Black Lingerie Chronicles, Part Twenty

“What are you looking at?”

Sarah looked away in a hurry, but it was too late. Mindy had caught her looking over her shoulder at Natty’s house. They had just left the party, and Erin’s words were still rolling around like a loose marble in her brain. Caught off guard by the invitation, Sarah was a little surprised by some of the thoughts it inspired.

Her cheeks hot, Sarah gave Mindy a sheepish smile, “Um, nothing.”

Laughing, Mindy said, “We could still go back.”

“What? No!” Sarah said, a little too quickly.

“Are you sure?” Mindy teased.

“She was kidding, right?” Sarah asked, glancing over her shoulder, again.

“Erin was teasing you, yeah,” Mindy said, putting her arm around Sarah’s waist, “which isn’t to say she would have been upset if you said yes.”

“Really?” Sarah asked. She didn’t think Mindy was wrong, though. There had been something in Erin’s eyes, her smile.

If Erin had really been asking, she didn’t know what her answer would have been. Part of the reason she stopped hanging out with Erin and Ashley was she was sort of attracted to them. Actually, there was no sort of about it. She hadn’t been ready to let her secret out of the bag, and she didn’t trust her eyes not to give her away, so she had distanced herself from them. She had missed them dreadfully, but her confused feelings had kept her from picking up the phone.

I wonder what would have happened if I had told them I was a lesbian, Sarah thought, remembering what Erin had said, that she would have been right in this craziness from the beginning. Would she have ended up sleeping with either Erin or Ashley? Natty? All of the above?

The thought of the trio of lovely ladies brought on a flush of heat that pushed back the chill of the night. Guiltily, she pushed the image out of her head. Things had played out how they should have, and she had a beautiful girlfriend. As beautiful as the others were, there was something about Mindy that made her a little weak in the knees. It was the difference between lust and love. Not that she didn’t lust after Mindy, too.

Pausing on the steps under the porch light, Mindy turned to her and searched her eyes. Sarah’s face was hot as she wondered how much of her thoughts Mindy was reading in them. Must have been enough, because the girl smiled and said, “Huh.”

“What?” Sarah said, her face even hotter. She hated how guilty she sounded.

“Your kinky streak is peeking through again,” Mindy said, her smile turning up even more.

“Can we go inside?” Sarah asked, hoping to change the subject. She didn’t think she was ready to have this conversation with Mindy, yet. The party had left her with a lot to think about.

Mindy laughed and kissed her, said, “Okay.”

As they went inside, Sarah snorted as she recognized the layout of the kitchen. Mindy looked at her, and she grinned at her girlfriend, asked, “You know whose house this is?”

“Whose house?” Mindy parroted, then she laughed, “You know, I never thought about that.”

“This is Ashley’s house,” Sarah said, looking around. The general layout of the house was the same, but it was light years away from the furniture and appliances the Conners decorated it with. It was like Natty’s/Erin’s house all over, again.

“Or whoever used to live here,” Mindy said.

“This is kind of trippy,” Sarah said, still looking around. It was like she had gone back in time, everything in the kitchen antiques now. What really messed with her head was that those ‘antiques’ looked brand new, still had that showroom sparkle.

Her grandmother had furniture like this, but it was beaten up and scarred from having three kids and seven grandkids. Every discolored spot, cut gouged into the wood, and chipped corner told a story of Christmases, Thanksgivings, and lazy summers past. Looking at the kitchen table in this version of Ashley’s house, Sarah wondered if it was in someone else’s house, now, and if the marks of a life lived were permanently etched into the wood.

“A little,” Mindy agreed, then with a self-conscious laugh, “you’d think I’d have gotten used to it, all the times I’ve visited Natty.”

“I don’t think you are supposed to get used to it,” Sarah said.

“Come on,” Mindy said, smiling as she took her hand, “let’s see if this place has a shower.”

Laughing, Sarah said, “You have a fixation on showers.”

Mindy paused to kiss her, said, “You’ll see why in a minute- if this place has one.”

“Okay,” Sarah said, thinking about Mindy all wet and slippery. A pleasant flush of heat spreading across her body, she smiled and thought, I guess I can see the appeal.

They headed upstairs, where the main bathroom was in Ashley’s house. Sarah realized how drunk she was when she needed the railing to steady herself on the stairs. She must have had more wine than she had realized. Still, she managed not to take a tumble down the stairs.

Sarah frowned when Mindy walked right past the door to the bathroom. She started to ask where Mindy was going but stopped when she saw the door to the master bedroom. Sarah was pretty sure Ashley’s parents had their own bathroom, and she thought that was where Mindy was headed. She was right.

Stepping into the master suite, Sarah got a little thrill about being in here. Ashley- and, by extension, her friends- wasn’t allowed in her parents’ bedroom, which made this feel kind of like they were breaking the rules.

Instead of going into the attached bathroom, Mindy went to the bed and pushed down on the mattress a couple of times. Laughing, Sarah said, “I thought you were gung-ho about taking a shower.”

“If we are staying a couple of days,” Mindy said, moving into Sarah’s arms, “we’ll end up on this eventually.”

“We are staying a couple of days?” Sarah asked, smiling at her.

“At least,” Mindy said, kissing her.

“I didn’t even pack my toothbrush,” Sarah teased.

“You can think it here later,” Mindy said, kissing her, again, “hopefully, you’ll need your body wash and shampoo first, though.”

“You and your shower,” Sarah said, smiling at her.

“You’ll see,” Mindy said, stealing one more kiss before slipping out of Sarah’s arms. She went to the bathroom door and pushed it open.

Through the opening, Sarah saw a shower curtain drawn around a tub and her heart started beating faster. Mindy’s excitement was infectious, had rubbed off on her. For all of her teasing, she was happy to see the shower, too.

Turning to grin at Sarah, Mindy said, “Bingo.”

“Let’s find some towels,” Sarah said.

She stepped by Mindy, spotted a stack of towels on a shelf above the toilet. Grabbing two, she turned to see Mindy pulling the shower curtain back. Setting the towels on the closed lid of the toilet, she pressed her body against Mindy as the girl fiddled with the taps. When Mindy had the water at the temperature she wanted it at, she straightened up and moved into Sarah’s arms. Sarah’s knees got a little weak as Mindy kissed her deeply. The kiss made her forget all about the shower for a moment.

Pulling back, Mindy smiled at her, said, “Shower.”

“Right,” Sarah said, a little sheepishly.

“Don’t worry,” Mindy said, kissing her tenderly, “we can continue this in the shower.”

“Promise?” Sarah asked, playfully.

“Definitely,” Mindy said, inclining her head toward the shower, “come on.”

Sarah stepped under the steamy spray, sighing as the hot water found her naked body. She smiled as Mindy pulled the curtain and moved against her, pressing her belly to Sarah’s back. Mindy’s arms circled around her and Sarah melted back into her. She sighed as Mindy’s hands slipped up her stomach to cup her breasts.

“Think your body wash here,” Mindy whispered in her ear, kissing her shoulder.

Her heart started beating faster for an entirely different reason. Thinking her research for fixing the plumbing in the cabin into existence had been the craziest thing she had ever seen or done. Mindy said to think her body wash here, now, like it wasn’t a big deal, but Sarah was still reeling from the last time.

Still, she closed her eyes and tried to focus on an image of her body wash. Mindy’s hands as they roamed over her body were too much of a distraction, and she finally had to open her eyes and laugh, “I can’t do it if you are going to do that.”

“Am I distracting you?” Mindy teased.

Turning in the girl’s arms, Sarah put her arms around Mindy’s neck and kissed her, said, “Yes.”

“Sorry,” Mindy said, smiling playfully.

“No, you’re not,” Sarah said, kissing her one more time. She closed her eyes and pictured her bottle of body wash. This time she heard the sound of air rushing to fill a vacuum and then the thump of the plastic container falling to the porcelain tub. Opening her eyes, Sarah saw the body wash at their feet. Shaking her head, she met Mindy’s eyes, said, “That is so weird.”

Laughing, Mindy kissed her. Sarah kissed her back, responding to the heat behind it. Her eyes closed as she got into it and she gasped as she heard a thump. Her eyes sprang open, and she looked down at the second bottle of body wash on the tub’s bottom. She met Mindy’s eyes, saw the girl grinning.

“Now you are just showing off,” Sarah said. Still, she was impressed. She doubted she could have focused through a kiss like that.

Mindy laughed and bent over to pick up one of the bottles at their feet. Sarah’s heart started racing when she saw it wasn’t the girl’s own. As Mindy poured a puddle of fragrant liquid into one palm and capped the bottle to set it aside, Sarah thought she knew what the girl had in mind. She shivered as Mindy worked the soap into a lather between her hands, her imagination running wild as she thought about those slippery hands on her naked body. Getting clean had never seemed so dirty before.

As vivid as her imagination was, she still wasn’t ready for the slow, sensual way Mindy ran her soapy hands over her body. The girl took her time, left no inch of Sarah untouched. Sarah was a horny mess long before Mindy was done.

When Mindy’s slippery fingers found her bud, Sarah moaned thickly. The lovely pressure of Mindy’s caress had Sarah swaying a little unsteadily on suddenly weak legs. She put her arms around Mindy’s neck to steady herself as pleasure washed through her. As her little cries of enjoyment grew louder, her fingers dug into Mindy’s shoulders.

The hot water cascading down her back and Mindy’s dizzying touch, the scent of her body wash heavy in the steamy air inside the shower, the hiss of the water that couldn’t drown out the little excited sounds she was making… Sarah thought she knew why Mindy loved the shower so much.

Mindy’s fingers on her bud were insistent, and Sarah didn’t think she could withstand the flood of pleasure they unleashed inside of her. Like a dam close to breaking, it continued to swell inside of her. Even with Mindy to hold onto, she thought it was going to wash her away. Then her orgasm was on her, hit her hard enough to almost take her legs out from underneath her. She clung to Mindy as it shook her, her fingers leaving scratches on Mindy’s shoulders.

Mindy held her a for a moment, then turned her into the spray to rinse the soap from her body. Sarah moaned as Mindy’s hand slipped down her stomach and between her thighs, again. The swirl of her fingers started slow, let her recover some but not all the way. The delicious tease forced a moan from Sarah’s slack mouth.

The hot water on her breasts made her nipples stiffen, and she groaned as Mindy’s free hand came up to cup her breast. As her nipple drug across Mindy’s palm, it sent a shiver of pleasure through her. Mindy’s hand moved to Sarah’s other breast, teased the nipple until it ached sweetly. When Mindy’s hand moved away from her breasts and on to explore the rest of her body, the spray of the shower still there. It was like a third hand on her body, its caress only adding to the pleasure she was receiving.

Sarah melted back into Mindy, loving how the girl felt molded against her back. She loved being in Mindy’s arms, especially when she was doing things like this to her. The intimacy of their bodies, the closeness, made the girl’s touch all that much more exciting. It was erotic, but also tender, as much about love as pleasure.

Well, maybe a touch more erotic, Sarah thought, tension beginning to enter her body. Without time to recover from her first orgasm, her body was already starting to succumb to the pressure of Mindy’s fingers. Her cries drowned out the rush of the shower as she climaxed hard, her whole body shaking with it. Mindy held her, again, as she lost herself in the lovely sensation, slowly moving her fingers to keep the feeling going.

On wobbly legs, Sarah turned into Mindy’s arms and kissed her deeply. Pulling back, she said, “I think I’m beginning to see why you like the shower so much.”

Laughing, Mindy said, “Told you.”

Sarah moved, so Mindy was under the spray. While the girl got wet, Sarah picked Mindy’s body wash off the bottom of the tub and poured some soap into her palm. She was working it into a lather when Mindy turned back around. The brunette’s eyes went to her soapy hands, and an excited little smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.

Stepping closer, Sarah put her hands on Mindy’s shoulders, then down her arms. The soap made everything slippery, and her hands glided easily over Mindy’s lovely body as she continued to wash her girlfriend. As exciting as Mindy’s touch had been, this was thrilling in its own way. She thought she knew why Mindy had taken so long to do this to her. She couldn’t stop running her hands over Mindy even when she had her all soapy.

Finally, she made herself pull the removable shower head off its hook and ran it over Mindy’s body. As the water sluiced the soap away, Sarah noticed Mindy looked a little disappointed. Smiling, she gave the girl a kiss, then pressed the shower head between her thighs. A surprised gasp escaped Mindy. Her eyes widened as the gasp was followed by a moan.

“Ah,” Sarah said, her smile widening, “I take it you’ve never done this before?”

“We don’t have one of these,” Mindy said, her hips pushing against the spray of water.

“So I finally get to show you something, then,” Sarah said, kissing her.

“God, this feels good,” Mindy said, her voice thick with excitement.

Sarah let her hand slide down Mindy’s stomach, feeling her muscles tighten because of the shower head. She knew the water pressure was like a thousand little fingers, knew that the spray of water was like a warm massage.

She had discovered the trick with the shower head when she was ten. She had been rinsing the soap off of her young body when she noticed the spray of water felt kind of nice in certain places. This led to further discoveries, such the longer she held it there, the better it made her feel. It was a couple of showers later that she had her first orgasm, nearly dropping the shower head as her body exploded with pleasure. After that, the family water bill probably doubled, and her parents had no trouble getting her to take a shower.

Sarah smiled now, happy to share the experience with Mindy. The girl had shown her so much since that first time at the cabin, Mindy always the teacher and her the pupil. It was a nice change of pace to be the one showing Mindy something new.

“God, I’m going to come,” Mindy said, with breathless urgency. Her eyes swam into focus and met Sarah’s. She didn’t look away as she came undone.

Sarah saw the very second the pleasure took the girl, saw her pupils dilate in response to the release of endorphins. Lost in her beautiful blue eyes, Sarah shared in the girl’s climax. It was very erotic, watching her girlfriend give into the sensations that robbed her of control of her body and voice.

“Mm…” Mindy said, giving Sarah a dazed little smile, “I need one of these for my house.”

“Does the cabin have one?” Sarah asked, playfully.

“I’m not sure,” Mindy said.

“I’ll install one if it doesn’t,” Sarah said, kissing her, “I’ll add it to the list of projects.”

“Yeah?” Mindy asked, her eyes flashing.

“I was thinking,” Sarah said, putting her arms around Mindy’s neck, “the cabin… it could be our spot.”

“Our spot?” Mindy parroted.

“I mean, this place is okay,” Sarah said, smiling at her, “but I think I prefer the real world.”

“Ah,” Mindy said, laughing.

“When I’m done being grounded, I’ll start fixing it up,” Sarah said.

Mindy gave her a sexy smile, said, “It’s kind of hot, having a girlfriend who’s good with her hands… In more ways than one.”

That smile got Sarah’s heart racing, again, and she thought, I need to hurry up and get the cabin ready.

——————————–

“What are you thinking about?”

They were stretched out on the bed, still sweaty and breathing heavy from their latest bout of lovemaking. After the shower, they had ended up here in a tangle. Finally sated, they had fallen out next to each other to recover. In the haze of endorphins, Sarah had found herself wondering if the girls were having as much fun next door. That thought snowballed into others, and Mindy must have noticed the flush on her cheeks.

With a nervous laugh, Sarah said, “Ashley’s birthday party.”

“Ah,” Mindy said, smiling at her, “I take it you aren’t thinking about what gift to give her.”

“I do need to figure that out, too,” Sarah said, shaking her head, “but no, that’s not what I was thinking about.”

Mindy met her eyes, held them for a moment, then said, “Erin wants me to talk you into it.”

“She does?” Sarah asked, not really that surprised. She had caught Erin giving her some long looks at the party and then there was the smile as they were ready to head over here… No, she wasn’t that surprised.

“I told her it would have to be your idea,” Mindy said.

“My idea?” Sarah parroted.

“There is absolutely no pressure to do it,” Mindy said, taking her hand and squeezing it.

“No pressure,” Sarah said, nodding. A little shyly, she met Mindy’s eyes, asked, “But do you want to?”

“Well… This party made me realize I miss…” Mindy said, then had to search for the right word, “the craziness, I guess… And, I miss the girls, too. Since everyone has paired off and started dating, it feels like we aren’t as close anymore.”

“So you do want to?” Sarah asked, smiling at her.

“I guess I’m kind of hoping you do,” Mindy said.

“It has to be my idea, huh?” Sarah said, giving her an amused look.

“Yeah,” Mindy said, sheepishly.

Sarah nodded, took a deep breath that she let out as a nervous laugh, and said, “It’s kind of a jump from sleeping with you to sleeping with three girls- four if Natty is involved.”

“It is,” Mindy agreed.

“Seems like I’d be missing a couple of steps,” Sarah said, laughing.

“That’s why I called it the Craziness,” Mindy said, grinning at her.

“I’m not sure I’m ready to just jump right into the craziness,” Sarah said, even though her thoughts were saying otherwise. The fact that they were even having this conversation was proof of that.

“It is a bit of a leap,” Mindy said, then snorted and laughed, “you need to get your feet wet with just one of the girls, first.”

Caught by surprise, Sarah gasped, “What?”

Seeing her reaction, Mindy said, “I’m kidding, Babe. I didn’t mean it.”

One of the girls, Sarah thought, the idea rolling around in her brain like a loose ball bearing. Around and around it went until it suddenly found a home. Sleeping with Mindy and just one of the other girls didn’t seem like as much of a leap. It felt like a chance to wade in and test the waters before taking the plunge.

Her heart racing, she thought, am I really considering this?

Curiously enough, she thought she was. Maybe it was the wine or the party, but the thought of trying something like a threesome didn’t seem as crazy as it should. Then she thought about the trio of lovely ladies next door, about anyone of them joining her and Mindy in bed, and her imagination was off to the races.

“Babe?” Mindy asked, still looking at her funny.

“Um,” Sarah said, her voice a little shaky, “let’s say I wanted to… um, get my feet wet… How do… How would we… I mean, I’m not saying I want to… I just…”

“Ah,” Mindy said, breaking out in a grin, “well, if you do want to get your feet wet, there’s a game Natty likes to play.”

Swallowing hard at the mental image of a very naked and very sexy Natty that popped into her head, Sarah said, “Monkey in the Middle?”

“Monkey in the Middle,” Mindy agreed, her smile widening.

Thinking about the permutations and configurations of Natty’s naughty little game, Sarah felt a flush of heat spread across her body. The desire she thought snuffed by the vigorous lovemaking she and Mindy had just finished came roaring back to life.

She realized Mindy was looking at her, still, and must have seen the passion return to her eyes. Nodding, Mindy slipped off the bed and held out her hand. Looking at the hand, Sarah knew what it meant, and her heart started racing as she found herself taking it. Her legs were a little shaky with adrenaline as she let Mindy lead her out of the room and down the stairs. She barely noticed the cold as they headed next door, even though she was very much naked.

Stepping through the blanket over the front door, Mindy called, “Natty?”

“In the kitchen,” the girl called.

When they entered the kitchen, Sarah saw Natty at the sink completely naked, doing the dishes. Her heart stuttered at the sight of her bare backside and long legs, her graceful back.

Turning to smile over her shoulder, Natty said, “I wasn’t expecting to see you two anytime soon.”

“We missed you,” Mindy said, looking around, “Erin and Ashley gone?”

“You just missed them,” Natty said, rinsing a wine glass, “they went next door about ten minutes ago.”

“Just ten?” Mindy asked, playfully.

Laughing, Natty winked at her.

Sarah saw the wink, and it sent a shiver of excitement through her. She knew what that wink meant, and again her imagination decided to torture her with mental images. It got a lot warmer in the kitchen all at once.

“Who was the monkey?” Mindy asked.

“Me,” Natty said, a hint of a naughty lilt in her voice.

“Did Erin tease Ashley like I told her to?” Mindy asked.

“A little,” Natty laughed.

“Good for her,” Mindy said, putting her arm around Sarah’s waist.

Seeing it, Natty smiled and said, “Not that I’m unhappy to see you, but what are two doing over here? I figured you would have… better things to do with your time.”

“We did a little of that,” Mindy said, smiling at Sarah, “but we wanted to ask you something?”

“What’s that?” Natty asked.

“Sarah and I were wondering if you were up for another round of Monkey in the Middle?” Mindy asked.

Her heart racing, Sarah saw Natty’s eyes widened, then turn on her. Her cheeks were hot as the girl gave her a weighing look. When Natty’s lips turned up in a playful smile, Sarah’s heart skipped a beat. She couldn’t breathe with the girl smiling at her like that.

“Do you now?” Natty asked, still holding Sarah’s eyes.

Not trusting herself to speak, Sarah nodded. More than ever, she did.

“Was this your idea?” Natty asked Mindy.

“I may have suggested it as a joke, but it was Sarah who wanted to come,” Mindy said.

“Are you two sure about this?” Natty asked, looking back at Sarah.

Swallowing hard, Sarah nodded, managed to say, “Yeah.”

“Huh,” Natty said, smiling at them, “that was faster than I expected.”

“Faster than you expected?” Sarah parroted, giving Natty a look, “you were expecting us?”

“Eventually,” Natty said, pushing away from the sink and crossing the floor to where Sarah stood. She paused only inches away, turned to Mindy. When the girl smiled and nodded, Natty turned back to Sarah. She leaned in and gave Sarah a toe-curling kiss, then said, “Mindy said you might be… how did you say about Erin and Ashley, Mindy? Open-minded?”

A little dizzy, Sarah husked, “I-I guess I am.”

“Good,” Natty said, with a playful smile, “we can have a lot of fun if you are.”

“Fun?” Sarah repeated.

Natty’s smile turned up even more, and she leaned in and kissed Sarah, again. It deepened in a hurry, and Sarah found herself pressed against the girl like she were iron and Natty a magnet. She wasn’t sure how long they stood like that, but it was Natty who finally pulled back. Sarah blinked in surprise, the spell broken.

God, she is a good kisser, Sarah thought, her lips tingling.

Natty moved in front of Mindy, stepping very close. She turned her beautiful blue eyes on Sarah with a question in them. Understanding what she was asking, Sarah nodded and held her breath. As she watched Natty kissed Mindy, Sarah wondered how she would respond. Sarah knew she had a bit of a jealous bone but seeing Mindy kiss Natty didn’t aggravate it. She realized she was okay with it.

Natty pulled back from the kiss, glanced at Sarah. She must have seen that realization in Sarah’s eyes, because she smiled and inclined her head toward the stairs, said, “Let’s go upstairs.”

Nodding, Sarah said, “Yeah.”

Natty led the way, with Sarah and Mindy following her. Mindy slipped her arm around Sarah’s waist and smiled at her. Sarah gave her a nervous smile of her own. Nervous but excited. Her legs were a little rubbery as she climbed the stairs and her heart was beating a mile a minute. She was still having trouble believing this was happening, even though she was the one who got the ball rolling. Not that she was having second thoughts. Watching the playful tick of Natty’s backside as they ascended the stairs, chickening out was the last thing on her mind. Mostly, she was surprised that she wanted to do this.

Mindy is definitely right about my kinky streak, Sarah thought, amused.

Leaning close, Mindy whispered, “We can stop anytime you want.”

“No pressure, huh?” Sarah said, favoring her with a warm smile.

“None,” Mindy said, kissing her.

Mindy and Natty had different styles of kissing. Both were talented, drew her deeper into the kiss effortlessly, but they were like apples and oranges. That being said, both were delicious and left her wanting more.

Stepping into the master bedroom, Sarah’s eyes went to the bed. As she watched, Natty stretched out on the bed and patted the mattress next to her. To Sarah, this felt like the point of no return. If she joined Natty on the bed, there would be no going back.

She found herself walking over to the bed, anyway. Crawling onto the bed, she leaned in and gave Natty a heated kiss. When she felt someone else’s body weight settle onto the mattress, she broke the kiss to look at Mindy. The girl pulled her up to her knees and gave her a deep, lingering kiss that stole her breath away.

Sarah shivered with excitement when she suddenly found herself pinned between Natty and Mindy. Natty was kissing her shoulder and neck even as she continued to kiss her girlfriend. Then there were two sets of hands on her body, and her nerve endings could barely keep up with who was touching her where. She thought it was Natty’s hands tracing circles on her shoulders and Mindy’s hands cupping her breasts, but she could be wrong. All she knew for sure was that her body was responding to all of the attention.

Her eyes sprang open as a hand slid down her stomach and between her thighs. Looking down, Sarah couldn’t bite back a nervous giggle when she saw it was Mindy’s hands on her breasts. The swirling of Natty’s fingers on her bud turned the giggle into a moan. The girl’s touch sent shivers of pleasure working through Sarah.

“Is this okay?” Natty whispered in her ear.

“Yeah,” Sarah said, around a moan. Her body was pushing against Natty’s hand eagerly, which would have been answer enough. She couldn’t have stopped doing it if she had to, the girl’s touch making her lose control of her body. With a mind of its own, it wanted more of what Natty was doing to her. Craved it.

Mindy looked down, saw what Natty was doing to her, and smiled. Leaning close, Mindy whispered in her ear, “Natty has amazing fingers.”

“Yeah,” Sarah agreed.

“What are whispering about?” Natty asked.

Leaning past Sarah, Mindy kissed the girl, said, “Your magic fingers.”

“Maybe you should go get your strap-on,” Natty said.

“Strap-on?” Sarah gasped, her eyes wide.

“Um, we haven’t got that far, yet,” Mindy said, meeting Sarah’s eyes.

“The vibrator, then?” Natty said.

“Vibrator?” Sarah said, laughing in disbelief, “Are you serious?”

“Um, long story,” Mindy said, sheepishly.

“So you really have one?” Sarah asked, shaking her head.

“Yeah,” Mindy said, laughing, “don’t judge us.”

“I think its downstairs,” Natty said.

Mindy gave Sarah a lingering kiss, then said, “I’ll be right back, Babe.”

Sarah watched the girl jump off the bed and run from the room, presumably to get the aforementioned vibrator. Shaking her head, again, she couldn’t believe they had sex toys like strap-ons and vibrators. Then again, she kind of could. Mindy had said things had gotten crazy before they started dating and now Sarah was getting a glimpse of just how crazy.

And she says I have a kinky streak, Sarah thought, smiling, talk about the pot calling the kettle black.

She was pulled away from her thoughts as Natty’s fingers teased her bud. The lovely pressure of Natty’s caress made it hard to think, to focus on anything but the pleasure Natty’s touch was awakening in her. Mindy hadn’t been kidding about Natty having magic fingers.

Mindy needs to hurry up, or we aren’t going to need the vibrator, Sarah thought, as Natty forced another moan from her.

Mindy came running back into the room, breathing like she had run all the way downstairs and back. Sarah laughed and asked, “What took so long?”

“It was downstairs, downstairs,” Mindy said.

“Ah. The fabled basement,” Sarah said, around a sigh.

“Yeah,” Mindy said, crawling back onto the bed. She gave Sarah a kiss, setting the vibrator aside.

Seeing her do it, Sarah asked, “We aren’t going to use that?”

“We will,” Mindy said, kissing her, again, “eventually.”

“I’m not… going to last… much longer,” Sarah said, her words punctuated by little wordless sounds of enjoyment.

Laughing, Mindy said, “I told you Natty had magic fingers.”

“She’s going to make me come,” Sarah said. Those words were like an invocation, calling forth the orgasm from within. Like a demon let loose from Hell, her climax raged through her, left her trembling in its wake.

“Jesus,” Sarah said, trying to catch her breath. She thought she had come so quickly not only because Natty was quite skilled with her fingers but also because of all the nervous energy coursing through her. She’d be lying if she said she wasn’t extremely turned on right now. Being in bed with Mindy and Natty was exciting and more than a little naughty and, while she was still a little surprised to find herself here, Sarah was glad she had decided to ‘get her feet wet’.

Natty’s hand was on her shoulder, gently urging her to turn around. Still on her knees, Sarah turned and gave the girl a heated kiss. Again, she found herself pinned between Mindy and Natty, but the configuration had been flipped. It was Mindy’s lovely body pressed against her back and Natty in front of her. As thrilling as it had been when Natty reached around and brought her to a mind-melting orgasm, Sarah didn’t want a repeat of the same thing. She hoped that wasn’t what Monkey in the Middle was like- pretty much the same thing over and over.

Stealing one more kiss, Natty slipped out of Sarah’s arms and stretched out on her back in front of her. The girl’s legs were spread, and Sarah’s eyes went to her girlhood, to the soft folds of her labia and the faint blond hairs coming in above her bud. It was so pretty and tempting, and Sarah found herself wanting to lean forward and taste it. She hesitated, not sure if she should. Mindy was okay with Natty touching her, but the other way around…

Mindy kissed her shoulder, whispered, “Anything goes.”

Twisting her body, Sarah smiled at her, asked, “Are you reading my mind, again?”

“Maybe,” Mindy said, kissing her, “I figured if you could resist Natty lying like that, you must have questions.”

“Anything goes, huh?” Sarah asked.

“Tonight, anyway,” Mindy said, kissing her tenderly, “we’ll figure out the rest tomorrow.”

Sarah turned back around, and her eyes found Natty’s lovely body, again. Mindy was right- resisting Natty’s magnetism when she was lying like that was nearly impossible. Giving in, Sarah leaned in and kissed the girl, her hand sliding up Natty’s flank to cup one of her breasts. When the girl moaned into the kiss, Sarah moved lower, trapping one of her straining nipples with her lips. She teased it until Natty’s back arched off the bed.

Moving lower, Sarah kissed her way down Natty’s taut stomach. When she made it to the slight swell of Natty’s girlhood, she breathed in the musky scent of her excitement. Running her tongue across Natty’s bud, she tasted the salt on her skin. The wriggle of her tongue forced a moan from the girl, and Sarah looked up. She smiled when she saw Natty’s face screw up in pleasure. With all of her senses engaged in what she was doing to Natty, Sarah lost herself in the craziness of the moment.

I can’t believe I’m really doing this, Sarah thought, a little jittery with excitement. She felt eyes on her, and she knew Mindy was watching what she was doing to Natty. It didn’t do anything for the nervous energy that was flowing through her. She got a naughty shiver up her spine just thinking about it.

Sarah heard the vibrator come buzzing to life and she paused to look back at Mindy. Her girlfriend moved behind her, the sex toy in her hand. She wanted to ask Mindy why Natty had a vibrator, but she figured now wasn’t the time. There were other pressing matters at hand- namely, Natty’s hand on the back of her head, trying to return her attention to what she was doing before the sex toy distracted her. She gave the girl a smile before lowering her mouth to her bud, again.

Mindy ran the toy up the inside of Sarah’s thigh, breaking the skin out in goosebumps and making her shiver. Then it was pressed against her bud, and Sarah gasped. She wasn’t ready for how intense the sensation was. She could feel the vibrations all through her body.

“Wow, that’s intense,” Sarah laughed, glancing back over her shoulder at Mindy.

Grinning, Mindy said, “It’s only on medium. There are a couple of more speeds.”

“This is enough for me,” Sarah said, moaning to prove her point. Her hips pushed against the sex toy, ground against it eagerly.

As she lowered her mouth to Natty’s bud once more, she found it hard to focus her attention on pleasuring the girl. The vibrator was making it difficult to concentrate on anything other than the waves of pleasure it was sending through her. Not wanting to be selfish, she fought her own body, tried as best as she could to make Natty feel as good as the sex toy had her feeling. She thought she was doing enough, Natty’s cries of enjoyment mingling with hers in the air above them.

Sarah saw the tightening of Natty’s abdomen, thought the girl was close to coming. Rolling her eyes up, she saw the pinched look of ecstasy on Natty’s face and knew she was right. Pushing her own pleasure aside, Sarah focused on finishing the girl off. The flick of her tongue had Natty’s back arching off the bed, tension building up in her body. Suddenly her hips jerked hard to one side, and she cried out as she came. The orgasm knocked her back to the bed and left her shaking.

Watching Natty succumb to her orgasm, Sarah focused on her own. Without pleasing Natty to distract her, the strong vibrations of the toy had her barreling toward her climax. Her fingers tightened on the sheets, her fingers nearly rending the cotton as she held on for dear life. The pleasure built up speed until she couldn’t take anymore. The toy finished what it started, sent her headlong into an orgasm that nearly destroyed her.

Mindy didn’t pull the vibrator away quick enough, and Sarah sprang off of it like it had bitten her. She ended up sprawled atop Natty, who laughed. Sarah gave her a sheepish grin, said, “Hi.”

The girl kissed her. Sarah took that to mean Natty either understood or didn’t mind having Sarah lying atop of her. Maybe both. Sarah gave her one more kiss before rolling off of her, sprawling out on her back next to her.

Mindy was smiling at her, waggled the vibrator and said, “I take it you like this thing.”

“Well, yeah,” Sarah said, laughing, “I just can’t believe you have one… Or Natty does?”

“It was technically Ashley’s, but I guess it’s Natty’s now,” Mindy said.

“Ashley?” Sarah asked, surprised, “why does Ashley have a vibrator?”

“Loren bought it for her,” Mindy said, then laughed when Sarah gave her a dubious look, “I’ll let Ashley tell you that story.”

“Did Ashley and her stepsister… you know?” Sarah asked, looking from Mindy to the sex toy.

“No,” Mindy said, amused, “Loren has a girlfriend.”

Sarah looked at her for a long moment, then shrugged. She made a mental note to ask Ashley why her stepsister was buying her sex toys if they weren’t sleeping together. It had to be a helluva story, judging by the way Mindy was grinning.

Remembering something Natty had asked, Sarah snorted, asked, “Is the strap-on Ashley’s, too?”

“Um, one of them is,” Mindy said, laughing when Sarah’s eyes got big, “one’s mine and one is Erin’s.”

“What the hell, Babe? Three?” Sarah laughed.

“That’s another funny story for Ashley to tell you,” Mindy said.

“Did Loren buy Ashley strap-ons, too?” Sarah asked, jokingly. When she saw Mindy nodding, she shook her head and asked, “Are you sure Loren and Ashley didn’t do it?”

“She never said anything about it,” Mindy said.

Sarah gave her a look, then asked, “Any other sex toys I should know about?”

“I have a glass dildo,” Natty said.

“Of course you do,” Sarah said, laughing, “Lingerie… Sex toys… Orgies… I know you called it the Craziness, but I had no idea.”

“Things did get a little out of hand,” Mindy said, sheepishly.

“A little,” Sarah agreed, smiling.

Mindy leaned in and kissed her, said, “Well, you are a part of the Craziness now.”

“I guess I am,” Sarah said, kissing her, again, “so when do I get my vibrator?”

Laughing, Mindy said, “Do you want one for Christmas?”

“I was thinking more like Halloween,” Sarah said.

“I’ll figure something out,” Mindy said, running her hands up the insides of Sarah’s thighs and pushing her legs open. She straddled one of Sarah’s hips, lowering onto her until their bodies nested together. Leaning to one side, she grabbed the vibrator and pressed it to Sarah’s lower abdomen just above where their bodies met. It wasn’t against her bud, but that didn’t stop the vibrations from finding it. She had barely had a couple of minutes to recover from her last orgasm, which wasn’t nearly enough for what Mindy had in mind.

Mindy started rocking her hips back and forth, grinding against Sarah. The delicious friction of their bodies coming together and the maddening buzz of the toy felt amazing. Sarah had been joking about wanting a vibrator for Halloween, but she found herself hoping Mindy bought them one, anyway.

Natty sat up, then got to her knees. The girl moved to Mindy’s side, leaning in to kiss her. From her back, Sarah watched Natty’s hand slid up Mindy’s stomach to cup her breast. Sarah waited for her jealous bone to start bothering her, but it didn’t. She truly seemed okay with this, with Natty touching her girlfriend like that.

In this situation, anyway, Sarah amended. She thought things would go a lot differently if Mindy ever cheated on her. Not that she thought Mindy would. After all, Mindy had walked away from crazy sex like this to be with her and only her. That had shown a great deal of restraint and self-control, because this felt amazing. Kinky as hell, but amazing.

Seeing her watching, Natty leaned in and kissed Sarah. Sarah kissed her back as best she could, but Mindy was making it hard. More than once she moaned into Natty’s mouth.

Suddenly, it was Natty’s turn to moan into the kiss, and Sarah had to see why. Natty was still on her knees but leaned over to kiss her, her backside up in the air. Mindy’s hand was between her thighs and, though she couldn’t see it, she thought Mindy had her fingers inside of the girl and was thrusting them in and out.

Are none of my friends still virgins, Sarah thought, with an inward shake of her head, well, technical virgins, like me.

Sarah realized she really wasn’t one to judge. After all, she doubted she counted as a virgin, either. Her hymen might still be intact, but that seemed like a formality after the times she had been with Mindy and now Natty.

Seeing Natty’s face pinch in pleasure, Sarah wondered what she was missing out on. What Mindy was doing to Natty must feel pretty spectacular, judging by the look on the girl’s face. Sarah’s jealous bone finally started to ache, but not because Mindy had her fingers inside of another girl. Part of Sarah wished it was her on her knees and not Natty.

Not that Sarah wasn’t feeling as good as the girl was. The roll of Mindy’s hips and the insistent buzzing of the vibrator was a delicious combination, had her moaning and writhing in pleasure. She put her hands on Mindy’s hips, urged her to slow down. She wasn’t going to last long at this rate.

Mindy didn’t slow down, though. Grinning, she said, “You are the monkey.”

“Babe, this feels too good,” Sarah said, meeting her eyes.

“I know,” Mindy said, leaning in for a kiss.

“You haven’t come, yet,” Sarah said.

“Right now, it’s all about you,” Mindy said, kissing her, again, “that’s what being the monkey means.”

“How’s that fun for the other two people?” Sarah asked, around a moan.

“Oh, I’m enjoying myself,” Mindy said, smiling at her, “and I don’t hear Natty complaining.”

Natty laughed, “Definitely not complaining.”

“Still,” Sarah said.

Natty leaned close and whispered in Sarah’s ear, “She’s in the middle next.”

“Oh,” Sarah said. She blinked in surprise, thinking this little menage a trois was almost over. Natty’s statement seemed to suggest they were just getting started.

“What did she say?” Mindy asked.

“That you are next,” Sarah said, meeting her eyes.

Mindy must have read her thoughts in her eyes, started laughing, “These things usually go to everyone taps out.”

“Taps out?” Sarah parroted, her eyes widening as what Mindy meant sank in.

She got a mental image of them all past out from coming too much, and her heart skipped a beat, then took off racing. She figured they’d call it quits before it got that far, but the thought was kinky enough to bring on the orgasm she had tried to hold off. Tension gathered in her midriff in a hurry and her back arched as the roll of Mindy’s hips pushed her over the top. She cried out as she came hard, her whole body shaking with the orgasm.

Mindy lifted the vibrator away, but didn’t stop grinding against her. Each time their bodies came together, it forced a moan from Sarah’s slack mouth. Without a chance to recover, the pleasure continued to roll through her like a train without brakes building up speed. Faster and faster, until she would surely come off the tracks. Then she cried out as that anticipated crash came, her whole body bucking with a second orgasm. The train was off the rails, but still Mindy didn’t stop. The ecstasy continued to pile up at the end of the line, and Sarah’s fingers dug into Mindy’s hips as a third orgasm shook her.

Mindy slowed the roll of her hips, finally letting Sarah draw a breath. The languid grind of her body against Sarah’s kept the lovely sensations flowing through her body, kept her drifting down from her high even longer.

Through her haze, Sarah heard a new urgency enter Natty’s cries. Rolling her head to the side, she saw Mindy thrusting her fingers faster and faster into Natty. Sarah thought the girl was about to come, too, her excitement written all over her face. Drifting down from her own orgasms, Sarah watched as Mindy took Natty higher toward hers. Then the thrust of Mindy’s fingers became too much for Natty, and her whole body jerked as her orgasm took hold of her.

Natty eased off Mindy’s fingers, turning to give the girl an appreciative kiss.

Sarah sat up, toppling Mindy to her back. Laughing, Mindy propped up on her elbows. Getting to her knees, Sarah took the vibrator from Mindy. She leaned in and gave the girl a lingering kiss, before running the vibrator down her stomach and between her thighs. Mindy moaned as the sex toy found her bud, but it wasn’t what she wanted. When Mindy’s hand covered hers and moved it lower, Sarah broke the kiss to see what she was doing. Mindy eased the vibrator in her ready girlhood. Sarah’s eyes widened at where the shaft of the toy disappeared into her girlfriend.

“That doesn’t hurt?” Sarah asked.

“I’m not a virgin, remember,” Mindy said, around a sigh.

“Still,” Sarah said, afraid to move it. The sex toy seemed too big for Mindy.

“It was a little scary my first time,” Mindy said, smiling at her. Her hand was still covering Sarah’s, and she slowly thrust the vibrator in and out. She moaned each time it moved inside of her.

When Mindy removed her hand, Sarah continued to thrust the vibrator into her girlfriend slowly. The disappearance and reappearance of the shiny shaft fascinated her, mesmerized her. She couldn’t take her eyes off it.

“God, that feels so good,” Mindy moaned, her hips pushing against the toy eagerly.

The spell finally broken, Sarah looked up at her, saw the eyes rolled back, slack-mouthed look of enjoyment on her girlfriend’s face. Again, she felt a twinge in her jealous bone, and she wondered what it would be like to have the vibrator inside of her. Like a seed in fertile soil, that thought took root in her mind quickly. Once planted, an idea started to grow, one she was a little surprised to find herself contemplating.

Sarah was distracted from her thoughts when Natty ran her hand up her back. With her hand on the back of Sarah’s head, Natty gently pushed her forward. Getting the message, Sarah lowered her mouth to Mindy’s girlhood. Mindy’s little sounds of excitement grew louder as she ran her tongue across her bud.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Natty stretch out next to Mind. Rolling her eyes up, she saw the girl trap one of Mindy’s straining nipples between her teeth, gently nibbling it until Mindy’s back arched off the bed. Natty’s hand slid up Mindy’s taut stomach to cup her other breast. She didn’t let up until a new urgency entered Mindy’s cries.

With too many wonderful things happening to her at once, Mindy wasn’t long in climaxing. Her whole body arched off the bed as it hit her hard, nearly knocking Sarah and Natty aside. Her hips bucked as she collapsed back to the bed, the vibrator still torturing her screaming nerve endings. Mindy cried out as a second orgasm shook her.

“Jesus,” Mindy laughed, pushing Sarah’s hand with the vibrator away.

“Are you tapping out already?” Sarah asked, grinning at her.

“No,” Mindy said, brushing the hair out of her face, “I need a moment, though.”

“I think we could all use a moment,” Natty laughed.

———————————

Nestled between two warm bodies, Sarah felt her eyes get heavy. She wasn’t surprised that sleep was coming up to take her. It had been a long, eventful day, after all. She was going to need at least eight hours to recover from this. Smiling, she didn’t try to fight off the Sandman, her eyelids closing. Just as she was about to fall asleep, she vaguely remembered Mindy saying something about not needing to sleep in the Place of Locked Doors. Or maybe that you shouldn’t…

Sarah opened her eyes, sitting up. If she kept laying between Natty and Mindy, she was going to nod off for sure. Smiling, she looked down at Mindy and gasped when she saw herself still lying between the girls.

“What the-” Sarah said, her eyes wide in shock, “Mindy!”

The girl didn’t seem to hear her, even though she had cried out in fear. She tried to grab her shoulder and shake it, but her hand passed right through. Already close to panic, this freaked her all the way out. She sprang off the bed, her heart thundering in her breast as she looked back at herself on the bed. She couldn’t draw a breath past the knot of fear in her throat.

I’m having an out of body experience, Sarah thought, then amended, an out of body experience from my out of body experience.

Realizing what was happening dulled her fear some but it was still plenty sharp enough to cut right through her to her soul. Being twice removed from her body was creepy, not to mention scary as hell. The chain between her physical form and her spiritual one was starting to have too many links in it, too many places to break for her to breathe easy.

“I need to get back into my body,” Sarah said, out loud. She snorted as those words found her ears and she thought, God, all the crazy things I’ve had to say since Mindy told me about the Place of Locked Doors.

Still standing beside the bed, looking down at herself, Sarah realized she had no idea how to return to her body. Hell, she didn’t even know how she left it in the first place. She had just closed her eyes for a moment, and it was like hocus-pocus-alakazam she was free of it. Groaning, she thought this was what Mindy had warned her about, that this happened when you fell asleep in the Place of Locked Doors.

“Okay, think,” she said, looking around the room. It still looked the same, right down to the little details. The only thing out of place was her.

Looking down at her feet, she saw she wasn’t actually standing on the floor, but hovering just above it. Hesitantly, she reached out for the bedpost, but her hand passed through it like she was insubstantial. She had expected it to happen, but it was still disturbing. It was like she was a ghost, incorporeal. When an uneasy shiver worked up her spine, she rubbed her arms absent-mindedly. She was surprised when she could feel her own touch.

“This is so weird,” she said, out loud.

Reaching out, she tried to grab her own ankle. She had kind of hoped the contact would pull her back into her body, but nothing like that happened. Just like it had when she tried to touch Mindy and the bedpost, it passed right through without disturbing her sleeping form. Disappointed, she chewed nervously on her lip. That had been her best idea.

Looking down at Mindy, she said, “I could really use some advice here, Babe.”

She gasped when Mindy suddenly sat up. Or more accurately, part of her did. Much like Sarah had been, she was now two. Her twin was still stretched out next to Sarah’s sleeping form.

“Why are you standing over there?” Mindy asked, frowning at her.

“Babe, look down,” Sarah said.

Mindy looked down and gasped. Her reaction was a mirror of Sarah’s earlier. The brunette sprung off the bed, gaping at herself still lying on the bed. After a moment, she looked wide-eyed at Sarah. Then something seemed to dawn on her, and she put her hand to her mouth.

“Shit,” Mindy said, laughing nervously, “I fell asleep.”

“We. We fell asleep,” Sarah said.

“Shit,” Mindy said, looking around, “we are still in Natty’s bedroom?”

“I think so,” Sarah said.

“Erin fell asleep at the mall… at the Grand Canyon, too, I think…” Mindy said, meeting Sarah’s eyes, “she thought maybe it was a dream.”

“Unless we are having the same dream, I think this is something else,” Sarah said.

“Yeah,” Mindy said, looking back at her sleeping form, “she also thought this was like… um, like another layer to the afterlife. Connected to Natty’s layer, but not the same.”

“Not the same?” Sarah asked, frowning at her.

“There were people at the mall,” Mindy said, looking around, again.

“People? What people?” Sarah asked.

“Then there was Natty’s ex-girlfriend at the Grand Canyon… Erin talked to her,” Mindy said.

“Wait… Erin talked to Natty’s ex-girlfriend?” Sarah asked.

“Erin could see her, but Alison couldn’t see Erin… None of the people at the mall could, either,” Mindy said, then noticed the dumbfounded look on Sarah’s face. A little sheepishly, she said, “I might have glossed over that bit when I was telling you about this place. It happened to Erin, and I… Well, I figured it was a dream.”

“Ah,” Sarah said, laughing and shaking her head, “did Erin say how she got back into her body?”

“Um, both times one of us woke her up,” Mindy said, glancing at the bed.

Sarah followed her eyes and saw them sleeping side by side. Snorting, she said, “Great. Natty’s our only hope.”

Mindy tried to reach out and grab Natty’s shoulder, not having any more luck than Sarah had. Seeing Sarah shaking her head, she shrugged, said, “Had to try.”

“Any other ideas?” Sarah asked.

“Um… When we first wanted to flip over when we were still awake, we used something that was in both the real world and the Place of Locked Doors. Sort of like a lodestone, I guess. I used the necklace Natty gave Erin for her birthday.”

“Could that work now?” Sarah asked, meeting her eyes.

“I don’t know,” Mindy said, looking down at herself. Snorting, she said, “It might have if we weren’t completely naked. Nothing to connect us to our bodies.”

“Great,” Sarah said, laughing, “so we are just waiting for Natty to notice we are asleep?”

“Um, yeah,” Mindy said, sheepishly.

Shaking her head, Sarah said, “Come on, Natty.”

“Um,” Mindy said, looking around, “do you want to look around?”

“Look around?”

“Aren’t you curious about this place?” Mindy asked, meeting her eyes.

Snorting, Sarah said, “You all have an unhealthy curiosity when it comes to the afterlife.”

Laughing, Mindy offered her hand and said, “Come on.”

Sarah took one more look at her sleeping body and sighed. She took Mindy’s hand, a little surprised when it felt solid and real as their fingers interlocked. Whatever plane of existence this was, she and Mindy must be on it together. That seemed significant, even if she wasn’t sure why.

Hand in hand, they walked downstairs. Sarah’s eyes scanned the house, but couldn’t find anything different from before.

It wasn’t until they stepped outside that Sarah saw something new. The sun was just starting to rise, casting a pale light on the quiet streets of Natty’s neighborhood. She wasn’t expecting the dawning of a new day and had to stop on the porch of Natty’s house to look at the red glow of the crowning sun. It was eerily beautiful in the stillness of the Place of Locked Doors.

Except it wasn’t all that still. There were cars moving on the street, people taking out the trash and saying goodbye to loved ones. There was life and movement in the Place of Locked Doors. Including next door, where they had borrowed the shower and then the bed in the master bedroom. As Ashley watched, a woman of about thirty stepped out of the house in her robe and grabbed the morning newspaper.

Seeing people out and about distracted Sarah for a moment, but she quickly remembered she was naked. Gasping, her arm came up to cover her breasts. Mindy still had her hand, so she had to use her thigh to cover everything else the best she could.

Looking at her, Mindy laughed, “You are invisible, remember. They can’t see us.”

A little sheepishly, Sarah lowered her arm. She had to admit, none of the denizens of this place seemed to notice the two naked girls on the porch.

“Or, at least,” Mindy said, grinning at her, “Erin was invisible.”

Sarah’s arm started to creep back up, but then she thought, Screw it. If they see me, they see me.

“You are invisible,” someone said, to their left.

Gasping, Sarah looked around Mindy at the girl standing on the porch. She had noticed her when they stepped outside, which wasn’t really surprising. The sunrise and the sudden addition of people to the Place of Locked Doors was a lot to take in.

The girl was pretty in a tomboy sort of way, with brown hair and the most arresting green eyes Sarah had ever seen. Those eyes were turned in their general direction if not directly on them. Sarah waved her hand, but the girl didn’t react to the movement, confirming that she really couldn’t see them.

“Did I hear you say Erin?” the girl asked.

“Our friend Erin, yeah,” Sarah said, glancing at Mindy. The girl just shrugged.

“Ah,” the girl said, nodding, “are you friend’s of Natty, as well?”

“You know Natty?” Mindy asked, surprised.

“She was my girlfriend, once,” the girl said.

“Alison?” Mindy guessed.

“Ah, you know my name,” Alison said, smiling, “I take it Erin told you about our little run in at the Grand Canyon?”

“Yeah,” Mindy said.

“What happened? One minute we were talking, then the next she was pulled away,” Alison asked.

“Natty woke her up,” Mindy said.

“That’s what she said!” Alison said, laughing, “I couldn’t quite make it out. It was probably for the best.”

“How so?” Sarah asked, frowning.

“I was in danger of saying too much,” Alison said, sighing. There was more than a little frustration in her voice.

“Too much?” Sarah asked.

“Yeah,” Alison said, shrugging, “I can’t tell you more than that.”

“Erin said you were trying to apologize for something,” Mindy said.

“I was hoping she had heard me somehow, but I guess she couldn’t make out what I said any more than I could what she said,” Alison said.

“Then what did you say?” Mindy asked.

“I can’t repeat it,” Alison said, a little sheepishly, “Like I said, I almost said too much before.”

Laughing, Sarah asked, “Why not?”

“There are things you aren’t supposed to know until you are supposed to know them,” Alison said, then snorted, “and you three already know a lot more than you are supposed to.”

“What does that mean?” Mindy asked.

“She’s talking about us being here, in the Place of Locked Doors,” Sarah said.

“The Place of Locked Doors?” Alison asked, frowning, “an odd name for this place.”

“Natty couldn’t open any of the doors, including the one to her bedroom. It was her prison, of sorts,” Mindy said.

“Ah,” Alison said, seeming surprised, “I hadn’t realized. Still… It is kind of a mouthful.”

“We haven’t gotten around to finding a better name,” Mindy said.

“Your friend is right, though,” Alison said, her eyes turning more in Sarah’s direction, “your adventures here have become the subject of much discussion with… um, management.”

“Management?” Sarah asked, then laughed, “more of those secrets we aren’t supposed to know, right?”

“Yeah,” Alison said, smiling.

“Um, we aren’t getting Natty in trouble with ‘management’, are we?” Mindy asked.

“You mean with all the rules you are helping her break?” Alison asked, then laughed when she sensed Mindy squirm, “curiously, no. They seem amused by your antics, which is why they have permitted you to blunder about unchecked. At least, that’s the word around town.”

“The word around town?” Sarah parroted.

“We are talking about stuff that’s way above my pay grade, so I can only rely on gossip for my information,” Alison said.

“Gossip?” Sarah said, laughing.

“Just because we are dead doesn’t mean we don’t still enjoy a juicy story,” Alison said.

Sarah got a mental image of a couple of ghosts standing around a water cooler, and she had to smile. Still smiling, she asked, “What can you tell us about this place?”

“Not much more than you already know,” Alison said.

Snorting, Mindy said, “We don’t know anything.”

“And yet, too much,” Alison said.

“That’s no help,” Mindy said, shaking her head.

“Sorry,” Alison said, sympathetically, “can I ask you a question instead?”

“Um, yeah,” Mindy said, glancing at Sarah.

“How is Natty?” Alison asked, a little shyly.

“She’s… I guess she’s better than could be expected,” Mindy said.

Nodding, Alison said, “Thanks to you three. Which one of you is Ashley?”

“Neither of us,” Sarah said.

“Oh?” Alison asked, surprised, “There are four of you? Is Mindy here?”

“I’m Mindy,” the girl said.

“Ah,” Alison said, turning her head in Sarah’s direction, “and you are?”

“My name is Sarah,” Sarah said.

“Are you a friend of Natty’s, too, Sarah?” Alison asked.

Her cheeks hot, Sarah said, “You could say that.”

Laughing, Alison said, “Natty is as irresistible as ever, I see.”

“Yeah,” Sarah said, her face even redder.

“I used to love her smile,” Alison said, a hint of sadness in her voice, “she had such a sexy smile.”

“Still does,” Mindy said.

“Could you tell her hello for me?” Alison asked.

“Are we allowed to do that?” Sarah asked.

Smiling, Alison said, “Erin already let that particular cat out of the bag, so I think it’ll be okay.”

“We will,” Mindy said.

“Thank you,” Alison said.

Suddenly Mindy flinched like she had been slapped. She looked wide-eyed at Sarah, then asked when Sarah just gave her a questioning look, “You didn’t hear that?”

“What?” Sarah asked, straining her ears.

“There was a voice… A big booming voice saying my name,” Mindy said.

“I didn’t hear any-” Sarah started to say, when Mindy was jerked away from her. She cried out in surprise as Mindy was pulled into the house by some unseen force. After a moment’s panic, she ran after the girl. She saw Mindy floating through the air backwards up the stairs.

“It’s okay,” Mindy yelled as she was dragged away, “it’s Natty!”

Sarah took the steps two at a time but was still losing ground on her girlfriend. Sprinting down the hallway, she burst into the master bedroom just in time to see Mindy sitting up on the bed. Not the separated phantom Mindy but the real thing. Or the real Place of Locked Doors Mindy.

Mindy put her hand on Sarah’s sleeping body’s shoulder, shook it and said, “Come back to me, Babe.”

Her voice boomed in Sarah’s head, sounding like the voice of God calling her home. She felt a tug, then a violent pull as she flew across the room at her body. A startled cry escaped her as she felt the gravity of her body drawing her back in. The connection between her physical self and spiritual snapped into place, and she was back. Sitting up, she hugged Mindy tightly.

“Jesus, that was crazy,” she laughed, still clinging to the girl.

“Yeah,” Mindy agreed, hugging her back.

“What happened? You two were asleep,” Natty asked.

“We left our bodies like Erin did,” Mindy said.

“We met your old girlfriend, Alison,” Sarah said, smiling at Natty.

“Alison?” Natty parroted, blinking in surprise, “Alison is here?”

“Standing on your porch,” Mindy said, then frowned, “for some reason.”

“Did she say why she was sorry?” Natty asked, leaning forward.

“Erin misheard that,” Sarah said.

“Then what did she mean?” Natty asked.

“Um, she’s not allowed to tell us,” Sarah said, then a little sheepishly, “management said so.”

“Management?” Natty asked, her eyes wide, “what do you mean by management?”

“We don’t know who they are, either,” Mindy said.

“Alison called them management?”

“I figure they have a different name, but she wasn’t allowed to use it,” Sarah said. It was a guess, but it felt right.

“Oh,” Natty said.

“She said to tell you hello, though,” Mindy said, smiling at her.

“She said that?” Natty asked, smiling.

“That and that she thought you had the sexiest little smile,” Sarah said.

“She told me that a time or two,” Natty said, her smile becoming sad, “Alison is really just right there… On the porch and I can’t see her?”

“Um, I think so,” Mindy said.

“Well, that sucks,” Natty said.

Snorting in surprise, Sarah started laughing. Natty had caught her off guard with the comment. When Natty and Mindy looked at her, she blushed and said, “Sorry. I don’t know why that was funny. It does suck though.”

Bummed out, Natty looked down at herself then at Sarah and Mindy sitting there completely naked. Sighing, she said, “I don’t think I’m in the mood for this, anymore.”

Seeing the sadness in her eyes, Sarah gave the girl a hug. When she finally let go of her, Natty gave her a funny look. Sarah smiled at her and said, “I just thought you could use that.”

With a warm smile of her own, Natty said, “Thank you. It was exactly what I needed.”

God, I see why the other girls love her so much, Sarah thought, feeling the dead girl had already found a spot in her heart, too.

Continue to Part Twenty-One

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