Henna Tattoo, Part Two

“How’s the tattoo?”

Andrea swallowed the bite of pizza she had been chewing on, said, “Starting to fade.”

Emma paused with her own slice halfway to her mouth, looking at Andrea. Finally, she sat it back down and said, “You don’t sound very excited. You are almost out of the woods unscathed. I thought you’d be ecstatic.”

“It’ll be nice to be able to wear shorts, again,” Andrea said, then sighed heavily.

“But…” Emma said, looking at her.

“But, I’m going to miss having it. I’ve gotten used to it being on my side and leg,” Andrea said, then grinned, “And Michelina likes it.”

“Ah, yes,” Emma said, laughing, “the girlfriend.”

“Would you stop calling her that,” Andrea said, shaking her head.

“If you’ll just acknowledge it one time,” Emma said, looking at her.

Andrea knew she wasn’t going to let it go until she did. Then again, was Emma wrong? Of all the words that could be used to describe Michelina’s role in Andrea’s life, girlfriend was the most accurate.

Laughing, Andrea said, “Fine. She’s my girlfriend.”

“There you go,” Emma said, picking up her glass of Coke, “here’s to finally admitting it.”

Andrea laughed and shook her head, clinking her glass against Emma’s.

“I can redo your leg if you like, but not the one on your side,” Emma said, picking up her pizza, “I finally have chair time with Sam. We can’t be walking around with the same tattoo on our sides.”

“I guess not,” Andrea said, laughing.

“Do you want me to redo the leg?” Emma asked.

“No. It was the one on my side that Michelina really liked,” Andrea said, taking a bite of her food. She blushed when Emma gave her a knowing look.

“I bet she did,” Emma said, laughing.

“Shut up,” Andrea said, her cheeks hot with embarrassment.

“See,” Emma said, pointing at Andrea with her slice of pizza, “it’s not much fun being teased about your girlfriend, is it?”

Andrea had to laugh at that line, said, “I guess I deserve that.”

“My design is taken, but I’ve got some flash stored on my computer if you want to look through it. You might find something you like,” Emma said.

“Flash?”

“Generic tattoo patterns, usually sold by the sheet,” Emma said, getting up from the couch and going to her desk. She booted up her computer and waved Andrea over. She opened her folder of flash cards, showed Andrea how to flip through them.

Leaving her to look through them, she said, “If you don’t see anything there, you could check the internet. Just ignore all the porn in my browser. Being between girlfriends sucks.”

Snorting, Andrea started laughing, said, “Wow.”

“Don’t judge me,” Emma said.

Andrea flipped through a few pages, wondering if she really wanted to let Emma put another henna tattoo on her.  She decided it would have to be a pretty spectacular design for her to want to risk it. The flash on the screen was just what Emma had said it was- generic.  Nothing was really catching her eye, so she closed out the program.

She clicked on the ‘e’ logo of Internet Explorer. Andrea was tempted to see just what her step-sister has been Googling, but she thought she better not.  She hesitated with her fingers on the keys, not sure what to search for. Finally, she typed: angel and demon girl.

She scrolled through the images, disappointed. Mostly Google had turned up cherub looking angels and demons, anime looking characters, or the mudflap silhouettes. She refined her search, adding ‘sexy’ to the beginning. The images became a lot more risque and a few of them were downright pornographic. A little embarrassed, she started to close out Google, when she noticed one picture that caught her eye. It was an angel and demon embracing each other, their wings spread out behind them creating a symmetrical image.  The general layout appealed to her, if not the exact picture. She stared at it, wondering if Emma could do something similar but more feminine. She wasn’t exactly a girly girl, but this was very… masculine.

Emma came up beside her and saw what she was looking at. Grinning, she said, “Sticking with the naked angel and demon theme, huh?”

“I like how this one is laid out,” Andrea said, ignoring the jab.

“It would make a sweet back piece,” Emma said, right-clicking on it and selecting print. Her printer came humming to life and spit out a copy of the picture. Looking at the printout, she said, “I could redraw this, make it more feminine.”

Andrea grinned, thinking her and Emma were on the same wavelength, as usual.

“Do you think it would look good on my side?” Andrea asked, looking at the screen.

“Not really,” Emma said, pointing at the screen, “see how the image draws your attention laterally? You want a vertical image for your side. This is better suited for the back.  I guess it could be a chest piece. A wing on each boob and the bulk of the image in between.”

“That’s alright,” Andrea said, laughing, “no boob tattoos.”

Grinning, Emma said, “Are you sure? Might be a nice surprise for Michelina.”

“I’m sure,” Andrea said, giving her a look.

“What do you think about your back then,” Emma said, looking at the picture, “it would have to be pretty big for me to be able to get any detail with the henna paste.”

“How big?” Andrea asked, frowning.

“Big,” Emma said, then added, “basically your whole back, shoulder to shoulder.”

“Seriously?” Andrea asked.

“Yeah. It’s not like drawing with a pencil or even tattooing. It is more like frosting a cake. It’s hard to put a lot of detail into tight spaces.”

“But my whole back,” Andrea said, shaking her head, “I already get enough shit about the tattoo on my leg and side and now you want to cover my back, too?”

“Yeah,” Emma said, laughing.

“I like the design but not that much,” Andrea said.

“Let me draw it up for you. If you don’t like it, we won’t do it,” Emma said.

“You don’t have to,” Andrea said.

Emma just winked at her and headed to her workstation. Andrea started to follow but her step-sister shook her head and shooed her away. Laughing and holding up her hands, Andrea sat on the couch, watching as Emma tore off a big piece of transfer paper. She began to draw, her capable hand moving gracefully over the paper.

Turning back around, Andrea wondered what Emma would come up with.

She fished her phone out of her pocket and called Michelina. The girl answered on the third ring, said, “Hola, chica.”

“Hey,” Andrea said, smiling.

“Are you still at Emma’s?”

“Yeah.  She’s drawing right now. She wants to put this big tattoo on my back,” Andrea said.

“Are you going to let her?” Michelina asked, the smile clear in her voice.

“Probably not,” Andrea said.

“Uh oh,” Michelina said, laughing, “probably isn’t a no. If this picture is as sexy as the last one she drew, she just might talk you into it.”

“It would have to be amazing. I already get teased enough about the one on my leg and side.”

“Ah, forget them,” the girl said, laughing, “I love your tattoos.”

“Can I ask you something?” Andrea asked, chewing on her lip.

“What?”

“Are we… Am I your girlfriend?”

Michelina hesitated, then asked, “Do you want to be my girlfriend?”

“I don’t know,” Andrea said, sighing, “it’s just Emma has been teasing me about it and…”

“And?” Michelina asked.

“What do you think? Do you want to be my girlfriend?” Andrea asked.

“Yeah,” Michelina said, laughing, “I do.”

Grinning, Andrea asked, “Really?”

“Really,” the girl said.

“Um, okay,” Andrea said, then, “I’m not sure what happens now.”

“Neither am I,” Michelina said, laughing, “but we’ll figure it out.”

“Okay,” Andrea said, still smiling.

“I have to go, chica,” she said, sighing, “my mom is yelling for me. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Okay. Bye,” Andrea said.

“Bye.”

Andrea ended the call, then just stared at her phone. She had a girlfriend. She wasn’t entirely sure just what that meant but Michelina had said yes. Smiling, she wondered what it was going to be like.

Would they be holding hands and passing notes like the boys and girls in school? Kissing at the Mall? She wasn’t sure she was ready for that.

Like she said, we’ll figure it out, Andrea thought.

She glanced at Emma, saw she was still bent over her sketch, working intently.  If the nineteen-year-old had overheard the conversation, she didn’t show it. Andrea was thankful for that.

Turning back around, she drummed her fingers on her thighs. Her phone call to Michelina hadn’t killed much time, so she had some time to kill before Emma finished her drawing.

Getting up, she went to her backpack and pulled out her sketchpad and pencil. Back on the couch, she opened it to a blank page and tapped the pencil against her lip as she tried to think of something to draw.

The drawing tablet had been a gift from Emma when Andrea had expressed interest in learning how to draw. Emma had spent a lot of time sitting at the kitchen table with her, helping her with her line work and composition. Under her tutelage, Andrea has gotten pretty good. Her skills weren’t on par with Emma’s, but she wasn’t drawing stick figures, anymore. Emma’s encouragement kept her practicing.
Andrea smiled, thinking about Emma helping her. She loved the girl, couldn’t have loved her more if they were blood relatives.  Andrea had been four when Emma came into her life, and the bond between them had been almost instantaneous.

An idea popped into her head and the more she thought it through, the more she liked it.  She hesitated, wondering if she could pull it off.  While her skills had improved, she wasn’t sure she’d be able to capture her idea on the page.  Taking a deep breath to push those insecurities aside, she put her pencil to the paper and started drawing. Slowly but surely her vision began to appear on the blank page. She took pride in the fact that she didn’t need the eraser as much as she used to.

She was just putting the finishing touches on the drawing when she heard Emma get up from her drawing table. She saw the girl coming over with a piece of transfer paper and set her drawing tablet aside. Emma sat next to her on the couch and passed her the drawing.

Andrea looked at what Emma had drawn, her eyes wide. The layout was the same as the image she had found on the internet but the feel of the drawing was completely different.  The internet one had been erotic but masculine. Almost Satanic with its fiery background. This was very different, almost romantic. It had a Romeo and Juliet feel, a forbidden love between an angel and demon girl.

It was beautiful, and Andrea had to shake her head because she wanted it.  Emma saw her and started grinning.

“Does that mean we are going shopping for more henna paste?” Emma asked.

Andrea couldn’t look away from the drawing. Shaking her head again, she said, “Yeah.”

Emma didn’t say anything and Andrea tore her eyes away from the picture to see why. She found the teenager holding her sketch pad, looking at her drawing. She felt her cheeks color as the girl started to smile.

“This is sweet,” Emma said, looking at Andrea, “nice, clean lines. Great detail.”

“Um, thanks,” Andrea said.

She had drawn Emma and herself, but as an angel and a demon. It wasn’t a sexy picture like the one Emma had sketched but a sort of tribute to their relationship as sisters. It had Emma with her arm around Andrea’s shoulder, smiling. She had taken the idea from the photograph she had in her bedroom.

“I have a picture of us standing like this,” Emma said, smiling at Andrea.

“Me, too.”

“I’m just curious why I’m the demon and you are the angel?” her step-sister asked, playfully.

Laughing, Andrea said, “Of the two of us, who do you think is the angel?”

“I don’t know,” Emma said, winking at her, “your halo is starting to slip, lately.”

“True,” Andrea said, laughing.

Handing the sketchpad back to Andrea, Emma said, “You should put the halo to the side like it is slipping.”

Andrea liked the idea, so she erased her halo and redrew it. She handed it back to Emma and the girl nodded her appreciation.

“Now, it’s perfect,” her step-sister said, tearing out the page.

“Hey,” Andrea said.

“I’m keeping this,” Emma said.

“Going to put it on the fridge?” Andrea asked, laughing.

Winking, Emma said, “Something like that.”

Shrugging, Andrea closed her sketchpad and set it on the coffee table. She picked up the drawing Emma had done, shaking her head. She had thought it would have to be pretty spectacular for her to let Emma put it on her back and, damned if the girl hadn’t made something spectacular.

“Go change,” Emma said, grinning at her when she finally looked up from the drawing.

“Yeah,” Andrea said.

“You didn’t bring a skirt, did you?” Emma asked, mischief flashing in her eyes.

“Um, no,” Andrea said, laughing, “I haven’t been able to wear a  skirt in weeks.”

“Why not?”

“The big ass tattoo on my leg,” Andrea said, giving her a look.

“I was thinking…” Emma said, grinning at her.

“Uh oh,” Andrea said, making the girl laugh.

“Your tattoo is fading fast and you really never got a chance to show it off.”

“Show it off?” Andrea parroted, looking at her step-sister like she was speaking gibberish, “are you serious? I’ve been trying to hide it.”

“You have a beautiful tattoo,” Emma said, looking at her, “don’t you want people to see it?”

“It’s not that I don’t want them to, it’s just I don’t want to end up grounded for life.”

“It still seems like a waste,” her step-sister said, then started grinning, “I have an idea.”

Andrea looked at her a long moment, then had to smile and shake her head. Andrea knew that grin; it had gotten her grounded a few times when they were younger.

“What’s your idea?” She asked.

“Have you ever been to the mall over in Mason?” Emma asked, still grinning.

“No.”

“Good. That’s where we are headed, then.”

“Okay,” Andrea said, her heart starting to beat a little faster.

“Wait here,” Emma said, running into her bedroom. When she returned, she had some clothes in her hands, said, “Try these. They are too tight on me but they should fit you okay.”

Taking the clothes, Andrea’s heart started racing even faster. Did she dare wear anything from Emma’s closet? She had one formal dress for funerals and weddings and the rest were either too tight or too short or too revealing. This outfit was sure to be no different.

Emma saw the look on her face, laughed, “Live a little. This might be your only chance to make it out of the house not looking like you are dressed for church.”

She laughed and went to the bathroom to try them on. Slipping out of her clothes, she looked at what Emma had given her. She laughed at the impractically short leather skirt and the clingy babydoll top with a Slayer logo across the chest. Shaking her head, she stepped into the skirt and had to wriggle her hips to get into it. It clung very inappropriately to her young body, barely fell far enough to cover her buttocks. She pulled on the shirt, found it as snug as the skirt. It molded to her like a second skin. Looking in the mirror, she thought she’d give her poor father a heart attack, dressed like this.

She wasn’t sure she could wear something like this in public, let alone to the mall. Looking at her own clothes, she thought about changing back into them. Then she chastised herself, thought Emma was right. This might be her only chance to experience this.

Taking a deep breath, she put her clothes away and left the bathroom. Emma was sitting on the arm of the couch, waiting for her. The nineteen-year-old grinned at the sight of her and Andrea blushed. She wanted to tug the skirt down, but it was as far down as it was going to go.

“I love it,” Emma said, still grinning at her, “you’d make a sexy metalhead.”

“I feel like my ass is hanging out,” she said, looking over her shoulder at it.

“Almost,” Emma said, laughing, “kind of exciting, isn’t it?”

“You really expect me to go out like this,” Andrea said, looking down at herself.

“No,” her step-sister said, her grinning getting bigger, “we have to do your make-up first. Then find you some shoes to match the outfit.”

The mention of make-up intrigued her. It was something she wasn’t allowed to wear, strictly forbidden by her father.

“Have a seat on the couch, I’ll get my make-up kit,” she said, heading to the bathroom. Laughing, she called over her shoulder, “Don’t forget to cross your legs. That skirt is way too short not to.”

Blushing, Andrea sat down, crossed her legs. She saw how far the skirt rode up on her thighs, shook her head. She hoped she could make it through the trip to the mall without showing everyone her panties.

Emma returned with her makeup, sat on the coffee table facing her. Andrea sat nervously as the nineteen-year-old began putting makeup on her. She wished she could see what the girl was doing, wondered what she’d look like in makeup. Some of the girls at school were wearing it now and they all looked so much better in it.

After what seemed like forever, Emma said, “Done. You should wear it like this all the time. It suits you.”

“I can’t. Dad said no makeup until I’m sixteen.”

“Your dad is such a prude,” Emma said, startling a laugh from Andrea, “well, he is.”

“Maybe a little,” Andrea admitted.

“I’ll tell you what,” her step-sister said, grinning at her, “if you like what I’ve done, I’ll help you pick out some makeup at the mall and show you how I did it. You can leave it in your locker at school, putting it on when you get there and take it off when you leave.”

“I could never…” Andrea said, then changed her mind, “thanks.”

“Good for you,” Emma said, laughing, “the skirt is rubbing off on you. You’ll make a bad girl, yet.”

Going to the bathroom, she looked at what Emma had done to her. She gasped, barely recognizing the face in the mirror. She’d always figured she was cute, in a fresh-faced sort of way but the girl looking back at her looked older, sexier. She had to touch her cheek to make sure it was really her.

“What do you think,” Emma asked from the doorway.

Looking at her, Andrea said, “I… It is…”

“You look great, Kid,” her step-sister said, laughing at her lack of words.

“You have to show me how to do this,” she said, looking back at her reflection.

“When we get back. Come on, I think I have a pair of shoes you should be able to wear. They always pinch my feet.”

Andrea followed the girl into her bedroom. Emma dug in the pile of shoes at the bottom of her closet, managed to find two that matched. She handed them to Andrea, laughing when the girl’s eyes widened in shock.

“I can’t wear these,” she said, looking at the black platform heels.

“They should fit you,” Emma said, teasing.

“I wasn’t even thinking about them fitting or not,” she said, looking at her step-sister, “I’ll break my neck in these.”

“You’ll be okay,” she said, nodding at the bed, “try them on.”

Looking at her dubiously, Andrea saw she was serious. She took a deep breath, went to the bed and sat down. She slipped her foot into one, found it a little loose but not enough so she couldn’t wear them. With the other shoe on, she carefully stood up. Suddenly five inches taller, her point of view had changed and she was looking her step-sister in the eye instead of up at her.

“Now, that is a good look for you,” Emma said, laughing.

“Yeah but I can’t move without turning my ankle and can’t sit down without showing my panties,” Andrea said, taking a hesitant step in the suicide heels.

“No one said dressing slutty was easy,” Emma said, laughing, “get some practice on the heels while I’m getting ready.”

“Okay,” Andrea said, walking very carefully out of her bedroom. She made a bunch of laps around the living room while Emma took a shower, did her makeup and got dressed. It got a little easier with practice and by the time her step-sister was ready, she thought she had the hang of it. She wasn’t ready for the runway but she probably wouldn’t fall at the mall.

“Getting good in those,” Emma said, watching her from the doorway to her bedroom.

“Probably a wasted skill,” Andrea said, smiling at her, “considering I’ll never be allowed to wear shoes like this.”

It was about an hour drive from Emma’s apartment to the mall in Mason and Andrea spent that time losing her nerve. By the time they found a parking spot, she didn’t want to get out of the car. These clothes weren’t her, she couldn’t wear them right. Not like Emma, who looked amazing in the driver seat beside her.

“Don’t chicken out on me now, Andrea,” Emma said, seeing the look on her face, “you’ve made it this far.”

“I don’t think I can,” she said.

“Yeah, you can. Come on,” Emma said, getting out of the car. She waited for Andrea, smiling at her through the windshield. The nineteen-year-old looked ready to stand there all day if Andrea didn’t get out of the car.

Taking a deep breath, she opened her door, probably showed everyone in the parking lot her panties as she got out of the car. She smoothed the skirt down as far as it would go, then closed the door. Her heart was racing as she walked to where Emma stood then toward the mall when the girl fell in beside her.

Inside, she looked at all the people milling about, felt so exposed. She fiddled with the skirt self-consciously, wishing for more fabric.

A couple of boys a few years older than Andrea spotted them walking and nudge each other, nodding in their direction. Andrea could feel their interest in their heavy glances, could see it in their smiles.  As they walked past, one of them said, “Ladies.”

Andrea could still feel their eyes on her, caught them looking at her out of the corner of her eye. Her cheeks colored as she realized they were staring at her ass, but it made her smile. Boys usually didn’t take the time to objectify her.

“Feels nice, doesn’t it?” Emma asked, noticing her reaction to the boys.

“They were staring at me,” she said, shyly.

“They tend to do that to the hot chicks,” Emma said, grinning at her.

“I’m a hot chick?” Andrea asked, laughing.

“They thought so.”

As they walked through the mall, Andrea kept catching people looking at her. She didn’t know if they were shocked by her tattoo or her outfit, or just thought she was attractive but she didn’t care. All the attention made her want to squirm and she couldn’t keep a smile off her face. More than once she had to giggle when boys or even grown men had to take a second look after she walked by.

Emma was amused by her reaction, kept laughing at her. Finally, she gave the girl a look, “It’s not funny. I’m not used to this.”

“I know. Which is why it’s funny. You are a beautiful girl, should have the boys -and maybe a few girls- all over you but your stick in the mud father makes you dress like a nun.”

A little surprised, Andrea said, “Thanks. I think.”

Emma just winked at her and stepped up to a map of the mall. She scanned the stores until she found what she wanted. Spinning in a circle, she got her bearings.

“Come on, Arabian Arts is this way,” Emma said, pointing.

“What’s Arabian Arts?”

“A crafts store,” Emma said, grinning at her, “they sell henna.”

“Wait,” Andrea said, coming to a stop, “you were coming here all along, weren’t you?”

“Yeah,” Emma said, grinning at her.

“And the whole ‘show off your tattoo’ thing?” Andrea asked.

Laughing, her step-sister said, “Seeing if I could tip your halo a little more.”

“Gee, thanks,” Andrea said, laughing.

“Come on,” Emma said, grinning at her, “you are having fun, aren’t you?”

Andrea gave her a sour look, then had to smile. She started walking in the direction Emma had indicated. Frowning, she thought of something else, asked, “How do you know about Arabian Arts, anyway?”

Grinning, Emma said, “After your first tattoo, I figured you were going to need more henna, so I did some research.”

“Wow,” Andrea said, shaking her head.

“I wasn’t wrong,” Emma said, still grinning at her.

“I’m that predictable, huh?”

“You are getting less predictable every day,” Emma said, sobering up some.

“What do you mean?” Andrea asked.

“You have a girlfriend,” her step-sister said, laughing, “I’m still trying to figure that one out. If someone had told me you’d have a girlfriend as little as two weeks ago, I’d have laughed at them.”

“Why?” Andrea asked, raising her eyebrows questioningly.

“Before Michelina,” Emma said, looking at her, “did you have any interest in girls?”

“Well, no,” she admitted.

“The girl must be a helluva kisser,” Emma said, amused.

Andrea felt her cheeks burning and had to look away. Spotting Arabian Arts, she pointed and said, “There it is.”

Emma laughed but dropped the subject. They steered through the crowd to the store. It didn’t take long to find a display of dried henna. Emma grabbed two bags, winking at Andrea. Andrea could only laugh, knowing one bag would have been plenty. She knew what her step-sister was insinuating.

At the checkout counter, the cashier looked at them in surprise. It wasn’t anything new for Emma to get that kind of attention, but, for once, Andrea couldn’t be sure the wide-eyed look was for Emma.  A thirteen-year-old girl in a mini skirt and a Slayer shirt was worthy of a double take.

“Did you all find everything you need?” The cashier asked, recovering quickly.

“Yeah,” Emma said, putting the powdered henna on the counter.

“Henna,” the cashier said, smiling at her, “very cool. I have a peacock design on my leg.”

Emma had been digging in her purse for some money, but she looked up when the girl said that. She saw the smile on the girl’s face and her body language changed. The smile she favored the cashier with was a curious one.

Andrea rolled her eyes. She had seen Emma flirt with enough girls to know what was coming.

“Yeah?” Emma asked, leaning against the counter, “Can I see it?”

The cashier looked around for her boss, then stepped back from the counter. She raised her ankle length skirt up to her upper thigh, showing off her fading peacock tattoo. She let her skirt fall back into place and she smiled at Emma.

Andrea realized the girl was interested in Emma.

“Very pretty,” Emma said, still leaning against the counter.

The cashier tucked her hair behind her ear, smiling, “Thanks.”

“My step-sister here,” Emma said, grinning at Andrea, “is going to let me put a big tattoo on her back. An angel and demon girl.”

“Really?” The cashier asked, glancing at her.

“Yeah,” Andrea said, blushing, “she already did my leg.”

Raising her eyebrows, the cashier leaned out to look at Andrea’s leg and said, “Wow! That’s a lot of work! Still, an angel and demon? Sounds like a lot of detail for henna.”

Emma winked at her and said, “I think I can pull it off.”

Smiling, the cashier said, “Confident. I like it.”

Andrea sighed, looking from her step-sister to the cashier, and said, “There’s more.”

“More?”

Andrea pulled up her shirt and showed the girl the henna design on her side. The girl gasped, her eyes almost comically wide. She met Andrea’s eyes, then glanced at Emma.

“That’s impressive,” the cashier said, leaning in to look at the details Emma had managed to squeeze out of the medium, “really impressive. Such detail.”

“She’s amazing,” Andrea said, pulling her shirt down.

“I can see that,” she said, smiling at Emma. She cleared her throat and started ringing up their purchases, “Um, it is going to be sixty-two-seventy.”

Emma gave her eighty and waited for her change. She tucked it back in her purse, smiling at the cashier. They started to leave but the woman wasn’t ready to let them go.

“Wait,” she said, pulling her purse from under the counter. She fished out a business card, then wrote something on the back. Handing it to Emma, she said, “This is my friend’s card. She has a shop, does henna tattoos for weddings and stuff.  You should give her a call. I think she is looking for another artist.”

Smiling, Emma said, “Thank you.”

“Um, I put my number on the back,” she said, smiling shyly, “if you want to do something sometime, call me.”

Emma turned the card over, looked at it and said, “Selena. That’s a lovely name. Thanks, Selena.”

When they were out of the store, Emma put her arm around Andrea’s shoulder and said, “You make a pretty good wing man.”

“You going to call her?” Andrea asked.

“Yeah.”

————————————-

“Where are we going?” Andrea asked, looking over her shoulder as they passed their exit.

“I need to swing by the shop,” Emma said.

A couple of minutes later, they pulled into Sam’s Ink. Emma waved Andrea out of the car and she followed her step-sister inside after she unlocked the door. She had been here a couple of times, but not when the shop was closed. Emma turned on the lights, then led her into the back. She turned on a printer/copier and let it warm up, then loaded some paper in another piece of equipment. Andrea watched with interest, wondering what Emma was up to.

“This thing is a lifesaver,” Emma said, patting the second piece of hardware, “it lets you print stencils. You can scan them with the printer and print them here. So much easier than doing it by hand.”

“Okay,” Andrea said, moving closer to look at it.

Emma put something on the scanner bed and it hummed to life. A couple of seconds later, something started feeding out of the stencil printer. Andrea frowned as she recognized the picture she had drawn earlier. Pulling it off the machine, she held it up and raised her eyebrows questioningly.

“How’s it look?” Emma asked, moving to her tattoo station. She started pulling her equipment out of the autoclave.

“Fine, I guess. Why did you make a stencil of this?” Andrea asked, moving to her side.

“There are some ink bottles in that cabinet,” Emma said, pointing, “grab some black, would you?”

Frowning, Andrea went to the cabinet, poked around until she found a bottle of black ink. She took it to Emma, saw the girl was tearing paper towels off a roll, stacking them on a little table by what looked like a dentist chair. She put a box of latex gloves next to the pile.

Andrea had visited here a few times, even watched her doing a tattoo.  She recognized the preparations Emma was making. She was getting ready to do a tattoo.

“Um, Emma,” Andrea said, her heart racing.

Emma wasn’t thinking of giving her a real tattoo, was she? There wasn’t anyone else here, so who was she preparing to tattoo if not Andrea.

“Yeah, kiddo,” she said, putting a bottle of alcohol on the table.

“What are you doing?”

Emma finally stopped and grinned at her, “Setting up your table.”

Blinking, Andrea parroted, “My table?”

“Your table,” Emma said, putting the tattoo gun together.

“When you say my table you mean…” Andrea said.

“You are putting that,” Emma said, nodding at the drawing in Andrea’s hand, “On my hip.”

“I am?” Andrea asked, blinking in surprise.

“I guess I should have asked if it was okay to get your drawing as a tattoo,” Emma said, testing the gun for proper operation. Satisfied, she sat it down, looked at Andrea, and asked, “Can I get that as a tattoo?”

“Sure,” Andrea said, laughing, “I wasn’t worried about you using the drawing.”

“Good,” Emma said, grinning, “as soon as I saw your drawing, I wanted it as a tattoo.”

“I’m sure Sam can do it for you,” Andrea said.

“It’s hard to get time with Sam,” Emma said, then met her eyes, “Besides, I want you to do it.”

“Why me? I don’t know how to tattoo,” she said, looking at the gun. She didn’t even know how to turn it on.

“Neither did I my first time,” Emma said, looking at her set up. Nodding, she smiled at Andrea, “Ready?”

“Um, no,” Andrea said, laughing.

“Sure you are,” Emma said, putting her arm around Andrea’s shoulder, “It’s like tracing when you have a stencil.”

“If it were that easy, you’d be out of business,” Andrea said.

“True,” Emma said, then met her eyes, smiled reassuringly, and said, “I don’t let anyone put ink on me if I don’t trust them or their skills. Now pick up the damn gun.”

Laughing at her step-sister’s pep talk, Andrea had to smile and pick up the gun. She looked at it, then at Emma for instruction. Grinning, Emma came to her side, showed her how to hold it properly. She watched as Andrea got a feel for holding it, then pointed at a pedal on the floor.

“The go switch,” Emma said, stepping on it. The gun came buzzing to life in Andrea’s hand, then stopped when Emma moved her foot.

“Okay,” Andrea said.

“Alright, let’s get the stencil on,” Emma said.

Giving her a dubious look, Andrea asked, “That’s all the instruction I get?”

“It’s kind of a figure it out as you go kind of thing,” Emma said.

“Wow,” she said, shaking her head.

“You’ll be alright,” Emma said, unbuttoning her jeans. She reached for a bottle of clear gel, rubbed some on her outer thigh, “this is transfer gel. Much easier to use than deodorant. Keeps the stencil from rubbing off half way through the tattoo.”

“Okay,” Andrea said, then had to grin, “Why are we putting it on your thigh, again?”

Laughing, Emma said, “The only other spot I have big enough left is on my side and it is already taken.”

“Really?”

“Yeah,” Emma said, then added, “I have a lot of tattoos.”

“Apparently,” Andrea said, laughing.

“Help me line the stencil up,” Emma said, holding out her hand. Andrea gave it to her and Emma, said, “a big difference between tattooing and drawing is the human body is a tricky canvas. A great tattoo can still look like shit if it isn’t placed on the body right. It has to compliment the natural lines.”

“Okay,” Andrea said.

Emma held the stencil up to her thigh and looked at Andrea. Looking at it, Andrea thought Emma was testing her because the angle looked weird. She adjusted it a bit, then looked at it, again. Emma was smiling at her and nodded.

“Good,” she said, pressing the stencil to her thigh. She let it set for a second, then said, “Wet a paper towel with some water.”

Andrea did as she was told, started to hand it to Emma but the girl shook her head.

“Starting with the edges, use the towel on the stencil,” Emma said, watching as Andrea hesitantly used the towel on the transfer paper, “this helps set the stencil.”

Emma finally nodded and Andrea carefully peeled the stencil paper off her thigh. She looked at her drawing on Emma’s leg, saw for the first time that it would make a cool tattoo. Assuming she didn’t butcher Emma’s last remaining tattoo spot with her inexperience.

“You really should let Sam do this for you,” Andrea said, making a last ditch attempt at talking Emma out of making her do it.

Ignoring her, Emma said, “We’ll let this dry, and then we can get started.”

Andrea glanced at the gun laying on the table, nervously. She hoped she didn’t mess the tattoo up. Unlike the henna, it wouldn’t fade away in a couple of weeks. It would be on Emma’s body the rest of her life.

“I’ll talk you through setting up the needles while this dries,” Emma said, putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

Andrea watched as Emma pulled out three needles- one for outlining and two different ones for shading. She showed Andrea how to fit one of them into the barrel, then had Andrea do the other two. It was trickier than it looked and took some finesse but she got them inserted. Emma showed her how to insert the tube into the gun, tightening down the retaining screw. As Emma taught her about the gun, she felt herself curiously relaxing, the tension leaving her body and being replaced with excitement.  She was still nervous but she was starting to have fun.

Emma helped her set up her ink cups, filling a bottle with the black ink she had pulled from the cabinet. Next, she put a healthy dollop of petroleum jelly on the table, explaining what it was for and why not just use it out of the jar, “It makes it easier to move your hand as you tattoo and helps seal in the stencil. Putting a bunch on the table keeps you from cross contaminating the jar.”

“Okay,” Andrea said.

“You ready for this, Kiddo?” Emma asked, grinning at her.

“No,” Andrea said.

“Good,” Emma said, crawling on the chair, “let’s do this.”

Laughing, Andrea said, “Last chance to change your mind.”

“Shut up and ink me,” Emma said.

Andrea took a deep breath and pulled on some gloves. She smeared a thin layer of petroleum jelly over the stencil. Picking up the gun, she stood over Emma.

Smiling reassuringly at her, Emma said, “We’ll start with a blood line.  Let you get a feel for the gun.”

“Bloodline?” Andrea asked.

“It’s basically a tattoo without ink.  It creates… Well, a bruise. Blood just under the skin.”

“Okay,” Andrea said.

Taking another deep breath, she stepped on the pedal and the gun came to life in her hand. She watched the needle moving so fast it was a blur of motion.  Looking at Emma’s unmolested thigh, she hesitated. Summoning her courage, she made herself put the gun to her step-sister’s skin. She followed one of the lines that made up the banner with their names on it, saw Emma’s skin turn an angry red. Pausing she looked at Emma, who nodded. She finished tracing the banner, then removed her foot from the pedal.

“Not bad,” Emma said, smiling at her, “how did that feel?”

“Scary,” Andrea said, then laughed, “Cool.”

“Do you have a feel for the gun?”

“Um, yeah,” she said, nodding.

“Line consistency is important,” Emma said, smiling, “and also the hardest part of tattooing.”

“Okay,” Andrea said.

“So take your time,” her step-sister said, nodding at the ink cups, “nice and steady.”

Andrea dipped the machine in the cup of ink, then leaned over her step-sister. Her heart was racing and she had butterflies in her stomach but her hand was curiously steady as she made her first permanent line. Using one of the towels, she wiped away the excess ink and saw the black line on Emma’s thigh. Emma was grinning at her, nodded her approval.

That first line turned out to be the hardest and her confidence soared as the tattoo started to emerge from the stencil. She worked for about an hour, then she had to stop, as her hand started cramping up. Holding the vibrating gun steady was hard on the hand, and she needed a break.

Getting off the chair, Emma went to the full-length mirror against one wall and admired her handy work. Andrea joined her, chewing on her lower lip as Emma looked at what she had done. Finally, Emma grinned at her and said, “Not bad at all. A helluva lot better than my first attempt.”

“Really?” Andrea asked, sighing with relief. She hadn’t butchered it.

“There are a few shaky lines but considering this is your first time holding a gun, it’s impressive,” Emma said, putting her arm her shoulder and giving her an affectionate squeeze, “I knew you’d be good at this.”

“It’s not finished, yet,” she said, smiling self-consciously.

“I know. It’s going to be awesome when it is,” Emma said, excitedly.

Emma was back on the table in about ten minutes, and Andrea was trying to finish without messing up.  Emma talked to her as she worked, giving her little pointers on the fine art of tattooing. She finished her outline and wanted to stop, but Emma made her switch needles so she could do some shading. Andrea could only shake her head, thinking the girl was trying her luck.  Still, Emma’s confidence in her was starting to rub off. Her nerves were relatively calm as she picked the gun up, again.

“When shading,” Emma said, smiling at her, “pick a spot for an imaginary light source.  If it is above, then the shadows should be underneath. If it is to the right, then the shadows are on the left side of the lines.”

Andrea nodded, remembering Emma teaching her this in her drawing. She noticed Emma had a freckle on her hip, just beneath the waistband of her panties, and decided that was her light source.

“There are a couple of methods for getting shades of gray, but we are going to stick with the easiest. Varying the pressure on the needle causes differences in saturation of color.  Push a little harder or leave the needle longer and it is darker. Angle the needle a little to feather it out. One thing to keep in mind is you can always go back and make something darker but you can’t lighten something that is too dark.”

Taking a deep breath, Andrea started shading the banner. She smiled, thinking the poor thing was her guinea pig for trying new techniques. Of all the tattoo, the banner with Emma and her name was the roughest part. Not that it looked bad, just not as polished as the rest.

Emma’s warning fresh in her mind, she kept her shading light, knowing she could go back and darken it later if she needed to.  As she started adding shadows to her design, it took on depth and popped up from the skin.  It was exciting seeing the image come to life on Emma’s thigh. No longer a plain line drawing on a page but a three-dimensional work of art.

She felt Emma’s eyes on her and looked up. The teenager was smiling at her with a mixture of pride and amusement. When she raised her eyebrows questioningly, Emma said, “I had to drag you kicking and screaming into this but I think you are starting to have fun.”

“I am,” Andrea said, then laughed, “after I realized I wasn’t going to scar you for life, it started to be fun.”

“Just needed your confidence a kick in the ass, is all,” Emma said, making Andrea laugh harder.

She worked for another twenty minutes, then wiped the excess ink off Emma’s thigh. She looked at her handy work, felt a swell of pride at what she had created.  It looked better than she could ever have imagined.

“Take your gloves off,” Emma said, grinning at her. When Andrea had them off, she said, “Grab some white out of the cabinet.  A few highlights and you are done.”

Andrea found the white, put some ink in one of the small plastic cups. Back in gloves, Andrea listened as Emma walked her through using the white to add a little pop of contrast to the tattoo.  She picked up the gun and put the finishing touches on the tattoo.

Emma got up and went to the mirror. She motioned Andrea over and gave her a big hug and said, “I love it, kiddo. Now I’ll always have you with me.”

Touched by that statement, Andrea felt tears sting her eyes. She knew Emma loved her like a real sister but it was still nice to hear.

“Hey no crying,” Emma said, her own eyes glistening.

“I’m good,” Andrea said, laughing. She took a deep breath to get herself under control.

Emma hugged her and said, “I love you, kiddo. And I love this tattoo. It’s my new favorite.”

“You seriously need to stop with the mushy shit,” Andrea said, tears threatening to fall, again.

Laughing, Emma let her go and said, “Let’s clean up and get out of here.”

—————————–

“You aren’t going to drink that, are you?” Andrea said, grimacing at the steaming mug in front of Emma.

Laughing, she said, “No. This is for the henna.”

“Really? We didn’t do anything like this last time.”

“Like I said, I did some research,” Emma said, winking at her.

“Right,” Andrea said, laughing and shaking her head, “because you knew I was going to let you do another tattoo on me.”

“Anyway,” Emma said, grinning, “I found a video that explained how to get a darker, richer color from the henna paste using coffee, peppercorns, cloves, and cinnamon.  The coffee pulls the oils from the peppercorns, cinnamon, and cloves, giving the tattoo more oomph.”

“Okay,” Andrea said.

“That and it smells really good,” Emma said, breathing in the aromatic steam.

“Probably taste horrible, though,” Andrea said, looking at the oily black liquid.

“True,” Emma said, going to the pantry for a couple of lemons, “would you juice these for me while I change into something more comfortable. These jeans are irritating my new tattoo.”

Andrea cut the lemon in half and squeezed the juice out of them into a small measuring cup. Chunking the leftovers in the trash can, she washed her hands.  Emma returned as she was drying them on a dish towel, now wearing boxer shorts and a tank top. Her black hair was pulled up in a ponytail. She was in relaxed mode.

Seeing the fresh tattoo on Emma’s thigh, now covered in a film of plastic to trick her body into thinking it was scabbed over, she had to smile. She had done that, had created something that was now a part of Emma.

“My turn to change,” Andrea said, leaving her step-sister to finish prepping the paste. She grabbed her bag on the way to the bathroom. With the door closed, she shimmied out of the too tight, too short skirt and clingy shirt.  She pulled on a pair of pajama bottoms and a t-shirt, shaking her head when she realized it was the first time she had ever put on more clothes when getting dressed for bed. It was kind of nice not being half naked, anymore.

Looking at her reflection in the mirror, she had to smile.  She looked so different in makeup, prettier. Taking one of the makeup remover towels, she wiped it all off. The face in the mirror was hers, again. For now. Her eyes went to the little makeup kit sitting on top of her bag and she grinned. Emma had spent some time showing her how to apply her new makeup. The makeup she had just wiped off, she had applied herself.

She didn’t know if she had the nerve to do what Emma had suggested, put her make up on when she got to school and take it off when it was time to go home, but at least, she knew how to do it if she felt like being brave.

When she made it back to the kitchen, Emma had the paste prepared and set aside. Emma glanced at the microwave and said, “This isn’t going to be ready to use tonight.”

“I know,” Andrea said, remembering last time, “it’s going to take a while to cure.”

“I have to go into the shop tomorrow morning for a couple of hours,” Emma said, shaking her head, “I told Sam you’d be here this weekend but we are booked solid.”

“It’s okay,” Andrea said.

“We’ll do your back tomorrow evening.”

“That gives me time to change my mind,” Andrea said, laughing when Emma gave her a doubtful look.

“The guy is coming in early,” Emma said, shaking her head when she glanced at the clock, “I’m going to bed.”

“Okay,” Andrea said, laughing. She knew Emma hated getting up early.

“Good night, kiddo,” Emma said, heading toward her room. She paused with her hand on the doorknob, turned back to Andrea and said, “You did an excellent job with my tattoo.”

“Thanks,” Andrea said, smiling.

“Did you have fun?” Emma asked.

“I did.”

Smiling, Emma said, “Is it something you’d like to learn more about?”

“What? Tattooing?” Andrea asked, raising her eyebrows.

“Yeah. If you want to learn, I’ll teach you.”

“Really?” Andrea asked.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” Emma said, nodding, “I’ll dig my old gun out of storage and talk to Sam about getting you some practice skins.”

“Practice skins?” Andrea parroted, making a face. It brought a morbid image to mind, something fresh out of a horror movie.

“Not really skin, but tattoos like it. Good for practicing on.”

“Oh,” Andrea said, laughing.

“I made the same face when my dad told me about them,” Emma said, grinning, “night, kiddo.”

“Good night.”

Andrea watched her open the door and disappear into her room. Alone, she wondered about the crazy way the night had gone. She had let Emma talk her into going out into public half naked, had worn makeup for the first time, had given her step-sister a tattoo. Laughing, she thought, just your typical night for a thirteen-year-old girl.

Excitement coursing through her, she wanted to tell someone about her night but a glance at the clock on the microwave told her it was too late to call Kelly or Michelina. Stymied, she went to Emma’s computer and booted it up. She was going to tell someone, even if it meant by email. Not that they’d get it tonight. Both girls were probably asleep like she should be.

She was too wired to get to sleep anytime soon, so she opened Internet Explorer and started to type in Google so she could check her email. Her fingers came to a halt after only a letter, her eyes wide at the suggested websites that popped up. Grinning, she remembered Emma talking about the porn in her browser but she had thought the girl had been joking. Apparently, she hadn’t been.

Andrea hesitated, glancing at the closed door to Emma’s room. She knew she wasn’t supposed to look at these sites, but her curiosity got the better of her. Her hand was shaking a little as she moved the mouse over the first link and clicked on it. Her eyes widened at all the different videos, all the graphic banner ads and the sheer visual overload of nude images.

Seeing a word she didn’t know as the one-word title to one of the videos, she read it out loud, “Cunnilingus? What the hell is cunnilingus?”

Again, curiosity got the better of her and she clicked on it. It started out with two twenty-something women-a brunette and pale redhead- sitting on a bed, kissing.  Andrea frowned, thinking it was pretty tame.  She didn’t know why but it wasn’t what she expected. It was actually kind of sweet, the kissing playful and romantic. Even when the clothes started disappearing, it was more sensual than dirty. Andrea found herself drawn to the passion of the two on the screen. As desire heated up between the two lovers, Andrea felt herself beginning to get turned on.

The brunette urged the redhead onto her back, then moved between her spread legs. She was grinning down at the redhead as she pulled supine girl’s panties off. Andrea watched wide-eyed as the brunette lowered her mouth to the redhead’s sex, her tongue teasing the woman’s bud.  The redhead moaned thickly and her hips started moving.

“Huh,” Andrea said, realizing it must feel good, what the brunette was doing to her lover. Then she saw the brunette roll her eyes up at the redhead, a smile on her face. Her eyes widened as she realized the brunette was enjoying herself, as well.

Unable to look away, Andrea watched the whole scene on the edge of her chair. She was flushed with excitement by the end and more than a little aroused. Running a hand through her hair, she wondered if she’d ever be brave enough to do what those women had done, use her mouth to pleasure another girl. She wondered what it would be like, how it would taste.

Starting the video again, she skipped ahead to the part where the brunette removed the redhead’s panties.  She focused on what the brunette was doing instead of the slack-mouthed look of enjoyment on the redhead’s face. Andrea bit her lip as she watched the flick of the brunette’s tongue as it caressed the redhead’s bud. She knew why she was interested in what the woman was doing, even if she wasn’t ready to admit it.

———————————

“What’s wrong with you?”

Andrea stopped rubbing her neck and said, “Your couch isn’t very comfortable. I woke up all gimpy.”

Smiling, Emma said, “Well, it was free.”

“I think you still paid too much,” she said, trying to stretch the stiffness out of her shoulders and neck.

Her step-sister was laughing as she moved behind Andrea. She put her hands on Andrea’s shoulders, began to massage the soreness out them. Grimaces of pain turned into sighs of relief as Emma found little knots of tension in her muscles and worked them until they relaxed.

“You are a mess, kiddo,” Emma said.

“I told you your couch was mean,” Andrea said.

“I can fix that,” Emma said, still rubbing her shoulders, “take off your shirt and lay on the bed.”

“I bet you tell all the girls that,” she said, making her step-sister laugh.

“Another remark like that and I’ll let you stay gimpy,” Emma said.

Andrea laughed as she headed for Emma’s room. She pulled her shirt and bra off and stretched out on the bed, face down. Emma showed up with a bottle of lotion and crawled onto the bed with her. Straddling Andrea’s backside, she squirted some of the scented lotion into her hand and worked it around to warm it up a bit. It still made Andrea gasp when it touch her bare skin. As Emma began to work the lotion in, she felt herself start to relax. Her step-sister’s nimble fingers turned out to be good at this as well, finding and releasing the tension in her tight muscles.

Out of the blue, the video she had watched the night before popped into her head. She figured if anyone could answer some of the questions she had, it would be Emma.

“Emma,” Andrea said, shyly.

“What’s up, kiddo?”

“What’s it like to go down on a girl?” Andrea asked, her face hot with embarrassment.

Her step-sister’s hands came to a stop on her back, and she didn’t say anything for a while. Finally, she asked, “Why do you ask?”

“I might have clicked on a link in your web browser,” Andrea said.

“Was that what you were doing while I was asleep, cruising for porn?” Emma asked, laughing. She began to massage Andrea’s back, again.

“I was trying to get to my Gmail account, and Bing mistook me for you and started suggesting porn sites,” Andrea said, grinning.

“Good old Bing,” Emma said, laughing, “knows me so well.”

“I clicked on something called girl-on-girl dot com. There was a video with the title ‘cunnilingus’, which I think means oral sex for women.”

“It does,” Emma said, and Andrea knew she was grinning without being able to see her face. It only made hers burn hotter.

“It was kind of weird, the idea of putting your mouth down there, but the women in the video seemed to enjoy it. Both of them.”

Emma was quiet a second, probably trying to think of a delicate way of explaining it to Andrea. Finally, she said, “Oral sex is like all sex. It is a give and get sort of thing. Unless you are a selfish lover, you want your partner to feel good, too. Getting oral sex feels somewhere between nice and amazing, depending on the skill level of your partner. Giving… It has its rewards, too. There is just something sexy about listening to your partner’s breathing change and start making those noises of excitement. Do you know what I mean?”

“Yeah,” Andrea said, smiling as she thought about Michelina and the little noises she made when she was turned on.

“It is also a very intimate, very personal thing for two people to share,” Emma added.

That made sense to Andrea.

“Me,” Emma said, finding a big knot just under Andrea’s shoulder blade and working it with her fingers, “I like it. Both sides of it. The only way for you to know if you like it is to try it.”

“I know,” Andrea said, smiling.

Emma had done wonders on her tight muscles, and she felt like as relaxed as a sloth on tranquilizers.

She hadn’t slept well the night before and that was only half because of the torture device her step-sister called a couch. She had been too wound up to get to sleep. First there had been the trip to the mall, then giving Emma a tattoo, then discovering the joy of porn. There had been too much to think about and her mind hadn’t wanted to switch off.

Now, with Emma’s able fingers relieving the tension from her back and shoulders, she felt her eyes grow heavy and her breathing slow. She was drifting, drifting…

“Hey, don’t fall asleep on me,” Emma said, laughing as she tickled  Andrea’s ribs.

Pulled back from the edge of sleep and tossed into a giggling fit by her screaming nerve endings, she fought back but Emma outweighed her and had her at a disadvantage. She bucked but Emma was able to shift her weight and keep her pinned, still torturing her sensitive flanks.  She was laughing so hard she thought she was going to pee herself.

She finally managed to turn onto her back but that didn’t help her situation much. Emma stopped tickling her, blinking in surprise. Andrea looked down, remembering she was shirtless. Blushing, she covered herself.

“Um, right,” Emma said, getting off her, “Sorry.”

“Well, that was awkward,” Andrea said, pulling a pillow in front of her.

“Tell me about it,” her step-sister said, laughing.

“I think we are done with the massage now,” Andrea said, looking for her shirt.

“Don’t get dressed, yet,” Emma said, getting off the bed, “might as well start your tattoo.”

“Okay,” Andrea said, watching as Emma headed out of the room to get the henna paste. Frowning, she wondered about the brief look that had passed across her step-sister’s face. She had recognized it, had seen it when Michelina looked at her. Had she imagined it? It was possible because it was there, then gone in the blink of an eye.

Maybe it hadn’t meant anything. Maybe it was the shock of seeing Andrea half naked, like a knee jerk reaction to a pair of breasts.

But, what if…

No, Andrea thought, shaking her head, Emma doesn’t think of me like that. We are like real sisters, the ‘step’ just a formality. It would be weird if Emma thought of me that way. Right?

She stretched out on her stomach before her step-sister could get back, wondering if her face looked as red as it felt. Emma came back with what she needed to do the tattoo, crawling onto the bed beside her. They had brought some of the transfer gel with them from the tattoo shop, so they didn’t need the deodorant/alcohol trick. Emma quickly transferred the tattoo to her back, removing the paper carefully. While the stencil dried, she filled her applicator bottle with the henna paste.

“I talked to Sam about getting you some practice skins,” Emma said, waving her hand across Andrea’s back to help the drying process, “he loved your tattoo, by the way. He isn’t an easy man to impress but you did.  He didn’t believe me at first until I showed him the video.”

“Video?” Andrea asked, craning her neck to look at Emma.

Grinning, she said, “You were so into it, you didn’t even notice I had my phone out. I recorded a nice chunk of you tattooing. More than enough to prove you did it.”

“Why record it?” Andrea asked.

“As a memento,” Emma said, smiling at her, “it was definitely a cool thing, getting tattooed by my little sister.”

“It was pretty cool,” Andrea said, returning the smile.

“Anyway, he gave me the catalog he uses to order supplies,” Emma said, running her fingers across the stencil to make sure it was dry and set. Satisfied, she started applying the paste as she went on, “I’ll order you some skins in the morning. Some ink, too.”

“Awesome,” Andrea said, grinning.

“I know it goes without saying,” Emma said, pausing, “but don’t tell my mom or your dad about it. I doubt either one would be cool with me teaching you how to tattoo.”

Laughing, Andrea said, “Got it.”

For the next couple of hours, they made small talk about the people Emma has tattooed, about Andrea’s school, about Michelina, and others as Emma used the applicator bottle to fill in Andrea’s new henna tattoo.  Like the first one, Emma seemed more than capable with the medium.

“Did you give any thought to doing this for a living?” Andrea asked, near the end.

“You mean work for the cashier girl’s friend?” Emma asked, pausing, “I guess if the pay was good. I need to call her.”

Grinning, Andrea asked, “The cashier girl or her friend?”

“Yes,” Emma said, laughing, “but mostly the cashier girl. Her name was Selena, right?”

“I think so,” Andrea said.

“She was hot, right?” Emma asked, grinning.

“Yeah,” Andrea said, laughing.

“I’ll give her a call after I’m finished here,” Emma said, getting back to work.

Another ten minutes and she sat the applicator bottle down, said, “I think that is it.”

Sitting up, Andrea put her arm across her breasts and went to the full-length mirror on Emma’s closet. Turning her back to it, she looked at her new tattoo over her shoulder.  Again, she was amazed at how much detail Emma had managed with the henna paste, the subtle lines and shading.  She could clearly see the angel and demon in a forbidden embrace, the symmetry of their outstretched wings that spanned the entire length of her back at its widest part.

“Here,” Emma said, holding out Andrea’s shirt. Andrea let her slip it around her neck and let it dangle in the front. She was able to drop her arm but it still left a lot of skin exposed.  She felt her face flush remembering that fleeting look she had seen on Emma’s face. Unfortunately it was going to be several hours before she could do anything about it.

——————————-

Andrea half woke up when someone’s body weight settled onto the couch behind her.  She smiled as an arm was put around her and a soft body pressed against her back. A kiss on her neck, just behind her ear, made her shiver. It was nice and a pleasant warmth spread through her. A hand stole under her shirt to cup her breast and she moaned.

The sleep cobwebs slowly parted and she frowned. As the hand on her breast slipped lower and into the waistband of her pajama bottoms, her brain finally kicked into gear and she wondered who was spooning with her, who was touching her like this.  The caressing fingers made it a little hard to think but she knew she was at Emma’s and the only two people here were herself and… Emma.

Her eyes widened and she cast off the last of sleep as she realized it had to her step-sister on the couch with her, her step-sister’s hand teasing her bud.  She suddenly couldn’t breath, her heart knocking around in her breast.

Was this really happening? She remembered that fleeting look on Emma’s face last night but she still couldn’t believe it.

Oh God, what do I do, Andrea thought frantically.

It didn’t make it any easier as her body started to respond to the hand between her thighs. The first moan that slipped past her lips startled her and she realized she kind of liked what was happening to her.

But she’s my sister, she thought, biting her lip. She didn’t want to moan, again. Didn’t want to encourage Emma anymore.

Step-sister, another part of her brain spoke up and that didn’t help anything. There wasn’t technically anything wrong with enjoying this.  They weren’t blood relatives.

Things were getting out of hand fast and she had to stop it while she still could. She pushed the hand away from her crotch, turned on the couch. She was about to tell Emma to stop, that they needed to talk about this but the words never made it passed her lips. She blinked stupidly at her couch-mate, stunned by what she saw.

“Good morning, chica.”

Surprise turned to relief and she smiled at Michelina. She pulled the girl against her and hugged her tightly. The girl laughed and hugged her back. She kissed Michelina deeply, then pulled back to give her a questioning look.

“Hi,” Michelina said, grinning.

“What are you doing here?” Andrea asked, still giving her the funny look.

“Your step-sister had to go into the shop, again. She called and asked if I wanted to keep you company. She picked me up and dropped me off here,” Michelina said, kissing her, again.

“Do your parents know you are here?” Andrea asked, her eyes wide.

“God, no,” Michelina said, laughing, “they think we are at the mall.”

“Huh,” Andrea said.

“Do you like your surprise?” Michelina said, smiling playfully at her.

“Scared the hell out of me,” Andrea said, laughing and shaking her head, “but I’m glad you are here.”

“Thought your step-sister had gone rogue on you?” She asked, laughing.

“Didn’t think anyone else was here.”

“Sorry, chica,” Michelina said.

“Did Emma say how long she was going to be?” Andrea asked.

“She didn’t know,” Michelina said, then started grinning, “she did say the sheets are fresh and that she’d knock before coming in.”

Snorting in surprise, Andrea started laughing, “That sounds like Emma.”

“Why don’t you go brush your teeth and we can see just how fresh they are,” Michelina said, getting off the couch.

“My breath that bad?” Andrea asked, laughing.

“Nothing a toothbrush can’t tame,” Michelina said, helping her to her feet. She swatted Andrea on the backside as she walked by, making her yelp. Andrea gave her a dirty look as she headed to the bathroom.
Andrea used the bathroom, then stood in front of the mirror. She shook her head at Emma’s little surprise, then started brushing her teeth. There was a soft knock on the door and Michelina poked her head in the door. Andrea motioned her in with a nod of her head. Michelina moved behind her as she brushed her teeth and pulled Andrea’s shirt up. Knowing what she was trying to see, Andrea raised her hands over her head and let the girl take her shirt off. In the mirror, she saw her reaction to the new henna tattoo and had to smile. She shivered as Michelina traced the outline of one of the naked girls on her back. It tickled.

“It is amazing,” Michelina said, then grinned, “then again, it had to be, didn’t it?”

“I’m going to get so much shit from the girls at school,” Andrea said, after rinsing her mouth.

“Forget them,” Michelina said, pressing her body against Andrea’s back, “I think it is muy bonita. Sexy.”

“Mmm,” Andrea said, smiling at Michelina in the mirror, “I’m glad you like it.”

“I do,” Michelina said, cupping Andrea’s small breasts, “Do you think I am the angel or the demon, chica?”

“I’m not sure either one of us is an angel,” Andrea said, sighing and pushing back into the girl, “but you are as beautiful as one.”

Smiling at her, Michelina let her hands slip from her breasts, down her taut belly to the waistband of her pajama bottoms. She hooked her thumbs in them and her panties, pushing both down around her thighs. Andrea leaned heavily against the sink as one of those hands slipped up and into the junction of her thighs. The heat there had died down as she brushed her teeth but Michelina’s fingers brought it back to life and it burned even hotter.  She moaned as Michelina teased her bud, her hips moving on their own. Gravity pulled at her pajamas and panties until they slipped down her legs and pooled around her ankles. Stepping out of them, she kicked them aside. She opened her legs wider, giving Michelina easier access.

Andrea caught a glimpse of her face screwed up in pleasure, her eyes all squinted and her mouth slack, her brow pinched and her cheeks flushed. She shifted her eyes, looking at Michelina instead. She saw The Smile on the girl’s face and it made her heart beat faster. That smile widened as she noticed Andrea looking at her. Her eyes held Andrea’s as she teased moan after moan from her.

Her hands tightened on the sink as Michelina’s skilled hand pushed her closer and closer to release. The girl was rubbing her lower abdomen against Andrea’s backside, the curious sensation sending little waves of pleasure through her. The two separate sensations melded into one and Andrea’s body went crazy. So she held onto the sink in a death grip, held on for dear life.

Michelina kissed her shoulders and her neck,  her free hand roaming over Andrea’s writhing body. Her touch left Andrea’s skin tingling, her nerve endings crying out in its wake. They craved Michelina’s attention.

It didn’t take long for tension to start gathering deep inside. Andrea made the mistake of looking at her reflection as that pressure built up and built up. Her eyes were wide and her mouth slack, like she was surprised by her own body’s reaction to what Michelina was doing to her. Her eyes closed as Michelina’s fingers had her tiptoeing on the edge of ecstasy. The tension was almost too much to bear; surely she must climax or burst into a million pieces.  Then her pent up breath rushed from her in a gasp, her body exploding with pleasure.

Michelina wrapped her arms around her, held Andrea as she shook like a marionette with a drunken puppeteer, her body losing all grace.
Once she regained some sort of control of her body, she turned into Michelina, kissed her deeply. The girl kissed her back, the arm around Andrea’s waist pulling her close. They stood like that a long while, just kissing and enjoying the closeness.

Eventually, Andrea pulled back and looked at Michelina. Laughing, she said, “Why am I naked and you are still completely clothed, again? We need to work on getting you out of your clothes at the same time as me.”

Andrea hooked her fingers in the hem of Michelina’s shirt and the girl raised her arms so she could remove it completely. Michelina undid the clasp on her bra and removed it as Andrea undid the button on her jeans. Running the pants down her long legs, Andrea sank to her knees so she could remove the girl’s shoes. The pants were off and Andrea pulled the cute white panties down and off, as well. Andrea looked up at the naked girl from her knees, smiling.

She loved the way Michelina looked, her budding breasts and just starting to flare hips, her long legs and pert backside, her golden skin and jet black hair. She was so lovely. How she had never noticed the sensual lines of the female form before Michelina confounded her.  There was such an obvious beauty in femininity, a natural attraction that dared the eye to look away knowing that it couldn’t.

At least, that was Andrea’s thoughts as she looked at her girlfriend.
Her eyes fell on the slight swell of Michelina’s girlhood, at the clitoral hood at the top of the smooth folds of her sex. Her heart started racing in her chest as she thought about the video she had seen on Emma’s computer. In her mind’s eye, she could see the brunette and redhead on the bed as they took turns pleasuring each other with their mouths.

Before she could talk herself out of it, Andrea kissed Michelina’s girlhood, making the girl gasp in surprise. The gasp became a moan as Andrea’s tongue caressed her bud. When she glanced up at the girl, Andrea saw the wide-eyed look of surprise on Michelina’s face. Giggling, she returned her attention to Michelina’s bud.

The salty taste of the girl’s skin was enticing and Andrea couldn’t get enough of it. Her tongue was greedy as she teased another moan from the girl. Michelina’s hips began to sway, pushing her girlhood against Andrea’s mouth.

Andrea heard Michelina’s breathing change, heard the little noises of excitement that slipped past her parted lips and Andrea smiled. Emma had been right about it being sexy, the sounds of enjoyment Michelina was making because of her.

Things she had seen the girls in the video do to each other popped into her head and she tried them on Michelina. She listened to the sounds the girl was making, quickly learned what she liked.  She heard Michelina’s little cries of pleasure get louder.  Michelina’s hand fell on the back of her head, her fingers knotting in her hair. It was a none too subtle hint that made Andrea smile. The girl liked what Andrea was doing to her.

She ran her fingernails up the insides of the girl’s thighs, making Michelina shiver. Her hands roamed ceaselessly over the girl’s lovely body, testing the resilience of her muscles and the softness of her skin. As beautiful as Michelina’s body was, it felt even better.  Soft and warm and smooth in all the right places, it begged to be touched.

Michelina’s cries were filling the bathroom and her body was gyrating out of control. Andrea’s cheeks were wet from her thrashings and she had a hold of the girl’s buttocks trying to keep her mouth to the girl’s bud.

Andrea felt an urgency enter Michelina’s body, heard her cries grow sharp in anticipation.  She focused on pushing the girl towards her climax, using the flat of her tongue to put pressure on Michelina’s bud. Then Michelina cried out one more time, her body stiffening against Andrea’s mouth. She shuddered through her orgasm, jerking like she was being electrocuted.

Getting to her feet, Andrea smiled at the girl. Michelina touched her wet cheek, then pulled her into a hug. Laughing, Andrea hugged her back.

“Holy shit, chica,” Michelina said, pulling back a little to kiss her.
Smiling, Andrea said, “Come on.”

She offered her hand and Michelina took it. She led them to Emma’s bedroom, toppled them onto the bed in a tangle of limbs. Giggling, Andrea rolled atop Michelina, leaning in for a kiss.  The girl wouldn’t let her pull back and Andrea was okay with that.

Eventually, Michelina let Andrea go and she stretched out on her side next to the girl. Rolling onto her own side, Michelina said, “Emma said I should ask you about your day Friday.”

“Oh my God,” Andrea said, grinning, “I had the craziest day ever.”

She told Michelina about the trip to the mall, about the tattoo, and finally, about Emma offering to teach her how to tattoo. Michelina listened to the story with wide eyed surprise, grinning at Andrea’s excitement.

“You really gave Emma a tattoo? A real one, not henna?” Michelina said, The Smile back on her face.

“I did,” Andrea said.

“You are kind of a bad girl,” Michelina said, that smile widening, “That’s hot.”

“You like bad girls, do you?” Andrea said, moving against the girl.

“I like you, chica,” Michelina said, kissing her, “I’d have liked to see you in the mini skirt and heels, though.”

Laughing, Andrea said, “I could probably arrange that. Are you sure you want me to get dressed, though?”

Michelina favored her with a playful smile and said, “Maybe not just, yet.”

“I didn’t think so,” Andrea said, kissing her deeply. She moved atop the girl.

Michelina opened her legs and she found herself laying between them. She knew what the girl wanted but she wanted to try something she had seen in the video. She got off Michelina, sat Indian style on the bed. Grinning, she motioned Michelina to sit in the hollow of her legs facing her. The girl shrugged, sitting in her lap, her long legs poked out behind Andrea. Andrea opened her legs a little bit more and their bodies nested together. Michelina looked down, then back up at Andrea. She was grinning as she tried rolling her hips forward. The grin widened and she sighed. She put her arms around Andrea’s neck as her hips began to gyrate against Andrea. As their bodies ground together, Michelina kissed her and didn’t stop until they had to come up for air.

Michelina grinned at her and said, “You are just full of surprises today.”

Winking, Andrea let her hands trail down the girl’s back to grab her buttocks. She helped Michelina really grind against her. Every time their bodies came together, it forced a moan from Andrea and it mingled with Michelina’s little mewling sounds of pleasure.

The heave of Michelina’s small breasts caught her attention and her lips found the stiff nub of one nipple. She traced its brown areola with her tongue, making Michelina sigh. Her back arched, pushing the breast into Andrea’s mouth. Using her teeth like she saw the girl do in the video, she gently nibbled the nipple until Michelina groaned thickly. Her hands were in Andrea’s hair, holding her to her breasts.  Andrea abandoned one, only to tease the other.

“Oh God,” Michelina moaned, thickly.

Andrea kissed the girl, let her tongue into her mouth.  She could feel the girl’s excitement in the kiss.  It fueled her own and their coupling became almost frantic to match their need.  Andrea cringed as Emma’s headboard repeatedly slammed into the wall behind them. Laughing, Michelina slowed down, so only the squeal of protest from the box springs filled the room. Andrea grinned at her, put her finger to her lips, before losing it, too. They held onto each other as they rode out a giggling fit.

“Emma’s poor neighbors,” Andrea said, grinning.

“Yeah,” Michelina said, her hips beginning to move, again.

Andrea found she could push up and forward with her hips, meeting Michelina’s body as she rolled her hips forward. With a little practice, they found their rhythm, their bodies moving in perfect harmony.  Soon their cries of pleasure began to drown out the creaking of the bed.  Andrea wondered if Emma’s neighbors could hear them through the thin walls but she decided she didn’t care. They’d probably blame Emma, anyways.

Andrea felt the first stirrings of an orgasm and she met Michelina’s eyes. The girl nodded, starting to lose control of her hips.  Andrea grabbed her buttocks, helped Michelina finish them both off. She stiffened with an orgasm a heartbeat before Michelina and they clung to each other as they shook.  Even after the trembling subsided, they weren’t in any rush to let go. Andrea kissed Michelina, a sweet and slow kiss that neither of them wanted to end.

“That was amazing, chica,” Michelina said, brushing the hair from Andrea’s sweaty forehead, “where did you learn that?”

“The internet,” Andrea said, laughing.

Michelina gave her a questioning look, her eyebrows raised.

“Emma is between girlfriends and has a lot of porn in her browser,” Andrea said.

“You’ve been watching porn?” Michelina asked, amused.

“A little,” she said, laughing.

“If that is where you learned this position and that thing you did in the bathroom, I say keep watching,” Michelina said, grinning at her.

Andrea could only laugh.

Continue to Part Three

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