Marla stood up and glided toward the bathroom. Over my shoulder, I witnessed the submissive on the leash rimming someone who was sitting backward on a chair with her ass hanging over the edge. The dom stood over her captive, whispering instructions in her ear. It was an odd arrangement to view from the outside, but everyone looked like they were happy to be there. To each her own.

  We caught up with Pearl, who’d been stopped for kisses and other interactions numerous times, in front of the open bathroom door. “Sorry, ladies, I need the room.” A couple who were only getting started, using the side of the tub for a leg prop, nodded and left the room without complaint. Pearl ushered us in and shut the door. She took a seat on a low upholstered chair, her legs spread wide, to stretch after being in the missionary position for so long. Marla and I knelt beside her, one on each side of Pearl, on the soft, thick rug than ran the length of the room. Pearl massaged the backs of our necks.

  “I’m so glad you two were here for our last art season. You made it easier to get through but harder to decide to quit.”

  The door opened, and Danna came in to join us, shutting the door behind her.

  “Mmm. What do we have here?”

  “Honest, baby, they came onto me.” Pearl’s enormous smile made Marla and I both laugh.

  In her thickest fake Cuban accent, Danna said, “Lucy, why I have to keep telling you about these wayward women? They will suck you dry.”

  “I’m hoping they suck me wet.”

  Danna took a seat on the edge of the tub and paused to get our full attention.

  “So, I didn’t know when the best time was to let you know, Alicia, but I got a call from an art dealer about your Orgasm series.” Marla and I were all ears, and Pearl looked like the cat who ate the canary. “She is enthralled with it. In fact, she wants to produce a showing for you in Las Vegas in the spring. She’ll likely buy several of them and encourage others to pay top price.” She beamed at me. “Who knows, maybe it will get picked up for a tour.”

  “I, uh ...” The words wouldn’t come out.

  “Wow! Babe, that’s amazing!” Marla grabbed my hand and squeezed it.

  “Now, she’s going to want you to produce a few more paintings to fill out the exhibit, with a few to select out.”

  “I, I can do that.”

  “I told her I thought you’d be on board. Look, Las Vegas is a bit underrated in the art world. The thing is, there are some pretty big players that are there because of the casino. You never know what’s going to happen. Even more than L.A. or New York, you can make a name for yourself if the right person likes you.”

  “If nothing else, you’ll get put up in a hotel for a couple of weeks, meet a lot of cool people, and get to see the sights.” Pearl was always the pragmatist. “Oh, and make a fair amount of pocket change.”

  “I think there’s a lot more than pocket change involved. I won’t speculate, but she’ll want to video chat with you this week, get your approval, and give you some idea of what to expect. And what not to.”

  My head was swimming with the unreality of Danna’s words. Me, a bona fide artist? That was crazy.

  “So, anyway, what were you guys up to before I interrupted? As if I didn’t know.”

  “It’s not important, now that we have a star in our midst.” Pearl drummed her fingers on our shoulders.

  Marla and I both shrugged and each took one of Pearl’s nipples in her mouth, and she about levitated off her seat.

  “That’ll teach you,” Danna huffed. “You are overdue.” She meant Pearl’s role was usually the pleasure giver, not the receiver. She took a lot of pleasure from making others happy, and it was rare when she was the center of a group’s attention, at least sexually.

  Danna grabbed a washcloth, knelt in front of Pearl, unsnapped her harness, and sponged her off, as Marla and I continued to kneed and lick Pearl’s breasts. I watched my mentor effortlessly pull her hair into a messy bun and blow on Pearl’s nether region to dry her off.

  “You’d better go easy, babe,” Pearl warned. “My pubic bone has been taking a beating.”

  Marla and I continued our follow-the-leader and nudged Pearl’s legs further apart, to make room for Danna to dive in. She held onto Pearl’s thighs and licked her, and it may as well have been my clit, the way mine was throbbing. I went up on one knee and kissed Pearl’s neck, her mouth, the inside of her upper ear lobe, and she reached up and finger fucked me. Marla was kissing her mouth, and I assumed she was getting finger fucked, too, as Danna’s expert tongue was bringing Pearl closer and closer to climax. Pearl’s hand went slack, and grabbed onto my thigh, and she let out a low whimper. Marla was standing hunched over her, clutching her to her breast. I became aware Danna was alternately licking Pearl’s clit and penetrating her, a syncopated motion that had been going on for at least a minute or two. As the intervals between shortened, Pearl lost her motor capabilities, and her sighs turned to moans and, finally, one long, low groan that grew louder, during which Dana worked her vagina like a piece of clay. The second Pearl was about to relax, she did a maneuver down below, which I can only guess was butt play, and Pearl’s body shook all over, as she came down her leg and onto my hand. Danna dove in and licked Pearl’s clit again, sucking up the juice as she did. I tapped Danna’s shoulder, and she moved over to let me in. I crouched down and took in Pearl’s scent, which was intoxicating, and licked her clit ever so gently, then made little bites along her thigh. Marla tapped my shoulder and slid in beside me to lick Pearl, too. She stood up on her knees and threw her arms around Pearl’s waist and held her tight. Danna and I reached in and hugged them both.

  “I’m going to miss you guys so much,” I said.

  There was a quiet moment of reverie, then Pearl spoke. “Me … frickin’… too.”

  We all lost it. Marla fell onto the floor snorting and laughing, and I could not stop giggling.

  “What? What?” Pearl asked, shoving her hands onto her hips to mock us, and I laughed so hard my ribs hurt. “You guys are nuts.”

  Forty-Eight

  Marla stayed over the night of the party, and we spent the morning in bed, snuggling and talking over our future. We both felt like it was time to make some major changes, and my newfound success seemed like a sign for us to take some action. Once we worked it through, we came up with a plan we were both excited about, and, with a bit of luck and help from our mentors, we both knew we could do it. We were all supposed to have dinner with the rabbi, so we thought we’d talk with Pearl and Danna after.

  Sunday dinner got pushed to Tuesday night so Rabbi John could join us. That worked for Marla, and me since it gave us another two days to rest up, get some details ironed out, and decide how we wanted to present our plan to Pearl and Danna, as well as lay some groundwork with Marla’s parents. I’d been to dinner at their house lots of times, babysat Marla’s brother with her, and even spent the night on a few occasions. They’d been very accepting of me, but I wasn’t sure how they would feel once we told them our new plan, or at least a version of it.

  Marla came out as queer and poly to them years ago, although she thinks they’re still choosing to ignore it. She never told them about her role as an “artist” at the house, and, from my point of view, I don’t know how she ever could and expect to have their support. Still, we’d have to tell them something.

  By Tuesday, I was ready to spill the beans to Pearl, who knew something was up and kept giving me odd looks, but I had to wait until after dinner, when Marla and I could talk to both of them together. Pearl and I got home around 5:30 PM and split up to get dressed for dinner, while Danna made a quick trip to pick up a special loaf of bread for the rabbi to bless at dinner. Marla arrived around 6 PM, and Rabbi John shortly after.

  “Hello, ladies!” Rabbi John smiled and took Marla’s hands and mine. “Aleikhem shalom.”

  “Hello, Rabbi John, come on in.”

  He followed us into the living room and, as he took a seat, Danna peeked around the corner.

  “Welcome, Rabbi. Can one of the girls come get you a glass of wine?” She popped back into the kitchen without getting an answer.

  He nodded at me, and I quickly retrieved a glass for him.

  “So, Miss Alicia, I hear you’ve been a busy bee. Pearl tells me you’ve been doing well selling your artwork. I wasn’t clear on what type of work you do?”

  “Oh, painting. Acrylic on canvas, for the most part. I do abstract work.” I wasn’t sure if he knew what I meant. “Lines and shapes and stuff.”

  “Wonderful.” He turned to Marla. “I hope you are doing well, Miss Marla. I still have the mezuzah necklace you made for me. I wear it sometimes when I minister.” He pulled the chain from beneath his collar and held the pendant out to show us.

  “I’m so glad you like it.”

  “I hear you are doing well, too.”

  “Not bad, nothing like what she’s doing, but I’m happy with it.”

  “Well, good.”

  Pearl popped in and gave the rabbi a giant hug before plopping down on the sofa. Danna came in from the kitchen with a drink for Pearl and one for herself.

  “And how is my favorite businesswoman?”

  “She’s exhausted but starting to wrap her mind around the changes. Thank you for helping us get some perspective. We’d been thinking about this for a long time, but I guess we just needed a little nudge to give us perspective to make the leap.”

  “It’s going to be harder for Pearl, since I’m still doing a lot of art-related projects, but I’m gonna miss our get-togethers.”

  “Us, too,” Marla added.

  After a long, enjoyable dinner, Rabbi John said he had to be up early and got up to leave. He hugged Pearl and Danna and made plans to come back for dinner in a few weeks. He clasped hands with Marla and wished her well, and I expected him to do the same with me. Instead, he hugged me, then took my hands and stared into my eyes. “Miss Alicia, I see great things ahead for you.”

  I opened my mouth to thank him, but I realized he wasn’t finished.

  “You have followed a rocky path and survived by your instincts. I am sure you will have rocky times ahead, as we all have. Do not lose faith, in yourself, in the ones who love and care for you, and most of all, do not lose faith in the power greater than yourself, even if you can’t see it working its way through you. A wise person stays so busy they do not have time to get into trouble. I see this as your strength. B’karov etzlech. I see it plainly.” He shook my hands in his and smiled. “Never hesitate to call me.”

  “I won’t. Thank you so much.”

  He nodded to everyone and left through the front door.

  “Well, that was different,” Marla said.

  “That’s his way,” Danna explained. “He is the best judge of character of anyone I’ve ever met.”

  “Well …” I started. “There is something we wanted to talk to you about.”

  Danna and Pearl piled onto the couch, and Marla sat on the floor at my feet.

  There was nothing else to do but tell her. “So, I’ve, well, we’ve been thinking a lot about our next move, and we’re probably jumping in over our heads, but Marla has agreed to come with me.” I tried not to hyperventilate. If they disapproved or said it was stupid, I didn’t know what I’d do. “We’re going to go to Nevada, and we want to start an art house there.” I searched their faces for a reaction but found none. “I mean, we hope to, eventually. We’ll start out small. I’m sure I’ll have enough for a down payment on a house from the print sales, maybe a bigger one with the showing you got me, and we can build it up as we go along. Marla can get another shop space and go back to school if she wants. I may, too, at some point. I don’t know if I would need it or not, since I’m not employed and my income is unpredictable. I don’t know. But if you could co-sign, or whatever, maybe?” They’d sat still, not offering any reaction. “Come on, tell me what you think. Is this a stupid idea? Be honest.” Marla patted my legs. I think she could sense I was about to hyperventilate.

  Pearl and Danna exchanged a glance that passed more meaning than Marla or I could see from the outside, and then Pearl’s face broke out in a grin she had to rein in before speaking. “Alicia, we think you’d be awesome at it. You have a good head on your shoulders, you’re business-oriented, and you have picked up a lot of the art lingo and culture really quickly. And Marla, you’re a natural. I think you guys are a perfect combination to do something like this. We’d be happy to back you up, if you need that. I wouldn’t do that for just anybody, but you’ve blossomed since you’ve been here and you’re both about the most reliable people I’ve ever met.”

  Danna added, “You know, we considered moving to Las Vegas on a few occasions, but we have so many friends here, and then Pearl got the job at the bank. We never got it fully researched. Back then, I was concerned about … Well, never mind, this is about you guys. And I think you’ll do great. Anything we can do to help, you just ask.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  Pearl leaned back and stared at me in wonder. “Tell us more about it.”

  “Okay, there’s a small town about ten miles west of Las Vegas. I found a few properties in our price range. We’d have to figure out some business-side stuff, taxes and finances, ‘cause I don’t have a clue on any of that.”

  “And we haven’t broken the news to my folks yet.” Marla frowned. “But that’s just a detail.”

  “And my family couldn’t care less. My parents are completely off my radar, and once Joan figured out she couldn’t strong arm me into moving home, she’s pretty much lost all interest. And that’s fine with me.”

  “I bet.” Dana covered a laugh with her hand. “Sorry, it’s not funny. It’s … well, you two remind me of me and Pearl so much, I mean we were a few years older than you when we started out, but we were a lot like you two.”

  “Except they don’t have a lot of the hang-ups we did. They’re like us, 2.0.” Pearl patted me on the knee and tousled Marla’s bangs.

  “Thanks.”

  We sat there for a while, considering the past few months, the changes we’d been through and the ones to come. I had been staying over at Marla’s most of the time and probably would continue staying there until we left for Nevada, barring any problems with her family. The four of us talked a bit more and began to say our goodbyes. I knew I’d be back to finish clearing out my room and maybe much later on to visit Pearl and Danna when we came back to town, but I knew things would never be the same. That first day at the house replayed in my mind—me sneaking down those stairs and wondering who was in the kitchen, the initiation in the upstairs bedroom. I thought about how far I’d come, how much I’d learned, and I wondered how the house would feel to me once I’d been away for a while.

  I sighed. “I guess life has to keep marching on. It doesn’t matter whether we want things to stay the same or not.”

  Pearl snorted. “It gets faster as you get older. Oh, speaking of marching on, Leslie got fired from the job they transferred her to.”

  “You’re kidding!”

  “Nope. She tried to do the same nastiness there, and they weren’t having any part of it. She tried to play the branch manager against her assistant, and it exploded in her face.”

  “Ah, too bad.”

  “Yep.”

  We stood at the back door, and I was finding it hard to go. Marla hugged me from behind, patiently waiting for us to leave.

  “I hate endings, and this feels like the end, even more than when we stopped the auctions.”

  “See, that’s the thing about youth, hon.” Danna grabbed me loosely by the wrist. “You’re always confusing endings and beginnings. And this is very clearly the beginning of something amazing.” She pulled me in for a hug, and Pearl and Marla piled in, too. “Something truly amazing.”

  We held each other for a few minutes and then pulled apart, wiping away tears. Marla and I waved as we pulled out of the driveway. In the rearview mirror, Pearl and Danna were holding each other and waving back. Marla rubbed her hand across my leg, as we turned back, smiled like idiots and waved again.

  “You know, she’s right. We are going to do some amazing things in Vegas.” She tucked my loose hair behind my ear, and a jolt of excitement ran through me. I couldn’t wait to get home, to the privacy of Marla’s room, so I could turn the stereo up, rip her clothes off, and go down on her like a motherfucker.

  I had one more stop to make before we went back to her parents. I pulled up to the house two blocks away from the Victorian, to a renovated 1980s blocky monstrosity. I padded up to the front door, rang the doorbell, and knocked. I wanted her to know SOMEBODY was there. I could hear her walk up to the door and peek out the peephole.

  “Raina, I know you’re there. Come on out.”

  She hesitated, but I heard the safety chain slide off and the door creak open. She stood there, stock still, with a dumb look plastered on her face.

 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21