CHAPTER 29
Gage
“We already answered this one,” she said and held the card up to Carrie, who was lying on the bed next to her.
“Where do you want to live in the future? We didn’t answer that,” Carrie argued.
“Yes, we did.” Gage laughed. “You’re just too tipsy to remember.”
“Okay. What did you say, then? Because I forgot.”
“I said I wanted to live in the city and live in a condo, or at least, near a big city. Like, thirty minutes away is as far as I want to be. It could be helpful because most of my customers are in the burbs, obviously, but I’ve got a few in the city, and I’m trying to expand into more commercial spaces, too. ”
“How have you done all that at twenty-five?”
“I guess we haven’t gotten to that, huh?”
“Not yet. Unless I forgot that, too.”
Carrie smiled widely at her, and for the first time this week, Gage wasn’t thinking about having sex; she was actually enjoying the hours they’d spent talking.
While she knew she would also love to sleep with Carrie, it wasn’t about that tonight.
She understood that and was okay with it.
This was also the first time since this trip had begun that she was happy.
Even sex that first night couldn’t compare to this.
That was why she was tempted not to bring the mood down, but Carrie had asked her, and she wanted to be honest, so she cleared her throat, looked over at the beautiful woman lying beside her, and decided that if she was going to truly give this week a chance, she should tell her.
“My parents were killed in an accident. There was a lawsuit. I ended up with some insurance money, and after taking care of them, I used it to start my own business. So, there.”
“Gage, I’m so sorry,” Carrie said.
“Yeah… It is what it is.”
“When did it happen?”
“I was seventeen. I finished high school but didn’t feel like going to college.
I’m not great with authority, so joining the military wasn’t an option, and I’d worked on pools as a summer job as a teenager.
It seemed like something I could do, so I started doing that full-time, got certifications, and worked hard.
Then, when I was twenty-two, I went all-in on myself.
I got the office and just expanded into retail sales this year.
It’s been going well so far. Some months are worse than others, but that’s business.
I’m not going to be a millionaire or anything anytime soon, but I’ve hired a great crew, and they do good work.
We’re building a reputation, and things are starting to take off for me. ”
“That’s great,” Carrie replied. “Are you an only child?”
“I’ve got an older sister. She’s five years older than me and took me in until I graduated high school.
We split the money stuff fifty-fifty. She’s not a huge fan of the gay thing and had a baby about two years after our parents died, so I took that as my cue to go.
I got my own apartment and got a better one later.
It’s nothing fancy, but it’s good enough for now.
I’d like to buy a place one day, but I’ve put everything into the business, so it’ll be a minute. ”
“Yeah, I get it. I’ve been trying to save for a place myself, and it’s hard. I’ll put a little away, but then, something comes up, and suddenly, I’m starting all over. I shouldn’t even be here, with how expensive it is, but I applied not thinking I’d go through with it, and now, here I am.”
“Why did you come here?” Gage turned on her side to face her, bringing her beer bottle with her and taking a sip. “I know to find love, but there’s more to it than that, right?”
“You really want to know?” Carrie asked.
“Yes,” she said and meant it.
Carrie was beautiful. She had long blonde hair, and Gage would describe her blue eyes as ice blue, but that didn’t seem right because ice blue eyes were something people associated with hard or cold people, and Carrie was anything but that.
“I came out not all that long ago, but I had applied to come here before I finished telling what felt like everyone I’d ever met that I was gay. As crazy as it sounds, I thought this would help me.”
“Help you come out?”
“Help me meet a woman to… be with for the first time.”
“First time?” Gage asked, a little surprised, and tried to hide it by sipping her beer again.
“Yeah. Sorry.”
“Why are you sorry?”
“Because that’s bad, right? I mean, you’re obviously… experienced. And don’t think I didn’t notice your… bulge there.”
Gage looked down and said, “Oh, shit. I forgot I had this on.”
“You forgot? How do you forget?”
“I did. Shit. Sorry. You probably think it’s weird.”
“No, I don’t. But why do you wear it? I know why during sex, obviously.”
“Most of the time, I don’t. I did it today mainly because I was being petulant since Nia has me on notice.
And– Well, honestly, I had sex with someone here strapped – not this one, obviously; this is a packer, and I used an actual harness and dildo that Nia provided, following the rules – but I kind of hoped that maybe that someone would want a repeat, and she’d ask for me tonight.
My plan didn’t work, though, and I forgot all about it. ”
“You wanted someone else tonight?”
“No, not like that, Carrie. Not like I didn’t want to get to know you tonight. This was before I knew we were paired together. I was being immature and thought if I showed this off or something, it might inspire someone to break the rules with me, and that was wrong.”
“You wear it other times, though. Why do you wear it, then?”
“I just like it,” she said. “I know that it might not make sense to some people, and I don’t do it often, but it’s nice to have a woman over, and she reaches out and massages it, you know? Just a turn-on thing. I can take it off if it bugs you.”
“It doesn’t,” Carrie replied while still looking down at her bulge, which Gage found interesting. “Does it bug you that I’ve never been with a woman?”
“No,” she said honestly. “Do you… Want to touch it? I don’t mean in the way… Sorry, I just said it like we’re going to do something tonight. Just, if you’re interested in it and want to like… never mind.”
“I am way too tipsy for that,” Carrie said, laughing a bit, and she finished her drink before she set it on the table. “But yes, I’d like to. Is that weird?”
“No. We all have our things, right?” Gage moved to lie flat. “You can touch it, if you want, or not. I’m not going to pressure you to do anything you don’t want to do, okay?”
“I know. I… trust you. Maybe that’s the alcohol talking.”
“I hope not,” Gage replied.
“Do you feel it?” Carrie asked and rolled onto her side, still staring down at Gage’s crotch.
“Not how I feel other things, no. But it still feels good, and it’s a nice way to take the night from watching TV on the couch to some foreplay and then more if both parties want.”
“Will it turn you on if I touch it?”
“Yes. It’s turning me on right now, just thinking about you touching it.”
“Then, I shouldn’t because I don’t want my first time with a woman to be when I’m tipsy, bordering on drunk.”
“It’s okay; I can handle it,” Gage replied, smiling over at her. She cupped Carrie’s cheek, looked into her darkening eyes, and asked, “Is it turning you on, too?”
Carrie nodded.
“I like that,” Gage told her. “I think you’re beautiful, Carrie.”
“You do?”
Gage nodded and said, “Yes. I know it’s getting late, and I get sleepy when I drink, unfortunately, so I might just pass out soon, but do you think maybe instead of us meeting other people tomorrow night, I could ask Nia if we could have another night?
It’s after three in the morning, and I can honestly say that this has been my best night in a long time. ”
“Another night with me?” Carrie asked, sounding surprised.
Gage gave her a nod.
“Okay,” Carrie agreed.
“Yeah?”
“Yes,” Carrie confirmed, and her eyes lowered back to Gage’s crotch.
“If you get me going, I’ll go into my room later and take care of myself. It’s okay.”
“You’re going to get yourself off after this if I–”
“Probably no matter what, honestly. I’m really turned on right now. I have been for a while. Just talking to you tonight has done it for me, I guess.”
She smiled a little nervously and then watched Carrie swallow. Carrie’s hand moved slowly, but she still reached for her. Gage looked down and felt the hand cup her. She bit her lower lip and waited.
“Is this okay?” Carrie asked.
“Yes,” she said.
Carrie massaged and squeezed, watching her own hand move. Gage had to press her thighs together because this was insanely erotic to her.
“I like it, the feel of it in my hand,” Carrie stated. “It’s not functional?”
“Not really, no,” she said, breathing a little faster now. “It’s not meant for sex. It’s meant to look natural.”
Carrie’s hand moved down the shaft, and Gage felt her massaging the head of the faux penis she still couldn’t believe that she’d had on all night. She’d even gone to the bathroom after her first beer and had tucked everything right back into place, but she hadn’t given it a thought after that.
“If I had this on, and we were going to do something tonight, I’d take it off after the foreplay.”
“And then what?” Carrie asked as her hand left where it was and moved to Gage’s waistband.
“And then, we’d have sex.”
Carrie smiled down at her and asked, “How?”
“How? You need–”
“Tell me what you would do if we were going to do that tonight, Gage.”
“You’re trying to drive me crazy, right?”
Carrie laughed a little and replied, “Maybe.”
“I like it,” she said and smirked at her.
Carrie’s hand moved up under her shirt, landed on her stomach, and she asked, “Are you a dog or a cat person?”
“Yes,” she answered.
“Hilarious,” Carrie said sarcastically.
“I don’t mind either, but dogs are a lot of work, so I’d want a chill one or, yeah, a cat.”
“I like both, too. More a cat person than a dog person.”
“That’s good,” Gage replied.
“What I said or what I’m doing?” Carrie asked.