The Backup Plan

Maggie knocked on the door. No answer. She knocked harder and called, "Hello?" Claire had told her to come by when she was done with the recital, so she was surprised.

"Hey, Maggie!" The voice came from the side of the house. Maggie stepped off the porch and saw Claire's head above the fence. "Come on back," Claire said, opening the gate. "I didn't know when you'd be here, so I decided to catch some rays."

"I can see that," Maggie said with a smile. Claire was wearing a hot pink bikini that showed off the firm lines of her muscular legs and shoulders. "Sorry I couldn't get here earlier. The recital ran longer than I thought, and then I had to stick around and talk to parents for a while."

"No problem at all," Claire said, leading the way to the back yard. "Grab a lounge and grab a beer."

"Don't mind if I do," Maggie said, taking a can of Heineken from the small cooler. "You look more comfortable than I feel."

"Well, you look great," Claire said, looking at Maggie's close-fitting knee-length dress and dressy flats. "Like you just came from a formal event."

"I did," Maggie said, popping open the beer. "It has to be black for a recital, and this is the thinnest black dress I have. But even so, it was getting hot in that gym."

"Yeah, this is unusual for May," Claire said. "The teaser day of spring. We're lucky it fell on a Sunday. I'm glad you could come over and hang out."

"I appreciate the invitation. I need to recover from fifteen beginning and intermediate violinists." Maggie shook her head. Her day job was secretary at the county courthouse, but she did some piano teaching and accompanying on the side.

"Well, you can recover all you like before the sun gets too low." Claire leaned back in her lounge and adjusted her top. For being short and athletic, her breasts were a decent size, maybe a B cup, Maggie guessed. She had always admired Claire's body on an aesthetic level. She was satisfied with her own body, but right now she felt out of place.

"I didn't think this through very well," Maggie said aloud. "A black dress is not ideal for laying out in the sun."

"Well..." Claire took a deliberate sip of her beer. "We're all friends here. Do you want to take off the dress and lay out in your underwear?"

"Whoa." Maggie sat up a little straighter in the lounge. "I would not have thought of that."

"This yard has zero visibility from any other house," Claire said, gesturing at the fence and the trees. "I haven't actually laid out nude, but I've thought about it. And your underwear probably covers more than my bikini."

"Yes," Maggie said absently, trying to remember which bra and panties she had grabbed from the drawer in the morning. Plain white, probably. She looked around at the secluded yard and her comfortable friend and said, "Fine." She stood up, pulled the dress over her head, and tossed it on the patio table. The mild May air felt good, and strange, on her skin. Her body was well-proportioned, but not as toned as Claire's.

"Good for you," Claire said. "I was right. You are the soul of modesty compared to me."

"If you say so." Maggie lay down in the lounge again. "The sun feels good, but" -- she looked at her bra and bikini-cut panties -- "my underwear? This feels way more out there than a bathing suit."

"I hear you," Claire said. "Bathing suits are meant to be seen in public. Underwear isn't."

"Right," Maggie said. "But if I keep drinking and we keep talking, it'll be OK."

The two women enjoyed the late afternoon sun and chatted about the coming end of the school year. Claire was finishing her second year as the gym teacher at the local K-12 school, and they had met the previous fall when Maggie played for an event. In a town of 1,000 people in the middle of North Dakota, friendships were sometimes hard to make, and the two had found they were happy to hang out together.

"I don't know how long I'll stay here," Claire said thoughtfully. "This was the first job I was offered out of UND, and I took it, but man, is it isolated."

"I know what you mean," Maggie said. "If it wasn't for my parents, I never would have come back." Maggie was 35, and her parents, in poor health, lived 20 miles down the highway.

"And dating has been awful," Claire said. "There's no one."

"Nope. There are some good-looking local boys, but they're not relationship material. And the few professional men are taken."

"Yeah. I've had sex once in two years, and it didn't go well."

"Oh?"

"Local boy, as you said." Claire took a sip of beer. "I was lonely and horny, and he was good-looking. But... without going into details, he was not talented at sex."

"I find that very easy to believe," Maggie said. "I am on a four-year streak of no sex. If I get horny, I take care of it myself." They had never talked like this before, but lying outdoors in her bra and panties was loosening her inhibitions.

"I've had a few dates," she continued, "but they ended with saying goodnight in the parking lot. I just had a strong sense that if I invited them home, it would end the way yours did."

"I admire that," Claire said. "And I have done a lot of self-pleasuring. But I miss kissing and touching."

"Yes." Maggie looked at her young, fit friend and decided to say the thought that had been rising in her mind. "Have you thought about trying women?"

Claire was not shocked. She looked into the middle distance and said, "I've thought about it a little, recently. Considering the lack of other options."

"I have, too," Maggie said. "Kind of a backup plan." She was reassured, and a little excited, by Claire's calm reaction. "Even though I've never done anything before. Not even a drunk kiss at a party."

"Funny you should say that. I did have a drunk kiss at a party once with my best friend. We laughed about it when we sobered up, but nothing else happened."

"So you're a tiny bit ahead of me."

A silence fell. Both women took sips from their beer. Out of the side of her eye, Maggie looked at Claire's body. She shifted her weight in the lounge to face her friend. Claire said, "Thank you for trying something new. I'm glad you get the sun on your skin." She smiled gently and added, "In your underwear, you look vulnerable."

"That's kind of how I feel," Maggie said. "But you make it OK."

"I appreciate that. Vulnerable" -- Claire paused -- "can be sexy."

"I know." Maggie held the beer can against her cheek. "I feel hot."

Claire raised her eyebrow slightly but said nothing.

Maggie said carefully, "You look incredible in that bikini."

"Thank you." Claire sat up a little straighter. "Are we thinking the same thing here?"

"I think we are." Maggie bolstered her courage with another sip. "When will we have a better, safer chance to try the backup plan?"

"All right, Miss Maggie." Claire rolled out of the lounge so that she was on her knees next to Maggie. "Let's try." But she was grinning as she leaned in. Maggie pecked her lips, and then both of them fell back laughing.

"Oh, gosh," Claire said, sitting up. "That one didn't count."

"No."

"Stand up and let's do it right."

Maggie did. The two women embraced loosely, and Maggie sighed at the feel of Claire's firm muscles under her skin. Their lips met, and then their tongues. They kissed deeply and hungrily as hands roamed over backs. Claire was incredible. Her tongue so gentle and so insistent, her hands caressing Maggie's shoulders and the small of her back -- the glow of arousal in Maggie's groin was becoming an inferno.

Maggie broke off the kiss and looked into Claire's deep brown eyes. "You are beautiful and sexy and an amazing kisser," she said. "And I want to do more."

"Right back at you," Claire said softly. "Where do you want to do more?"

"Not in your yard -- even if it is secluded."

"I agree. Let's go inside. I optimistically bought a queen-size bed when I moved here." Maggie chuckled and said, "I'm happy to share it."

Maggie followed Claire into the house, admiring the way her pink bikini slid into the crease between her small, firm, round buttocks. Maggie had been in the living room before, but not the bedroom. The furnishings definitely said recent college grad, but the bed was nice. Claire turned to face her friend and moved in for another hard kiss. Her strong arms gripped Maggie tightly, and she pulled her down so that the two of them fell onto the bed together.

The kissing continued in a horizontal position. Claire's lips moved down Maggie's neck and her collarbone. Then she moved to the slopes of Maggie's breasts, murmuring, "I adore your womanly curves."

"You have great curves, too," Maggie said, cupping Claire's breast for the first time.

"I do like my own body," Claire said, softly kissing the exposed skin of Maggie's valley and moving lightly to either side. "But right now I am appreciating yours, and how it's different." Her hands moved around to Maggie's back and quickly unhooked the bra. Maggie shook it off and exposed her grapefruit-sized breasts to Claire's view.

"So beautiful," Claire whispered. She quickly covered one large, rosy nipple with her mouth while lightly fingering the other. Then she switched. Maggie stroked Claire's neck and sighed at the almost-forgotten pleasure of having another person worship her body.

"Here," she said softly after a while, lifting Claire's chin with one finger. "I want to do you." She pulled hard on the strings of the bikini top, and it fell off. Claire's breasts were firm and well-shaped, with small, dark nipples that were rigidly erect. Maggie kissed them in quick succession, marveling at the feeling. "You're beautiful, too," she said, and Claire moaned.

Maggie enjoyed the full range of her friend's breasts, kissing the slopes and the sides as well as the tips. She moved up to the delicate hollow at the base of the neck. "Mmmm," she said, running her hands down Claire's body. She kissed her way back to Claire's face while her hands roamed. Then she sat up and said, "I want to admire your thighs."

"That's fine with me."

"I have always thought they were so strong and beautiful," Maggie said, shifting so that she was between Claire's legs. "When we worked out or went running, I was always sneaking glances." She ran her hands along each leg. "Ohhh. And they feel as good as they look. All of the lines and the curves, the firmness, the power under your smooth skin."

She continued to feel, alternating firm strokes and feathery ones. It was some of the most erotic touch she had ever given. She looked up and saw that Claire's eyes were shining.

Maggie's hands moved upward until her thumbs were at the edge of the bikini. Her heart was pounding. "My pussy," Claire said softly. "Touch my pussy, Maggie." And so she placed her palm over it, feeling labia and hair and wetness indistinctly through the Lycra. She began to rub gently in a circular motion. Claire moaned and raised her hips, pushing down on the side straps. Maggie understood. Swiftly she pulled off the bikini bottom and gazed at the breathtaking sight of Claire naked.

Seeing every inch of Claire's skin was more intense, more alluring, than seeing her in a skimpy bikini. Her vulva was nearly flat, offering a contrast to the shining, dark red inner labia that bloomed from it in a seductive slit. Her dark pubic hair was shaved except for a short, narrow strip. A white tan line outlined her gorgeous pubis.

"You're staring," Claire said with a grin.

"Well... you're beautiful, and this is new to me."

"You've seen pussies before."

"I've never been aroused by a pussy before. But I sure am now. I want to touch you." She covered Claire's shallow mound with her palm, savoring the unobstructed feeling of short hair and soft, damp flesh. Claire moaned and moved her hips in time with the motion. Harder and faster they went. Maggie moved in wider circles and then used her other hand. Teasingly, she pulled Claire's vulva apart and then pushed it together. Her index finger stroked the clit. Again, Claire thrust her hips. "I'm so close," she whispered. "More. Keep going."

With her other hand, Maggie slipped a finger gently into Claire's open, dripping cunt. "Yes," Claire said, "Harder, deeper. Fuck me." Maggie did as she was told, using two fingers and then three. She could feel the nub of Claire's G-spot. She was used to this with her own body, but another woman's was fascinating and intoxicating.

Claire gasped wordlessly and arched her back. Her pussy contracted around Maggie's fingers, and the older woman felt a slight surge of wetness. She pulled her hand out as Claire fell back, and wiped her fingers on her panties. Then, struck by a thought, she put a finger in her mouth. The taste was mild and slightly salty -- appetizing, actually.

She lay down and folded Claire's panting, pulsing body in an embrace. Claire snuggled up to her and kissed her lips lightly. "No tongues right now," she said. "I need to breathe. That was amazing."

"Wonderful for me, too."

"I saw you took a taste?"

"Yes. I liked it." Maggie paused. "Direct from the source next time?"

"If you're willing."

Claire caressed Maggie's neck and back and gave her another light kiss. "That was so... you were so... I..." She propped herself on one elbow, shook her head, and said, "Men are idiots."

Maggie laughed. "Why?"

"My whole sexual experience," Claire said, looking at her earnestly. "Two serious boyfriends, maybe half a dozen random guys, and just now, you made me feel more special, more cared for, than any of them ever did."

"I know what you mean," Maggie said. "You're sweet. You're making me feel special, too."

"I haven't given you an orgasm."

"Plenty of time for that."

"I want to do it now." Claire began to kiss Maggie's breasts, and her hand slipped down to Maggie's soft, flat belly, She stroked the outside of the panties, and then slipped her hand beneath the fabric. "Mmm," she said. "I like it. Your pussy feels different than mine."

"It also looks different," Maggie said mischievously.

"Well, how am I supposed to know that?" Claire asked with a fake scowl.

That was Maggie's cue to lift her hips, and Claire eagerly pulled the white panties off. "Oooh, yes," she sighed. She ran her fingers through fine, blond hair that covered a plump mound. She spread the pale pink labia, dripping from Maggie's arousal. "So sexy," she said. "This is my first erotic pussy, too."

"I'm glad you like it."

"That's an understatement. It's making me crazy." She ran her fingers over the furry vulva, then dipped into the wetness. "What can I do for you?"

"Whatever feels good to you."

"All right." Claire shifted her body so that she was lying between Maggie's legs. She continued to stroke her friend's labia and clitoris and dropped butterfly kisses on her inner thighs. Little jolts of electricity shot through Maggie's body.

Claire gently rubbed her face over Maggie's pubis. "I want this," she said softly. Then she covered her friend's vulva with her mouth and slowly drew her tongue upward in a long, broad kiss ending at the clit.

"Oh my god!" Maggie shouted involuntarily. She wrapped her legs around Claire's body and pressed the girl's head into her cunt. She felt Claire's giggle rather than heard it, as the intoxicating motion of the tongue was repeated, again and again in a rhythm of wet, silky contact against the center of her sexual being.

It was an incredible sight to Maggie -- her own naked body, Claire's pretty face buried in her blond bush, the graceful lines of Claire's bare back and firm, athletic ass. And the feeling of Claire's tongue and lips and fingertips -- the combination was irresistible, and Maggie succumbed to wave upon wave of the biggest orgasm she could remember.

Claire sat up. Amid the ebb of her climax, Maggie admired the lines of her friend's broad, bare shoulders and the muted curves of her sweet breasts. Claire looked pleased with herself. "You liked that," she said.

"Oh god, it was incredible." Maggie held out her arms, and Claire fell into her embrace. They kissed, and Maggie tasted her own juices on Claire's tongue. "You knew just what to do."

"Thank you," Claire said. "First time. Of course." She smiled sheepishly. "But now I will admit to you, I have fantasized about doing it."

"Aha." Maggie ran her finger down Claire's flank and stroked her inner thigh. "Were the fantasies good?"

"Incredible. I had some amazing orgasms thinking about it."

"Were you thinking about me, or women in general?"

Claire looked embarrassed. "I thought about you once," she said. "And it felt so good that I was scared and told myself I could never do that again."

"Wow." Maggie looked into Claire's soft brown eyes. Impulsively, she hugged her tight. "Now you've done it for real. And you can do it again." She ran her finger over Claire's vulva and said, "Your pussy is good and wet right now. I think you could use some attention."

"Licking you did get me very hot. The reality was better than the fantasy."

"I'm so glad. And flattered." Maggie pulled away slightly and looked fondly at her friend. "I haven't really thought about it myself -- maybe at the very transgressive edge of my imagination. But now..." Claire's open, wet pussy was calling. "Now, Claire, I want to go down on you. Eat your pussy. Give cunnilingus."

"I like to hear you say that." Claire spread her legs wider.

"But I'm going to tease you first." Maggie bent to kiss Claire's breasts, while her hand traced the edges of the girl's mound. She laid her face against her friend's flat, firm belly. "I want to kiss each one of the six-pack," she said. Claire laughed, and Maggie enjoyed the muscle movement. She ran her tongue over the navel and began moving her face downward. She was excited but not nervous. It seemed like the most natural thing in the world to enjoy the journey to Claire's eager, waiting vagina.

As her lips and tongue stayed busy, her chin grazed the narrow strip of pubic hair. She sighed with pleasure and rubbed her whole face in it, daringly planting one kiss near her clit. Claire shuddered and gripped Maggie's neck. Maggie turned to the smooth sides of Claire's vulva and gave them broad, slow licks, each side in turn. It felt wonderful. Then she moved to the gaping, glistening center. She opened her mouth wide, put her lips over the edges, and thrust her tongue deep.

"Aahhh!" Claire moaned. Maggie gave a muffled moan herself, the feel and taste were so amazing. She continued to fuck Claire with her tongue as deeply as she could while her lips moved rhythmically around the edges. Then she broke the seal and began to lick Claire's clit. The little nubbin felt incredible on her tongue, and she slipped a finger into Claire's wet tunnel.

"Like that -- don't stop," Claire said breathlessly. "I'm so close." Maggie did as she was told. Claire's hips began to move faster, and Maggie kept pace. She twisted her own hips against the rumpled bedspread and humped against it while Claire humped against her face. She moaned into the depths of Claire's pussy.

"Oh God oh God oh God!" Claire cried, and Maggie again felt the slight surge of wetness, but this time around her face. She dropped her hand to her own pussy, gave several firm strokes, and was rewarded with her own climax.

Maggie gave herself a few seconds, then crawled up to Claire's waiting embrace. Neither woman said anything for a while as they exchanged light caresses. Then Maggie looked into her friend's eyes. "This has been an amazing afternoon," she said. "I feel like I've learned a lot about you and about myself."

""I knew you were a good person and a good friend," Claire said, nodding. "But you are also a wonderful, generous sex partner."

"I'll say the same about you." Maggie gave Claire's firm butt an affectionate squeeze. "But what happens now?"

"Good question. I'm not sure." Claire patted Maggie's butt in turn. "We're still friends, and now we're better friends."

"Yes."

"Not just the nakedness and body fluids. We trust each other."

"Right."

"But I don't know, Maggie. Twenty-four years of heterosexuality. Weigh that against one amazing afternoon, and I really don't know how it balances."

"I know what you mean. We were thinking about a backup plan, but the backup plan looks so good now, it's a little intimidating."

"Maybe we're friends with benefits." Claire stroked Maggie's nipple. "Is this town ready for a teacher and a county employee to be in a same-sex relationship?"

"I don't know," Maggie said. "Maybe. Better chance now than a few decades ago." She ran her hand up Claire's spine and caressed her neck. "But a town of a thousand people is a really bad place to try to keep a secret."

"Totally."

"I just want to live in the moment for a few more moments." Maggie stroked Claire's chin, and both women simultaneously leaned in for a kiss. It was long and satisfying, but it felt like cooling down. Maggie marveled again at the feel of Claire's skin. Four years since she had touched anyone's skin sensually, and she wasn't sure if any man had ever felt this good.

Finally Maggie broke the kiss and said, "The good news is, we don't have to decide anything right now."

"No. Tomorrow will take care of itself."

"I should probably put on my clothes and go home." Maggie looked around. "I see my underwear. My dress is still outside." It seemed like a lifetime ago that she felt weird about taking off her dress. "What's it going to be like to go to work in the morning?" she asked aloud.

"You know what, I think it's going to be good. Facing six classes of bored kids counting down the days -- it's going to be a lot easier when I remember your lips and your body and two great orgasms."

"Aw, you're very sweet." Maggie got up and put on her bra. "My panties are still wet because you were so sexy," she said. "I'll go home commando. It isn't far."

Claire, still naked, led the way to the back yard and watched the older woman put on her dress. Maggie stuffed the panties into her purse and stepped into her shoes. She turned to Claire, and the two shared one last hug. "Until next time," she said softly. As she opened the gate, she heard Claire say, with a hint of wistfulness, "Next time."

Who knew what the future held, but at least there would be next time.