to know about it."

"What's her name?" Maria asked. "We must know her if she's a professional in the San Gabriel Valley."

"Clancy O'Connor," Abby said, smiling when two blank expressions greeted the name. "I've gotten the impression she doesn't do a lot of work in the lesbian community. But I'd really like her to get some contacts. She's very talented."

"Sounds like she's talented in many areas," Pam said, grinning lasciviously.

Maria slapped at her and warned, "Get your mind out of the gutter, honey. Abby doesn't want to talk about the gory details … do you, Abby?" she asked hopefully.

"Not many of them," Abby said. "But I will say that she's a wonderful person, and she's been very patient and gentle with me. She doesn't pressure me, and she's even allowed me to clam up like I normally do."

"She sounds like a prize," Maria said. "I'm really surprised we don't know her, though. I thought we knew everyone."

"Apparently not," Abby said. "One lesbian slipped under the radar."

"How are you handling the … uhm … lesbian thing," Pam asked. "This is a pretty big change for you."

"I don't know," Abby sighed. "I'm trying just to live for the day and worry about it tomorrow."

"I think that's a song," Maria said thoughtfully.

"I'm not above borrowing my life-changing decisions from songs," Abby said. "I'm just having a marvelous time. I feel loved and cared for and desired and lusted after for the first time in five years, and I'm going to do my best to make this work. I deserve love, damn it!"

"Hear, hear," Pam said, patting Abby on the hand. "You do deserve it, Abby, and as long as you're happy, we're happy for you."

They finished their meals with more questions about Clancy and the job she was doing for Abby, and eventually Abby stretched and said, "I've got to get home to Clancy."

"She's at your house?" Maria asked, eyes widening.

"Yes," Abby said, somewhat defensively. "I trust her, Maria. I'm quite sure she's not stealing the good silver."

"Oh, I didn't mean that! I'm just wondering why she's staying with you - I mean - it's so soon …"

"Aren't you the people who always ask, 'What does a lesbian do on a second date?' … 'Rent a U-haul,' I believe is the correct answer."

"Yes, but …"

"But nothing, Maria. Hayley is only going to be gone for two weeks. I decided that I wanted to keep Clancy as my love slave for the entire time Hayley was gone. She's not homeless - she's not a drug addict - she's not trying to take advantage of me, so why shouldn't I have her at my house?"

"Uhm … I can't think of a reason in the world," the psychiatrist said, smiling.

Abby looked antsy to leave, so they urged her to go and stayed behind to sign the check. "So, what's your diagnosis?" Pam asked.

"Hard to say," she said. "This is very impulsive behavior for Abby - but that's the only thing that worries me. It honestly doesn't surprise me that much that she'd be drawn to a woman - she's certainly not very hung up sexually. I'm just worried about the suddenness of the whole thing. That's not like her."

"No, it isn't, but she sure seemed happy. She reminded me of how she was when we first met her."

"You know, she did," Maria mused. "I wonder who this mystery woman is? Maybe she's like Abby - coming off of a long marriage or something. That would explain why she's only been out for twelve years."

"Maybe she's not very out … you know, kinda semi-closeted?"

"Yeah. That's the only reasonable explanation. If she was very out we'd know her. We need to meet this woman. Maybe we know her but don't know her name."

"Hmm … but what if she's not out? That worries me a little," Maria said. "A woman in her late forties who's still in the closet might have some issues about being a lesbian. That might be hard for Abby to deal with - you know how open she is about things."

"Well, there's one way to find out what the story is," Pam said. "Ask them over for dinner!"

When Abby returned to the house, she was a little surprised to see Clancy's truck in the garage, and she had to smirk at herself when her heart picked up a beat. If I start doodling COC loves ATG, I'm going to voluntarily commit myself!

The dogs didn't run out to greet her, which was also a little odd, but the whereabouts of the threesome was resolved when Abby walked into the kitchen and looked out the window. Clancy was lying on one of the pool floats, clad in just a long-sleeved T-shirt. Her arms were stretched out to the sides, each hand holding onto another float, each float occupied by a very content-looking dog. Abby started to laugh so hard that her sides ached. She slid the door open, still laughing. Three sets of eyes blinked at her, but only the gray eyes showed much enthusiasm for her arrival. "Don't just stand there, grab a float and get in here. My arms are tired!"

"How on earth did you get those beasts up on those floats? I know it wasn't easy!"

"That's an understatement," Clancy said, chuckling. "But they kept swimming out and trying to get on with me - and I didn't want those sharp claws on my bare legs. Since I got them settled, they've been blissfully happy."

Abby started to strip out of her clothing, and she surprised Clancy by diving in completely naked and swimming up to her, a beaming grin covering her face. "I wanna get on your float, too." She looked as happy as Clancy had ever seen her, and Clancy immediately tried to satisfy her request. She had to let go of the dogs, but they were so relaxed that they didn't seem to mind. Clancy tugged on her partner, and their joint efforts soon resulted in Abby lying prone atop her, the float riding very, very low in the water, but still holding them up. "Just before you came home, I was wondering if it was possible to feel any better," Clancy murmured. "There was only one thing missing before - but everything's perfect now."

"I'm happy, too," Abby said. "I came out to Pam and Maria this morning." She lifted her head and looked into Clancy's eyes. "It went very, very well."

Clancy's mouth was gaping open at a comical width. "Did you plan on that?"

"No. But Ellen said she had yet another date planned for me, and I told her that I was seeing someone. I'm not sure why, but I didn't want to tell her about us; when she left I told Maria and Pam."

"And they took it well?"

"Of course." She lifted her head again and asked, "Why wouldn't they?"

"Well, geez, Abby, I don't know. This is a very big change for you!"

"They're my friends, Clancy. I've known them for over fifteen years, and I wouldn't expect anything less from them. Don't forget that they're lesbians, and on top of that, Maria is a psychiatrist, for goodness' sake. She's required to be supportive!"

"You're okay with this?" Clancy asked warily.

"Very. It feels good to tell someone. I don't have a bit of shame over being with you, Clancy, and it feels good to show that I'm proud of what we have."

Clancy gave her a warm, wet, chlorine-infused kiss, lingering for quite a few blissful moments. "I'm proud of you," she whispered.

"I was afraid you were going to be gone when I got home," Abby murmured. "I'm really glad you weren't. I need this."

"I need this, too," Clancy said, burrowing her head into Abby's neck. "I'm glad I was a lazy bum this morning. The bad news is that I made an appointment for later."

"Ooo …" Abby looked up and gave her lover a pout. "Do you have to?"

"Yeah. Gotta pay the bills."

"Can I pay you to stay home?" Abby asked, a hopeful smile on her face.

"Nope. I'm a self-made thousand-aire. But you can let me know how much you missed me when I get home."

"Consider it done," Abby said. "I'll think of something creative."

Abby had obviously been thinking of ways to show Clancy that she was missed while she had been gone because she backed the architect up against the counter as soon as she entered the kitchen. The dogs were scampering through the room, barking and wagging their tails, but Clancy couldn't get away to even give them a quick pet. Busy, determined fingers worked at the buttons of her shirt, and when Abby had it undone she pushed it from Clancy's shoulders and tightened her hold on it-trapping her arms. "I've got ya now," she growled, kissing Clancy everywhere her moist lips could reach. She was pressing against the muscular young woman tightly, grinding her hips against her while she kissed her senseless.

"I've never felt more welcome," the shorter woman panted.

"You're nowhere near as welcome as you're gonna get," Abby promised, a wicked gleam in her eyes.

"I hope that was a dare," Clancy gasped. "I can never turn down a dare."

Abby twitched her shoulders, brushing her breasts against Clancy's. She stopped abruptly and cocked her head. "Did you take your ring out?"

"Mmm." Clancy thought for a moment, then nodded. "You usually can't see it under my clothes, but I switch it out when I go to see clients. Just to be safe."

"Switch it out?" Abby's fingers slid up to encircle the nipple, and her smile grew wider. "What's this?" The rigid point was nearly bursting from a tiny little ring that surrounded it. She reached behind Clancy and unhooked her bra, then let her fingers explore thoroughly. Clancy didn't say a word, she just relaxed against the counter and let Abby's searching fingers excite her all the more. Suddenly, her shirt was tossed to the floor, then her bra fell atop the shirt, and Abby's tongue was tracing the small, gold circle before Clancy could blink.

Abby's mouth went from one breast to the other, and after a moment, Clancy realized that her goal was to try to make one nipple as firm as the other. "You'll never get there, but it's okay with me if you keep trying all night," Clancy finally murmured, clutching Abby's head and drawing it closer.

Abby's eyes shifted, meeting Clancy's, and she swirled her tongue around the taut nipple a few more times, not willing to give up her goal. "Why won't it work?" she mumbled, her mouth full of the swollen flesh.

"The collar is pretty snug, and it really pumps the nipple up." Clancy's hand was in her partner's hair, urging her on, and with each particularly firm suck, she let out a little gasp, making her words hard to follow.

The dogs had been very patient with them so far, but they'd finally reached their limit. Athena marched over to the door and let out an outraged bark, glaring at both of the groping women. "Somebody's been ignored too long," Clancy decided, patting Abby's head. "Come on, let's take care of them and then go upstairs. Alone," she said, eyes twinkling.

Abby joined her partner in bed and cuddled up close. As usual, her hand immediately went to the jeweled nipple. "You really do like this, don't you?" Clancy asked, smiling at her.

"Yeah. I'm not even sure why. Maybe because it's so different." She shrugged her shoulders and said, "Who knows? Maybe I have a latent nipple fetish that I never knew about." She leaned over and licked both breasts like they were pink ice cream cones. "Will didn't like to have his nipples played with." She stilled abruptly and looked up at Clancy with chagrin. "I'm sorry for saying that. I'm sure you don't want to hear things like that."

Clancy grasped her chin and tilted it up. "Of course I do. I'm interested in everything about you, Abby. You know that by now, don't you?"

"Yes, I do, but …"

"But nothing. If some little thought or reflection occurs to you, and you want to share it - I want to hear it. I really love the fact that you and Will had a good sex life, and I want to know anything that you particularly liked - so I can do it, too - or didn't like - so I can avoid it."

"You really don't mind?" she asked again. "It felt a little like I was comparing you to him, and I don't want you to think that."

Clancy smiled. "I don't mind being compared - as long as I don't suffer in the comparison."

"You don't," Abby murmured. "You can hold your own against any opponent." She traced the ring with the tip of her finger and asked, "Tell me about this."

"This particular piece of jewelry? Or the piercing?"

"Yes."

"Okay," Clancy said. "I take it you wanna know why I had it done - things like that?"

"Yeah. Did you just do it because everyone else was doing it?"

"Mmm … no. That's kinda why I got the tattoo, but not the piercing. Well, that's not entirely true, since the tattoo means a lot to me - but I wouldn't have gotten it if it hadn't become popular. I mean, if the only people with tattoos were old guys who'd been in the Navy, I'm sure I wouldn't have done it."

Abby laughed at her explanation, her curious finger still circling the tiny gold ring.

"I have, as you might have noticed, very sensitive nipples," Clancy purred sexily. "I was dating Julie at the time, and she had both of hers done. It turned me on so much to see the look on her face when I played with her jewelry - that I decided to have my own done."

"Didn't it hurt horribly?" Abby's face twitched into a sympathetic grimace.

"No. I told Hayley it did, though," she said. "But that was just to put her off."

"Hayley? Why were you discussing this with Hayley?"

Clancy patted her softly, saying, "I didn't bring it up, honey. I had the heavy ring in when we went swimming. She said she was thinking of having something pierced, and she asked how much it hurt."

"Oh, God," Abby sighed. "I've got to cut her allowance." She started to chuckle, shaking her head. "Lord knows what she'll look like by the time she's through her rebellious phase."

"Hey, I wasn't in a rebellious phase," Clancy said. "Well, maybe just a tiny bit."

"Tell me about having it done," Abby said. "I can't believe it didn't hurt."

"Mmm … actually, it felt like it does when someone bites you just a little too hard. It only lasted for a second or two - not bad at all. It throbbed a bit for a day or so, and it was tender for a while - just like any healing wound. The worst part was that after about a week, I wanted to play with it, because I was really aware of it - but it wasn't healed yet. Kinda drove me nuts. It was like having an itch you couldn't scratch."

"But now you're really happy with it?"

"Very. I'm planning on having the other one done, too, but I should have had it done earlier in the year."

"Why didn't you have them both done at once?" Abby asked.

"You can't play roughly with them until they're fully healed," Clancy informed her. "That took a few months for me." She grinned at Abby for a minute, but Abby didn't understand her point. "I didn't want to have both of them out of commission," she explained. "I honestly don't know if I would enjoy sex as much if my partner couldn't play with my nipples. It was hard ignoring my little pal for all of those months." She patted her nipple fondly, cracking Abby up.

"What does it feel like now?" Abby asked, her curiosity unabated.

"Generally, I don't notice it. I mean, if I concentrate, I can feel the weight difference when I have the heavy ring in, but it's mostly not noticeable. It's during sex that I love it," she purred. "I like to have my nipples tugged on really hard, and having the heavy ring in provides an excellent handle."

"I know," Abby said. "I love your little handle. I guess I assumed it was permanent, though. I had no idea you could change it out."

"Oh, yeah. I have a lot of jewelry. Actually, nipple jewelry was the only gift that Julie ever gave me. I have quite a collection."

"I wanna see it all," Abby growled, giving the adorned bud a rough suck.

"Oh, you will. You'll see it and nibble on it all." She reached down and pressed against one side of the ring that encircled her nipple. A catch gave way, and she could lift the ring off. "This one is cool. It's really invisible - except for the fact that it makes my nipple as hard as a rock."

"I thought it was just your flesh that kept it in place," Abby said. "I didn't realize there was a little bar that went through your piercing."

"Yeah. Cool, huh?"

"Can you leave it out for tonight?" Abby asked, tweaking the ripe-looking berry with the tip of her finger. "I want you all natural."

"Anything for you."

"You like them treated roughly, huh?" the older woman asked with a gleam in her eyes.

"Very," Clancy breathed. "I like my nipples to get a real workout, but I need tender, loving care down below."

With a rakish grin, Abby bent to her task, giving Clancy a confident look just before her lips latched on. "I can do that. With pleasure."

They lay in a tangled mess of sheets, their moist skin forcing them to nearly have to peel apart when one of them moved. "You certainly do know how to follow instructions," Clancy said. "My nipples are throbbing!"

Abby was up on one arm immediately, searching Clancy's face. "I hurt you?"

"Good hurt," Clancy soothed, pressing a kiss to her shoulder. "Very good hurt." Abby lay back down and snuggled close. "You seemed to enjoy torturing me a little, babe."

"Mmm … I did. Maybe I've been hiding a sadistic streak, too. God knows what else I'll find out about myself."

"You okay with this?" Clancy asked softly while she ran a hand along Abby's spine.

"Yeah … yeah … It's just funny learning how to love a woman. Like I've said before, the sensations are really different - and the feelings I get are really different. Both experiences are great - they're just very, very different. It's like going out for some great sushi one night and then having some fantastic Italian dish the next. I love 'em both - but they're hardly in the same category."

"Which am I?" Clancy chuckled. "Sushi or Italian?"

Abby smiled and said, "Not to revert to a stereotype, but you're definitely the sushi. A little exotic, but clean and fresh-tasting with a delightful aftertaste." She licked her lips and let her mouth twitch into an even wider smile. "A very delightful aftertaste."

"I've never been with a man," Clancy said. She nuzzled her head between Abby's breasts and licked at the soft skin. "How's it different?"

"Well, this is a limited sample you understand. Will was my only real partner."

Clancy sat up and looked at her in surprise. "You were a virgin when you married?"

"God, no!" Abby laughed. "We had sex before we married, and I played around a lot in high school and college. I didn't have intercourse before Will - but that's the only thing I didn't do."

"Why not? Guilt? Worried about pregnancy?"

Abby shook her head. "No. Neither, actually. It was a purely selfish decision."

At Clancy's puzzled look, she explained, "As I've mentioned, I have a very cool mother. She started talking to me about sex - in great detail - when I was around eleven or twelve."

Chuckling softly, Clancy said, "I'm still waiting for that talk with my mom. Maybe she'll do it on my thirtieth birthday."

"Oh, give her a break," Abby said. "It's a hard thing to do, and many moms opt out of it."

Clancy nodded agreeably. "In her defense, I think she was waiting until I expressed an interest in boys. I think she was afraid of talking to me before I was ready."

"Well, my mom was very proactive. We talked about it really casually - just a little bit at a time, and she did it very conversationally - usually using herself as an example."

"Like how?" Clancy asked.

"Oh, she'd tell me about a boyfriend she'd had when she was young and talk about how he always pressured her to go farther than she really wanted to. Over time I got the correct impression that a lot of boys would want to have sex with me and that sex wouldn't necessarily mean the same to them as it did to me. She told me that you had to train a boy to please you - and that it took a long time. Her main point was that I shouldn't let a boy touch me just because he wanted to. She's a firm believer in women claiming their own sexual pleasure - and she believes that the only way to do that is to force men to meet your needs."

"And that made you decide to wait?"

"No," Abby smiled. "I didn't decide to wait. I'd let anyone who I was interested in touch me, but I wouldn't let him go any further if he didn't show a definite interest in pleasing me. It amazed me how many guys would stick their hands into my pants for two seconds, and then try to shove my head into their laps. No way!" She shared a laugh with Clancy and added, "Over time I saw that my mom was totally right. Most of the guys weren't interested in making love, they were interested in getting off. And there was no way I was going to merely be a semen receptacle. Not me!"

"Were these guys insane? All they had to do was spend a little time making sure you got off, and they couldn't do it?"

Abby chuckled softly. "I didn't tell them the entrance requirement, Clancy. I waited to see if they were naturally interested. I assume that older guys would have been more sensitive - but eighteen-year-old guys are totally focused on their penises - at least in my experience."

"But Will was different," Clancy guessed.

"Oh, yes. We slept together on our second date," Abby said, chuckling softly. "He was twenty-eight years old and had a lot of experience. He had me so hot on our first date that I would have done it right then, but I didn't want him to think I was too loose."

"And you liked it right from the start?"

"I did. I was a little nervous, but he was so patient and gentle with me - I told him that I'd never had intercourse, and he spent an incredibly long time making sure I was ready. I was so glad that I'd waited for a good lover," she sighed. "He was funny about sex. Well, he was just plain funny," she amended. "But he honestly thought that one of his jobs was to make me love sex as much as he did. He was a very practical guy, and he reasoned that if I liked sex, I'd want to have it often. And if we had it often, it wouldn't be hard to stay monogamous." She grinned at Clancy and said, "I think he was a little afraid that it would be hard to be with just one woman for the rest of his life." Her smile grew wider and turned a little wistful when she added, "It wasn't. I'm absolutely certain that he was always faithful to me." She laughed softly and said, "I made sure he got what he needed, so he'd never have the temptation to cheat on me."

"So … how is it different?" Clancy asked, her curiosity still piqued.

Abby thought for a minute and said, "Well, most of it is the same, really. He played with my entire body - just like you do. His whiskers irritated my skin sometimes, but generally the foreplay was the same. The main difference is intercourse. I loved to be filled up by his body - it's hard to describe, but it's such a feeling of connectedness, Clancy. You can feel a man throbbing inside of you when he comes - I really loved it."

"Is it very different from the feeling you get when my fingers are inside of you?"

"Yes, it is different. Not better or worse - just different. As I say, I loved feeling Will inside of me, but I love the way you touch me, too. Your fingers are more flexible than his penis was, and they can touch different parts of me. God, Clancy, when you put your finger just inside and rub my G-spot, I nearly see stars!"

Clancy gave her a kiss and added a tickle between her legs. "You look like you're seeing stars," she murmured. "It nearly makes me come to see the look on your face."

"That's part of the difference!" Abby said, Clancy's comments bringing another detail to mind. "Seeing the look on your lover's face when he comes while he's inside of you is part of the difference between making love to a man versus a woman. It's very bonding, very intimate. There's a built in tension there, too - you never know when the man's going to come, and sometimes you're racing the clock, trying to get there first," she said. "So it's great to feel him inside of you - great to know he's feeling such pleasure, too - but not so great when he comes a minute or two before you do - and you just lose it. That's one of the benefits of being with you - I know you're concentrating on me and that you're not going to get distracted by your own needs."

"It won't be exactly the same, but we can recreate some of those feelings of being filled up," Clancy said softly, her voice burring into Abby's ear.

Abby slid her hand between Clancy's thighs and whispered, "So, it's true what they say about lesbians? Do you have a nice big dildo just waiting for me?"

"I've got more than one," Clancy said, winking rakishly. "And I think you'd enjoy the experience."

"You know my motto," Abby reminded her. "Don't say no until you've at least tried it."

Clancy grinned toothily. "That's the best motto I think I've ever heard."