Moonlight Dancers, Part Two

There was a knock at the door to Kelly’s office, and she looked up from her invoices. Seeing Vicky standing there, she frowned. Kelly waved the girl in, asked, “What are you still doing here?”

“Mom isn’t here yet,” Vicky said, coming into the office and closing the door.

Vicky was still wearing her leotard, her toe shoes on her feet. With her hair up and her face still flushed from dance practice, she looked cute standing there. Kelly felt a twinge of disappointment that she wasn’t babysitting the girl tonight.

Glancing at the clock, Kelly saw Becky was running late and said, “You can keep me company until she gets here.”

“Okay,” Vicky said, dropping her gym bag and sitting in one of the chairs in front of Kelly’s desk.

Even just sitting there quietly, Vicky was a distraction. Kelly’s eyes wanted to wander, and she kept entering the wrong numbers in her spreadsheet.

“What are you doing?” Vicky asked, seeing her struggling.

“Trying to enter some invoices,” Kelly said, then sighed, “you know, the business side of the business.”

“Sounds exciting,” Vicky said, dryly.

“Not really,” Kelly said, reaching for her water bottle.

“I think my mom is going to sleep with you,” Vicky said, without preamble.

Choking on her water, Kelly looked at Vicky wide-eyed. Her lungs burning, Kelly couldn’t stop coughing long enough to ask why Vicky thought that.

The girl looked amused, said, “Sorry. I guess I should have waited until you weren’t drinking.”

“Why do you say she is going to sleep with me?” Kelly managed to ask between coughs.

“She had her hair done,” Vicky said, “and bought a new dress. Then there was the Victoria’s Secret bag in the trash.”

“Maybe she met someone,” Kelly said.

“Maybe,” Vicky said, shrugging, “she hasn’t said anything to me. You are the only date she has that I know of.”

“We aren’t going on a date,” Kelly said, laughing, “we are just having dinner to discuss me babysitting you.”

“Well,” Vicky said, mischievously, “if she’s wearing the dress she bought to dinner with you, she wants to get laid.”

“Vicky!” Kelly said, laughing in surprise.

“It’s true. You’ll know what I mean if you get to see it,” Vicky said.

Kelly looked at the girl for a long moment, then asked, “You really think she wants to sleep with me?”

“It’s been a while for her,” Vicky said, shrugging, “and you two have a history together.”

Surprised, Kelly asked, “You know about that?”

“She has a picture of you and her with your arms around each other,” Vicky said, smiling at Kelly, “I sort of put the rest of it together from what you said about your early start.”

“She was my first,” Kelly said, wishing she could see the picture Vicky was talking about.

“Your Alexis?” Vicky asked, mentioning her friend turned lover from back home.

Smiling, Kelly nodded, “You have no idea how close your story and your mother’s and mine are.”

“What do they say about the apple and the tree?” Vicky asked, making Kelly laugh.

“You remind me of your mother when we were your age,” Kelly said, smiling at her, “she was just as much trouble for me as you are.”

“I am trouble, huh?” Vicky asked, playfully.

“You know you are,” Kelly said, laughing.

“Too bad my mom isn’t going out of town today,” Vicky said.

“Yeah,” Kelly said, meaning it.

Her voice much lower, Vicky said, “I don’t know if I can wait until next Thursday to sleep with you.”

Kelly’s heart started beating faster when she saw the look in Vicky’s eyes. She knew she should be ashamed of herself, but that look got her imagination going, and she couldn’t wait for Thursday, either. With a nervous little laugh, Kelly said, “Me, either.”

“Good,” Vicky said, her smile widening.

Her cheeks flushed, Kelly looked away. Sitting there in her white tights and black leotard, Vicky was a temptation, and Kelly felt a stirring of desire for her. The girl did something to her, took away her self control. She was beautiful and sexy, and Kelly knew what it was like to be with her, which made it hard for her to behave.

Changing the subject, Kelly said, “Your mom is really running late.”

“Yeah,” Vicky said, then grinned, “maybe she’s getting her nails done for your date.”

Laughing, Kelly said, “It’s not a date.”

“If you say so,” Vicky said.

“It’s not,” Kelly insisted.

“It’s okay if it is,” Vicky said.

Blinking in surprise, Kelly asked, “Really?”

“Mom hasn’t had much luck dating lately,” Vicky said, meeting Kelly’s eyes, “maybe you are what she needs to shake off her slump.”

“Her slump?” Kelly parroted, laughing, “you are trying to get your mom laid?”

Making a face, Vicky said, “When you say it like that, it sounds weird. I just meant if it happens, it’s okay.”

Kelly looked at the girl for a long time, then asked, “What about us?”

Vicky looked away, shyly, but she was smiling. She asked, “Do you think there is an ‘us’?”

“Something happened when you stayed with me,” Kelly said, rubbing the back of her neck, “I thought we had something.”

Vicky smiled brightly at her, said, “Me, too.”

“And you are still okay with me sleeping with your mother?” Kelly asked, holding her gaze.

Vicky squirmed, said, “Mom has been lonely for a long time. There really hasn’t been anyone since Dad left… I guess I’m saying, if she wants to go back to your place, say yes.”

“I, well… I can’t make any promises,” Kelly said.

Vicky laughed self-consciously, said, “I’m not asking you to.”

“Okay,” Kelly said, then changed the subject, “we have a show coming up in a couple of weeks. Mckenzie needs a partner for her duet.”

“I thought Laura was her partner for the dance,” Vicky said, sounding as happy as Kelly was to be onto a new subject.

“Laura has to go out of town,” Kelly said, leaning back in her chair, “I know it’s short notice to learn a new dance on top of your solo performance.”

“I saw Laura practicing,” Vicky said, chewing on her lip, “it looks hard.”

Smiling at the girl, Kelly said, “If I didn’t think you could do it, I wouldn’t have asked you. My only concern is overloading you. Two dances are a lot to learn on such short notice.”

“You really think I’m good enough?” Vicky asked.

“I do,” Kelly said, truthfully.

“Um,” Vicky said, then took a deep breath, “I’ll do it.”

“Good,” Kelly said, smiling at her, “I thought I might have to scrap the routine, which I would have hated. Nadia put her heart into it.”

Nadia, Kelly’s choreographer and partner in crime here at Chambers Dance Academy, had written a beautiful dance number for two girls. It was a bit of a departure from her usual work, and she had been a little hesitant to pitch it to Kelly. When Kelly had agreed to work it into their next routine, Nadia had been more excited than Kelly had ever seen her get. She had realized just how much this dance meant to her, then.

When Laura had come to her with news of an unscheduled family trip, Kelly had thought she would have to tell Nadia the bad news about her dance. Then, earlier, watching Vicky practice for her solo performance, she had been inspired to offer the second spot to the girl. It was a bit more advanced than any other piece Vicky has danced before, but Kelly thought she was ready for it.

“Great,” Vicky said, nervously, “no pressure, then.”

Laughing, Kelly said, “I didn’t mean it like that. Besides, you are going to be great.”

“Right,” Vicky said, her confidence bolstered some.

Vicky’s phone chirped, and the girl looked at the screen, said, “Mom is stuck in a meeting.”

“Really?” Kelly asked, then her own phone buzzed on her desk. Glancing at the screen, she saw a message from Becky. It read: Can you take Vicks home? I’m stuck in a meeting

Kelly sent back: Want me to stay with her

There was a long pause, then Kelly’s phone rang. When she answered it, Becky said, “I can’t ask you to do that.”

“You don’t have to,” Kelly said, smiling.

“I’ll pay you for your time,” Becky said, sounding harried, “I have to get back in there.”

“Okay,” Kelly said.

“I don’t know how long I’ll be,” Becky said.

“I’ll take Vicky back to my place,” Kelly said, almost laughing when she saw the girl start grinning, “give me a call when you make it out of the meeting.”

“You are a lifesaver. Bye,” Becky said.

“Bye,” Kelly said, hanging up. Looking at Vicky, she said, “Looks like you are coming home with me.”

“Guess we don’t have to wait until next Thursday, after all,” Vicky said, glancing over her shoulder at the dance studio. It was empty now, the last of the stragglers picked up at last. Getting up, the girl circled the desk and gave Kelly a toe-curling kiss. Smiling as she pulled back, she said, “Let’s go.”

Her heart racing from the kiss, Kelly didn’t have to be told twice. Looking at the invoices on her desk, she decided they could definitely wait. She grabbed her gym bag and her purse, turning off the lights in the office as she followed the girl. Locking up on the way out the door, she and Vicky were in the car and on their way to Kelly’s. The whole drive, the sexual tension was palpable in the car. They kept sharing little looks, smiling every time their eyes met. Kelly kept having to let off the accelerator, her speed creeping up as she thought about getting Vicky back to her place. Her thoughts had her in real danger of getting a speeding ticket.

She felt a twinge of guilt about how much she wanted to be with Vicky. She knew she should be ashamed of herself, and she was to a degree. Not enough to keep her from wanting the girl, though. Especially not with the look in the girl’s eyes.

They made it back to Kelly’s without incident, hurrying inside. Just inside the door, Vicky moved into Kelly’s arms, got up on her toes, and kissed Kelly deeply. The kiss told Kelly Vicky wanted this as much as she did. The heat behind the kiss burned away any guilt Kelly might have had, and she let the girl lead her down the hall to the bedroom. Or at least, Kelly thought they were going to the bedroom, but ended up in the bathroom instead.

It wasn’t until the girl started fiddling with the taps in the shower, that Kelly remembered they were both sweaty from dance practice. Kelly wouldn’t have minded, but she was okay with cleaning up some first. If nothing else, the shower would be foreplay.

When she had the water temperature where she wanted it, Vicky turned from the stall and started undressing. For practice, Vicky seemed to prefer wearing leotards and tights, even though they weren’t required. Kelly didn’t know the reason- maybe the girl just liked to practice in what she’d be wearing for the real thing- but she wasn’t complaining. As a former dancer and now an instructor, she had a thing for women in leotards. A little sheepishly, she had to admit it wasn’t just women in them that caught her eye.

Vicky definitely drew her eye wearing them to the point that it was a distraction from her lessons. Kelly avoided looking at the girl as much as possible when she was teaching. With no one to catch her now, she was definitely looking. She loved the girl’s long legs in opaque white nylon, loved the way the leotard molded to her cute backside and the rest of her lean body.

Catching her, Vicky smiled playfully and asked, “Shouldn’t you be getting undressed?”

With one more look, Kelly started undressing. It was her turn to catch Vicky looking as she shimmied out of her dance clothes. Vicky didn’t look away when she realized Kelly had noticed her looking. She just smiled at Kelly.

The way the girl looked at her never failed to get her heart racing. Anyone looking at her like that would have put bedroom thoughts in her head, but when the thirteen-year-old did it, she was a little surprised just how raunchy her imagination could get. That little smile of Vicky’s wasn’t helping any, either. Kelly didn’t think she was the only one having inappropriate thoughts, if she was reading that smile right.

The shower stall was large enough for both of them to fit comfortably, but they didn’t need half the space. Vicky slipped into Kelly’s arms as she stood under the spray of hot water. They stayed like that a while, kissing and letting their hands glide over wet bodies. At some point- Kelly wasn’t sure just when- her body wash was added to the fun. All she knew was that Vicky’s lovely body was even more touchable slippery with soap.

“Not here,” Vicky said, just as things started to get out of hand. She gave Kelly one more kiss, then slipped out of her arms and turned into the water to rinse the soap from her body.

Kelly would have been happy to fool around in the shower, but she could wait until they made it to her bedroom. She rinsed off, too, then turned off the water. They quickly dried off, then hurried to Kelly’s bedroom, leaving their clothes on the bathroom floor. They were kissing even as they burst through the door, stumbling their way to the bed. Kelly had to laugh at their eagerness as they tumbled onto the mattress in a tangle of limbs. Pulling back from the kiss, Kelly smiled at Vicky. Her heart skipped a couple of beats when the girl smiled back at her.

Their lips met again. The tension that had built up in the car ride here and in the shower finally got away from them. Vicky scooted a little further onto the bed, and Kelly moved between her legs. Without breaking the kiss, they were making love. The girl’s legs were wrapped around Kelly’s waist as Kelly began to move her hips. Soft moans and sighs punctuated their kiss, forced out of them by the lovely friction of their bodies rubbing against each other.

The first time they did this, they had found an easy rhythm, and they proved it wasn’t a fluke. Vicky met each roll of Kelly’s hips with her own, their bodies moving in perfect syncopation. Even as their pace built in time with their excitement, they never missed a beat. Kelly thought it might be because they were both dancers, but she has slept with other dancers, and it wasn’t like this before. She didn’t know why they worked so well together, but she was enjoying every second of it.

They were soon sheathed in sweat from their exertion, and Kelly found it amusing that they might have wasted their time showering earlier. At least, when she buried her face in the girl’s neck and breathed her in, she smelled like body wash.

The frantic energy of their coupling felt too good for either of them to stand much more of it. Already tension was building up inside of Kelly, a tightening in her core and thighs. She met Vicky’s eyes, saw the girl was right there with her. Even as she started to lose control of her body, Kelly didn’t look away. She kept it together long enough to watch Vicky’s pupils dilate as her orgasm took her breath away mid cry. Maybe a heartbeat behind the girl, Kelly succumbed to her own climax, crying out as it shook her.

When she recovered some of her senses, Kelly saw the girl giving her a dazed smile, and she returned it with one of her own. Leaning in, she gave Vicky a tender kiss, her hand on the side of the girl’s neck. When Vicky’s ankles unlocked, and her legs fell from Kelly’s hips, Kelly rolled off her. Stretched out on her back, she put her arm around Vicky as she snuggled against her side.

Vicky’s hand slid down Kelly’s sweat-slick stomach and between her thighs. Kelly moaned as the swirling pressure of her fingertips teased her still sensitive nerve endings. Turning her head, Kelly met the girl’s eyes and saw that her desire hadn’t been completely snuffed out. The little smile Vicky favored her with brought her own libido back to life. Reading her eyes, Vicky’s smile widened, and she kissed Kelly deeply, her fingers never stopping their maddening, delicious torture.

Moving lower, Vicky’s fingers slipped into Kelly’s pussy. Vicky had done this to her last time, too, but it still caught her off guard. The girl’s boldness startled a moan from Kelly, excited her more than she liked to admit. Her hips moved with a mind of their own, pushed her pussy against the girl’s hands. Kelly’s little sounds of enjoyment filled the bedroom, encouraging her not to stop.

Vicky kissed the curve of Kelly’s neck, then her collar bone. Her tongue tasted the salt on the slope of Kelly’s breast, then her lips trapped her straining nipple. The girl teased that nub until it ached sweetly, didn’t let up even as Kelly’s back arched off the bed. Only when Kelly didn’t think she could take anymore did Vicky lean across her to do the same to her other nipple.

Without a moment’s respite after orgasm, this new assault on her senses was overloading her nerve endings. Vicky’s fingertips as they massaged her g-spot and the girl’s mouth on her breasts had her ready to come again, her toes already over the edge. Helpless to stop it, Kelly was pushed over the edge by the wave of pleasure washing through her. Like a riptide, her orgasm drug her out into an ocean of blissful release, left her floating on gentle waves of endorphins.

“Jesus,” she laughed, smiling at the girl, “what did you do to me?”

Laughing, Vicky gave her a lingering kiss. It didn’t even end as Kelly gently rolled the girl onto her back and moved atop her. It only ended when Kelly pushed to her hands and knees and opened the drawer on the bedside table.

Curious, Vicky rolled onto her side to see what Kelly was doing. Her eyes got wide when she saw what Kelly had in her hand. Laughing, she said, “Wow.”

“Ever tried one of these?” Kelly asked, holding up her vibrator.

“I’m thirteen, remember?” Vicky said, sarcastically.

“Yet you know what it is,” Kelly said, pointedly.

Blushing, Vicky said, “Touché.”

“A good vibrator is a girl’s best friend,” Kelly said, turning the black knob at the base of the toy.

“Do they make bad ones?” Vicky asked, her eyes on the buzzing shaft.

“Some are better than others,” Kelly said, smiling at her, “but any of them can usually get the job done.”

“The job done?” Vicky repeated, laughing.

“You know what I mean,” Kelly said, kissing her. With her hand on the girl’s shoulder, she gently bore Vicky to her back. Smiling at her, she said, “And if you don’t, you’ll see in a minute.”

Her eyes flashing with interest, Vicky asked, “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” Kelly said, kissing her, again.

She ran the vibrator down the girl’s neck, making her squirm and laugh. Kelly smiled, followed the muscle line on the girl’s abdomen down to the faint thatch of pubic hair above her girlhood. The giggles dried up when she pressed the buzzing tip of the toy against Vicky’s bud. As the girl’s eyes got wide and the first moan slipped from her agape mouth, Kelly laughed.

“I think I get it now,” Vicky said around a moan, her body pushing against the vibrator eagerly, “God, I can feel it in my rib cage!”

Without removing the vibrator, Kelly moved between the girl’s legs. Wetting a finger with saliva, she gently massaged the opening of the Vicky’s vagina. She watched the girl’s face for any sign of discomfort, but only saw pleasure. When the girl met her eyes, Kelly raised her eyebrows questioningly. Seeming to understand, Vicky bit her lip and nodded. A little pressure and Kelly’s finger slipped easily inside Vicky’s hot, slick core. Again, there was no pain on the girl’s face, only enjoyment.
Satisfied, Kelly slowly moved her finger in and out, making the girl moan every time she pushed it deep.

Vicky and Alexis definitely made it further than me and her mother did, Kelly thought, looking at her finger where it disappeared inside the girl, Becky and I hadn’t made it this far before she moved away.

Easing her finger out of Vicky, she rubbed two fingers against her vagina. Again she met the girl’s eyes, and she nodded. Palm facing up, Kelly eased those fingers into Vicky. Her back arched off the bed as Kelly’s fingertips found her g-spot, teased it with little come-hither motions.

Her eyes wide, Vicky laughed, “Okay, that’s- Oh God!”

“Not bad, huh?” Kelly said, smiling at her. The look on the girl’s face said it was more than just ‘not bad’.

“Yeah, ‘not bad’,” Vicky said in a laugh that was half a moan, confirming what Kelly had already known.

Kelly pressed the tip of the vibrator against her fingers and the shaft against Vicky’s bud. The girl gasped as the vibrations were passed along Kelly’s fingers and found her g-spot. Propped up on her elbows, Vicky looked wide-eyed at what Kelly was doing to her. When she realized it wasn’t some lesbian hoodoo that had turned Kelly’s fingers into vibrators, she gave Kelly an appreciative nod to acknowledge the tactic.

Smiling at her, Kelly said, “I’ve learned a trick or two.”

“Talk about… talk about two birds with one stone,” Vicky said, her voice thick with excitement. Her back arched, and her fingers dug into the covers as her hips continued to push against the vibrator and Kelly’s hand.

I think she likes it, Kelly thought, watching the girl lose herself in the sensation, wonder if she’s got that old Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch song in her head, Good Vibrations. It’s such a good vibration! It’s such a sweet sensation! Great, now it’s in my head. Besides, that song came out a decade or more before she was born. God, I’m getting old.

Still watching Vicky’s reaction, Kelly saw the vibrator and her fingers were too much for the girl. She might have even know Vicky was coming even before the girl did. Kelly smiled as Vicky’s brain caught up with her body, and the girl’s eyes snapped open just before the orgasm took her breath away. She could feel the flutter of Vicky’s vaginal muscles around her fingers, the girl’s juices running down her fingers into her upturned palm.

Like a feather stirred to flight on a summer breeze, Kelly didn’t let the girl come down too quickly from the heights of pleasure the orgasm had taken her to. Kelly pulled the vibrator away, but used her fingers to keep those lovely sensations rolling through the young girl’s body, let her drift slowly back to her senses. She finally eased her fingers out of Vicky, leaned forward to give her a tender kiss.

Smiling, she asked, “What do you think?”

“I think I need a ‘best friend’ like yours,” Vicky said, laughing.

“Told you,” Kelly said, kissing her, again. She twisted the knob, turning off the toy. Looking at it, she got an idea, asked, “Do you have somewhere to hide it?”

“What? The vibrator?” Vicky asked, her eyes widening, “you mean…”

“Is there somewhere you can hide it your mom won’t find it?”

“Um… Maybe,” Vicky said, her eyes going to the sex toy, “let me look when I get home.”

“Okay,” Kelly said.

“You’d really give it to me?” Vicky asked.

Laughing, Kelly said, “It’s not like you can ask for one for Christmas.”

“I’m pretty sure that would land me on the ‘naughty’ list, anyway,” Vicky said, grinning.

“Speaking of which,” Kelly said, meeting her eyes, “you better have a good hiding spot if you decide to take it.”

“I will,” Vicky said, then frowned, “what about you? You’d be giving your best friend away.”

“That’s the benefit of being an adult,” Kelly said, kissing her deeply, “I can buy more.”

———————————————–

“They finally let us out.”

Laughing, Kelly asked, “That bad?”

“There is this new merger going through and…” Becky said, snorting, “you don’t want to hear about it. How’s Vicks?”

Glancing at the naked girl on the bed next to her, Kelly said, “She’s good.”

“Have you eaten?”

“I was about to make something,” Kelly said.

“Don’t bother. I’ll bring take out.”

“Perfect,” Kelly said, happy not to have to cook.

“Be there in a minute,” Becky said, hanging up.

Kelly set her phone aside, gave Vicky a quick kiss, then said, “We better get dressed. Your mom is bringing dinner.”

With one more lingering kiss, Vicky got off the bed and went to Kelly’s closet. Over her shoulder, the girl asked, “Do you have something I can wear?”

Laughing, Kelly said, “Probably… You’re mom might start wondering why you always end up wearing my clothes when you come here.”

“If it keeps happening, I’ll start packing a change of clothes,” Vicky said, smiling at Kelly over her shoulder.

“Your mom always have late meetings like this?” Kelly asked, watching the girl riffle through the closet.

“Ever since she got her promotion, yeah,” Vicky said, pulling a dress out of the closet to look at it, “can I borrow this?”

“Yeah,” Kelly said.

“I’ll bring it back next Thursday,” Vicky said, pulling it over her head. It was a little big for her, but not comically so. It was good enough for dinner and the ride home.

“Okay,” Kelly said.

Looking at Kelly still lying naked on the bed, Vicky smiled at her and said, “You should probably get dressed, too.”

Kelly laughed, “Um, right.”

Pulling another dress from the closet, Vicky held it up and said, “You should wear this.”

“Kind of… much for a casual dinner with a friend, isn’t it?” Kelly said, looking at the slinky black dress.

“Probably,” Vicky said, grinning at her, “you’d be hot in it, though.”

“Maybe I’ll wear it for you Thursday,” Kelly said, getting off the bed.

“You should wear it on your date with Mom,” Vicky said, as Kelly walked over to her.

“It’s not a date,” Kelly said, taking the dress from her and hanging it up.

“You should wear it anyway,” Vicky said, shrugging.

“Back to this, are we?” Kelly asked, grabbing an old AC/DC t-shirt off the rack. Slipping into the shirt, she gave the girl a look.

Holding up her hands, Vicky said, “Okay, okay.”

Kelly went to her dresser, found some jeans, and wriggled into them. As she buttoned them, she wondered if the girl was right about her mother wanting to sleep with her. There had been a moment on the driveway when Becky had smiled at her the way she used to.

That smiled used to get Kelly every time. Seeing it again after all these years stirred up some feelings that Kelly hasn’t completely let go. If Becky really was interested in reigniting their old relationship, she wasn’t sure she would say no.

This wouldn’t be so complicated if not for this thing with Vicky, Kelly thought, with an inward shake of her head.

She had to admit it was indeed a ‘thing’. Vicky stirred up the same desire Kelly had felt for her mother, messed with her emotions, and had her thoughts a tangled mess. Simple lust- if there could be such a thing between a woman and a young girl- was one thing, but Kelly thought it could be more than that. She already felt affection for the girl that went beyond that of a teacher or even a friend of the family. Left unchecked, those feelings would only deepen, she thought.

“You okay?” Vicky asked, bringing Kelly back.

Blinking, Kelly realized she had been standing in front of her dresser, lost in her thoughts. She gave the girl an embarrassed smile, said, “Just thinking.”

Vicky smiled at her, and Kelly couldn’t help but think, God, she smiles at me just like her mother used to.

——————————————————–

“Thanks for watching Vicks on short notice… again. I really don’t mean to make a habit of this, but this new position…”

Smiling at Becky, Kelly said, “It’s okay. You saved me from cooking, so we are even.”

“I’m still going to pay you,” Becky said, setting the redolent bags of food on the counter.

“If you insist,” Kelly said, making her friend laugh, “not necessary, though.”

Glancing at her daughter, Becky snorted and shook her head, said, “I guess you should start taking a change of clothes to practice.”

Vicky grinned, said, “I said the same thing.”

“We’ll make sure we get the dress back to you,” Becky said to Kelly, shaking her head, again.

“Okay,” Kelly said, laughing.

As dinner was doled out, they made small talk about their day. Eating with Becky and Vicky was a new experience yet felt familiar and comfortable. It was like they had been doing it for years. Smiling at her oldest friend and the most recent one, Kelly thought they should make a habit of this. When she expressed that sentiment halfway through the meal, it was met with complete agreement Winters ladies.

The conversation turned to the upcoming recital, and Vicky said, “Kelly asked me to fill in for Laura in her duet.”

“Really?” Becky asked, glancing at Kelly, “Isn’t Laura a few years ahead of Vicky?”

Smiling, Kelly said, “If I didn’t think she could do it, I wouldn’t have asked.”

“I have to learn the new dance AND my solo piece in just a couple of weeks,” Vicky said.

“We can work on it Thursday,” Kelly said.

Smiling, Vicky said, “Some one-on-one time with the teacher, huh?”

There was a playful uptick to the smile, and Kelly had to clear her throat at the hinted at double mean before saying, “A benefit of having your dance coach as your babysitter, I guess.”

“Two dances in one recital?” Becky said, smiling at her daughter, “that’s a big deal, huh?”

Vicky said, shrugging, “I guess.”

“It is,” Kelly confirmed.

There was a hierarchy amongst the dancers, with the more experienced and talented students getting the harder routines. If Vicky danced well at the competition- and Kelly thought she would- the girl would be moving up in the ranks.

Vicky knew it, too, but she was trying to play it cool. Kelly had to smile because the girl wasn’t completely succeeding. She wasn’t being as nonchalant as she was trying to be, some of her excitement showing through. Vicky recognized the opportunity that had been presented to her and had every reason to be excited. Kelly thought the girl would do her happy dance in her room tonight, when no one could see her.

It’s not easy to be a teenager, Kelly thought, amused.

Letting the girl off the hook, Kelly changed the subject, asked Becky, “So… These trips out of town on Thursdays are going to be a thing for a while?”

“Looks like it,” Becky said, sighing, “at least until this merger is finalized and everything is up and running.”

“How long do you think that’ll take?” Kelly asked, taking a sip of her wine.

“Six months… Maybe longer,” Becky said.

Out of the corner of her eye, Kelly saw Vicky perk up at the mention of six months, and she had to hold in a smile. She didn’t risk a glance at the girl, not trusting herself not to let her own excitement show through if she met Vicky’s eyes. Six months of worth of Thursdays was a lot of time for them to spend together.

A little hesitantly, Becky asked, “Do you think… do you think Vicky could stay with you while I’m out of town? I really don’t know anyone else to ask.”

“I told you it would be okay,” Kelly said, smiling at her friend.

“Really?” Becky said, clearly relieved. When Kelly nodded, she straightened up and said, “How does a hundred dollars a night sound?”

“Like too much,” Kelly said, laughing, “you don’t have to give me anything.”

“I can’t impose on you without some sort of… compensation,” Becky said.

Laughing, Vicky said, “It goes against her sales woman’s code.”

“Smartass,” Becky said, then had to laugh, “she’s not wrong, though.”

“You really don’t have to give me anything,” Kelly said, smiling at her, “I mean, what are friends for, right?”

Becky looked at her a long moment, then had to shrug and say, “I won’t lie- you’d have had to pay me to babysit a teenager for you. You are either a saint or just don’t know what you are getting yourself into.”

“Hey,” Vicky said, indignantly. She rolled her eyes when Kelly and her mother laughed.

“I’m sure we’ll be okay,” Kelly said, smiling at Vicky. She had to think, more than okay.

Glancing at the clock on the microwave, Becky said, “It’s already that late?”

Kelly looked herself and was a little surprised to see it was after eleven. She was pretty sure it had been before eight when Becky had shone up with dinner. They had been sitting at the table, eating and talking for more than three hours. Smiling, she said, “Time flies when you are having fun.”

“I guess it does,” Becky said, then sighed, “better get your stuff, Kiddo. We need to get home.”

“Okay,” Vicky said, heading to the bathroom to gather up her dance clothes.

Kelly got up and poured herself another couple of inches of wine. She was in for the night, so a second glass was in order. Feeling eyes on her, she thought Vicky was back with her stuff, but she wasn’t. When her eyes found Becky’s, the woman quickly looked away, and Kelly realized it had been her.

Realizing she had been caught, Becky gave her a shrug and an embarrassed smile, said, “You always looked good in jeans.”

“I… Well-” Kelly said, running out of words. She hadn’t been ready for Becky to say that, even considering their history together. She was still trying to find something to say when Vicky came back into the kitchen, and the moment passed.

“Ready?” Becky said, standing up.

“Yeah,” Vicky said.

Clearing her throat, Kelly said, “Um, let me walk you out.”

“Okay,” Becky said.

On the porch, Vicky surprised Kelly with a hug, said, “Thanks for letting me stay here.”

“You are welcome,” Kelly said, then watched as the girl headed to the car.

Becky didn’t immediately follow her daughter, turned to Kelly, and said, “I really do appreciate you doing this.”

“It’s okay,” Kelly said.

“So… about Saturday-” Becky said.

Laughing, Kelly said, “We kind of already went over me babysitting Vicky tonight.”

“I know,” Becky said, smiling at her, “I don’t get out much anymore- at all, really- and… Can I still buy you dinner?”

Something in Becky’s tone made it sound less like an invitation to a casual dinner between friends and more like she was being asked on a date. Her mind flashed back to what Vicky had said in her office earlier, and Kelly thought there might be some credence to it. Maybe whatever was in the Victoria’s Secret bag really was for her, after all.

She didn’t have a good reason to tell Becky no, beyond the moral dilemma of already sleeping with her daughter. Since she couldn’t bring that up, she found herself saying, “Um, yeah.”

“Great… Saturday at seven?” Becky asked.

“Saturday at seven,” Kelly confirmed.

That would give her a couple of days to figure out what to do about this potential love triangle she had found herself in. She’d probably need every minute of it, probably more.

“See you then,” Becky said, smiling at her. It wasn’t just a smile but The Smile.

Oh God, Kelly thought, her heart racing, now she’s smiling at me like that, too. Like mother, like daughter.

Becky turned to walk away, only to pause on the steps. She turned back to say, “Wear something nice.”

Continue to Part Three

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