Desert
Sheriff
By
The only person Talia saw for
the next two days was Corey. He seemed nervous and said little. Caught up in the events that still had her in an emotional
whirlwind of confusion, this suited Talia perfectly.
The ache and the pain didn't fade. If anything, they grew stronger, and she
could think of nothing else. She ate, she bathed, and she thought. Her day was
full.
The door opened on the evening of the third day. Talia looked up listlessly at the sound. The wild banging
of her heart alerted her to the fact that Ivanova had
returned. The dinner tray in her hands announced the purpose of her visit. She
unlocked the cell without a word, and put the tray on the table. The cell door
closed behind her, and then the inner door.
Attempting to calm her beating heart, Talia
sat on the bed. She stared at the door through which Susan had disappeared. She
got up from the bed, and took a look at the tray with no interest. The food was
plentiful, and as good looking as it always was, but
she could do little to muster up an appetite.
Precisely a half hour later, the door opened again, and Ivanova returned. Talia was back
on the bed in her old spot. Her eyes followed Ivanova's
every move as she entered the cell. Ivanova looked
down at the tray as she prepared to pick it up, hesitating at the contents.
"You hardly ate a bite," was the noncommittal
statement.
"I wasn't hungry," Talia
said simply. "Please reassure
Ivanova had yet to look at Talia.
"Are you feeling all right? Are you sick?" she
felt forced to enquire.
"I'm not sick," responded Talia.
Talia slid off the bed. Susan
quickly backed off, putting her back to the door of the cell. She faced Talia tensely. Talia sighed with
a mix of sadness and irritation at the obviously paranoia on the sheriff's
part.
"I'm not going to attack you, Sheriff," she
said with some exasperation.
"Past experience makes that hard for me to believe,
Ms Winters," Ivanova said wryly.
Ignoring the insult, Talia
managed a smile, "Yes, well I would say that my past experience with you
has left me with a somewhat different perspective."
Mentally Talia was shocked by
her own forwardness, but she refused to show it. Two days alone to think about
that evening made her throw caution out those barred windows, and as far from
her as possible. She knew it was probably doomed from the start, but she didn't
care. She wanted this woman like she never wanted anyone before in her life.
She was going to at least try.
Talia's eyes traveled slowly and
provocatively up and down the uniformed figure. It was all Susan could do to
not to run a finger under her hot collar as she saw the look in the lovely
blonde's eyes. She had hoped that two days away would have given her some
perspective. All it had given her was an overwhelming case of lust.
Ignoring the faint beginnings of dampness at her center, Ivanova pasted a polite smile on her face, "Let me be
perfectly clear about this, Ms Winters. I have absolutely no intention of
picking up where we left off the other night. It was a mistake and I hate to
repeat the few mistakes I make."
Talia stepped closer, but still kept
well out of arm's length so as not to threaten the sheriff.
"No?" she queried. "Then why did you lock
the other door when you came in just now?"
Her smile, full and flirting, was accompanied by a raised
brow as she stated her case.
"I didn't!" Ivanova
said hotly.
Actually, she was completely uncertain as to whether she
had or not. She'd been so nervous about seeing Talia
again she couldn't remember.
"You did," corrected Talia
gently as she took another small step forward.
Ivanova looked over at the offending
door, and glared at it as though she could force a confession from the
inanimate object.
"No, I didn't." Each word was spoken clearly,
distinctly, and brooked no argument.
Talia's smile deepened, and the
teasing tone increased, "Oh yes, you did, Sheriff."
About to deny it again, Ivanova's
mouth snapped shut.
She attempted to end the argument, "This is
childish. I'm not going to play this ridiculous game with you."
"What game would you like to play, Sheriff?"
The tone was beyond teasing now, entering a far more seductive realm.
A buzzing in Susan's head was making it hard for her to
think. She had to get a grip, and not let this woman control her like this. She
took a deep breath.
"Forget it, Ms Winters. I'm not that easy. Remember,
I know how you operate," mocked Susan.
Talia took a step closer. She was
almost in the sheriff's arms. If the offensive words affected her, she did not
show it.
"Hmmm, well as I recall you certainly did know
how to push all the right buttons. I guess I'd have to agree with you."
She allowed the remembered passion of that night to flare
up into her eyes as they flickered up to meet Susan's. She was hoping to ignite
an answering spark from within the resisting woman. Something flitted through
the vibrant blueness, giving her a small breath of hope.
Talia's near proximity was wreaking
havoc on all of Susan's senses, both internally and externally. Locked in
place, she looked down at the other woman. Her mind was soaring back to what
this woman had to offer, and she could feel herself losing the battle.
"Ms Winters, at the risk of repeating myself, you need to get this through your head. I'm not
going there with you. I admit I want you, but it's not going to happen. I don't
know you, I don't trust you, so I'm sure as hell not
going to sleep with you."
"Even though you want to so very badly?" she
whispered in a deeply erotic tone as her lips parted slightly. The tip of her
tongue made a brief appearance.
Susan inhaled sharply, a mistake as the delicate aroma of
the woman's scent filled her head. I am in charge here, Susan reminded herself
as she tried to clear her mind.
"No, it's not. As long as I carry a gun and you're
my prisoner, I cannot take any chances that would allow you to escape."
Ivanova was explaining this to herself
as much as she was to Talia. Apparently she needed
reminding as well.
"It seems to me the solution is a simple one,
Sheriff," explained Talia.
"What? I should just let you go, and then I could
take you home with me? Is that your idea, Ms Winters?" Susan suggested in
jest.
"Well, that idea does have a lot of appeal to me, I
don't deny it. But no, I had a different idea in mind." Talia refused to be deterred by the derisiveness of her
tone. "You are the Sheriff, just make sure I can't escape," she
explained archly.
"That you can't escape?" echoed Susan.
"How would I do that? Short of tying you up, I don't see how that would
work."
Talia's low, sexy chuckle filled the
cell, as she held up her two wrists together in front of her. Her hands curled
into loose balls.
"You are the one with the right equipment, after
all."
The incredibly erotic suggestion lay there between them
in the thick silence. Talia had no idea where she was
going with all this. She was becoming increasingly appalled at her own
behavior. Clearly she was out of control, but just as clearly she had no
intention of stopping. She sensed success was almost within her grasp.
Talia was speaking once again,
"A bit kinky, I admit. I certainly don't want you to think that I'm the
type of woman who goes around doing this kind of thing all the time. It just
seems like a sensible suggestion given our circumstances.
Sensible…erotic…" Her voice trailed off.
Susan, while shocked at the blonde's audacious
suggestion, couldn't even begin to describe her reaction as she realized what
her answer might be. She was considering it! Her mouth ran dry. She couldn't
tell if it was the fact that a possible solution was at hand, or the solution
itself. The buzzing in her head grew louder as she felt her resolve crumbling
swiftly.
Talia was finding herself stunned as
well. She'd not thought out the suggestion before making it. Now that she was
conjuring up pictures in her mind of how it would work, she could feel a knot
of sexual tension burst into existence. Unconsciously she licked her lips.
"I-I don't know what to think, Ms Winters,"
stumbled Ivanova.
Keeping her wrists together, she extended her arms out
towards Susan, "The door is locked, and you can use the handcuffs."
She paused and then continued, "You wouldn't be harming me. You must know
how much I want you, Susan."
The ache in her tone was unmistakable. Susan looked deep
in her eyes, and saw nothing but desire and willingness. Without breaking eye
contact, Susan fumbled for the cuffs on her belt in mute agreement. Holding
them in her hand, she used her other hand to take one of Talia's
wrists.
The lock of the metal sent a quiver through both their
frames. Talia turned towards the bed and led Susan to
it. They stopped at the edge, and Susan leaned forward to pull the blankets
down and to fluff the pillow. Talia smiled at her
thoughtfulness, and laughed inwardly at the incongruity of the action.
"Shall I remove my clothes?" she asked in her
low tone.
With a small shake of head, Susan answered in a hoarse
whisper, "No, I'd like to do that."
"Very well," Talia
acquiesced.
Awkwardly she lay down on the bed, shifting around to get
comfortable. Looking back up at Susan, looking her deep in the eye, she lifted
her arms over her head towards the metal bars of the cell, and waited.
The buzzing in Ivanova's head
stopped completely. She stared down at the woman, knowing there was no turning
back. She had no desire to turn back, her desire was
this beautiful woman waiting for her. She bent over, wove the handcuffs through
the nearest bar, and then locked the other in place on Talia's
other wrist. One of them made a sound.
Susan stepped away from the completely captive woman, and
stepped over to the table. She looked over at the door for a moment, but now
that the buzzing was gone from her head she knew Talia
was right. She had locked the door. She had always intended to stay, one way or
another. She removed the gun holster, all the other paraphernalia that adorned
her waist, and then the badge on her shirt.
She came back over to the bed, gazing down at Talia once more. Talia had used
those few moments to come to terms with how she was feeling. She was attempting
to understand the source of the sudden trickle of fear. She had failed to take
into account the affect of feeling helpless.
By making sure that Susan was well protected, she had
left herself completely open and vulnerable. With her hands above her head, she
could do nothing to protect herself. She could feel the fear. She could also
feel the surge of dampness that accompanied it. She said nothing.
Talia revealed little in her
exquisitely composed face, but Susan sensed the fear anyway. She let her eyes
roam up and down the beautiful body that lay offered to her, and for the first
time she let her own desire show in her blue eyes.
"I would never harm you. If you want me to stop, I
will." She said the words with quiet, intense sincerity.
Although her fear did not disappear, Talia
could feel it subside, and her desire rise higher.
"I know," she responded.
Susan continued to stand there and look down as silence
filled the room once more. Talia shifted under the
intense gaze, her legs parting slightly without thought. A predatory gleam
filled Susan eyes at the movement. She could feel the power of her position
fill her, and all her doubts about what she was about to do were washed away in
a wave of desire so intense that nothing else existed.
She came down on Talia, her
knee pushing Talia's legs further apart. Her weight
was partially supported by the two hands that rested on the pillow at either
side of Talia's head. Talia's
eyes widened, and the room spun for just a brief
second as they once again made full body contact.
Susan's mouth was on hers before she finished taking it
all in, plundering her softness and irresistibly demanding to be let in. The
pent up frustration of the last two days poured into Talia's
mouth. Susan's kisses insisted that she give up the very breath of life in
order to fulfill their need. The kiss broke as survival demanded its due.
Gasping for breath, Susan refused to stop her insistent
assault. Powerful kisses covered Talia's cheek, jaw
line, and neck. Hands roamed, imperiously touching anywhere and everywhere they
wanted. Permission was not granted, but implicit in the moans that did not,
could not, stop.
The clink of the handcuffs against the metal of the bars
penetrated Susan's cloud of desire, and she slowed. Raising her head, she
looked up to see if Talia was all right.
Seeing the question in her eyes, Talia
responded huskily, "It's OK. I just keep wanting
to touch you. Don't stop. Please. Don't stop."
Hearing her voice crack at the last, Susan was reassured.
She bent her head once more. If anything her methods intensified, squeezing and
releasing her covered breasts over and over again. She moved further down the
writhing body beneath her to the exposed flat stomach. She began to kiss and
lick her way back up to her busy hands.
Finally, the blouse was enough of an irritation that
Susan had to deal with it. Unbuttoning the shirt, spreading it wide against the
bed, she quickly undid the clasp of the bra as well and opened it. Talia could feel Susan's hot gaze on her, and her nipples
rose in response. Susan leaned in to give them their just due.
A wild mix of moans denoting desire, need, and
frustration accompanied further clanking. Talia's
feeling of helplessness rose as quickly as her surge of desire. She could sense
herself rising to a place she had never been before, a place where she would be
completely out of control, and it frightened her. She had always kept a part of
herself hidden from even her closest of lovers. She wasn't sure she was going
to be able to do that tonight.
As frightened as she was, she didn't want to stop. She
wanted to see that place for herself, to take the
risk, and not look back. She just wished she could touch the woman who was
taking her there.
"Susan," she almost whimpered, "Susan. Take
your shirt off."
The authority behind the demand made Susan smile. Only
this woman could be lying there half-naked, handcuffed to a bed inside a jail
cell, and still give orders like she was in charge.
Rising above the breasts she'd been so busy enjoying, she
paused to quirk a brow. Then she spoke to Talia in a
tone that indicated that she'd heard the authority and questioned its source.
"Excuse me?"
Talia smiled back at the teasing
tone, and answered, "Please. Please take off your shirt."
"That's better," smirked Susan.
She pulled back onto her haunches, one knee still between
Talia's legs. Her weight centered directly on one of Talia's thighs. The dampness of her center pushed through
the cloth, and Talia could feel it spread to her
clothing as well.
Susan raised her hands to the buttons, looked down at Talia, and then stopped. Her head twitched slightly, but
she said nothing nor did she move again.
Feeling the dampness on her leg, Talia
tensed the muscles of that limb and pressed into the wetness above as she
spoke, "Please, Susan, will you take off your shirt for me? I want to see
you…to feel you against me. Please"
The rhythm of her words was accompanied by the rhythm of
her muscles tensing and releasing against Susan's increasing wetness. Susan
began to unbutton her blouse, their gazes locked on one another. The shirt came
off, as did the white bra beneath. Talia eyed the
glorious wonders above her, and pulled even harder on the cuffs that kept her
from touching them.
"Stop that, you're going to bruise yourself,"
said Susan softly.
"I don't care," muttered Talia.
Susan did what she could to put Talia
out of her misery, and lowered herself back down on to the pliant body that
awaited her. The brush of breast against breast made both women gasp deeply.
Susan began to trail kisses up and down Talia's body,
this time making sure that the tips of her breasts marked the path along the
way.
Finally she came up, and hovered over Talia's
head with her breasts dangling just out of reach. Talia
lifted her head from the pillow, straining to taste what was so near, and yet
so far.
"Tch, tch,
tch," said Susan disapprovingly, as she raised
herself well out of Talia's reach.
Defeated, Talia lapsed back on to
the pillow, her eyes narrowing with frustration. She glared at Susan in her
annoyance. Susan's laugh was deep and infectious. Talia
couldn't help but to smile ruefully.
Susan once more lowered herself so that she was just out
of reach, and waited. Talia didn't move a muscle as
she waited patiently for her reward. This time the chuckle was filled with
approval as Susan lowered herself those last few precious inches into Talia's waiting mouth.
Susan growled with immense satisfaction as the hot wet
mouth took her. Holding herself up for as long as she could, she stayed there
enjoying the sensations Talia's eager lips and teeth
created. Finally, in danger of collapsing upon the obliging woman, Susan
reluctantly pulled up and out.
Refusing to break contact until the last possible moment,
Talia's head rose up with her. Talia
made a futile attempt to look apologetic as she was caught in Susan's blue gaze
with her head high off the pillow. She failed, satisfaction gleaming in her own
eyes as she licked her lips slowly.
Refusing to break the stare, Susan came up off the bed.
Bent over, her hands trailing delicately down Talia's
body in order to maintain physical contact, she reached the top of Talia's pants. Snagging the top edge on both sides of the
slim woman's waist, she waited patiently.
Her breath coming painfully short, Talia
willingly raised her hips off the bed in order to facilitate the removal of her
slacks. Susan broke their look as she carefully slid the pants off Talia, taking her underwear with as she went.
Talia experienced her first moments
of true trepidation as she became fully exposed to Susan's intense gaze. Her
leg rose to hide the obviously damp patch of blonde hair that hid her
vulnerable center. At this unexpected movement Susan looked up, startled.
She saw anxiety cloud Talia's
eyes, and could feel the rock hard tension in the upraised knee where Susan
unconsciously rested her hand. Susan knew she could force that knee apart, but
she had no intention of doing that. Instead, she gently stroked the soft inner
thigh of the upraised leg, and made no other move.
As hard as the words were for her to say, she said them,
"If you want me to stop, I will."
The stroking continued, soft fingers upon even softer
flesh, promising her whatever she desired. Susan could feel the tension leave
the muscles beneath her moving hand. At last the leg was relaxed, and Susan
could see the worry drain from Talia's face.
Pressing gently but insistently against the bent limb,
she pushed the leg back down onto the bed. She never broke contact with the
soft flesh of Talia's inner thigh. The leg was fully
outstretched alongside its companion, and then moved away from it by the force
of Susan's touch as she demanded to see Talia more
fully.
This time Susan's gaze did nothing but make Talia's blood burn hotter as she watched the desire that
infused Susan's pale face.
"You're beautiful," Susan's voice was thick
with emotion. "I want to touch you, to taste you, very much, Talia."
Talia consented by parting both her legs
even further. The invitation was unmistakable, and Susan had no intention of
refusing. The gentle fingers upon Talia's thigh wound
their way to the apex of those splendidly long legs. As Susan's fingers first
brushed the soft hair that covered her moist opening, Talia
rose up to meet them.
Tickling their way down to the well of moisture that was
spilling out, Susan gathered the wetness on her fingers. She moved her
well-lubricated fingers back and forth in preparation for entering her. Talia could feel her body centering itself around the ball of pleasure that was quickly forming.
Sensing her readiness, Susan slipped two fingers into Talia, and inhaled loudly at the feel of the wet walls that
enveloped her. Slowly she pulled back out, and then right back in again. The
surrounding walls tightened in greeting. As Susan thrust back and forth, Talia's hips rose to meet her. Susan's calloused thumb
sought the nub above that would heighten Talia's
pleasure. The sharp cry torn from Talia's throat
announced Susan's success.
Susan watched Talia, the blonde
woman's head was thrown back in utter ecstasy, and she was panting fiercely.
There was a moment, impossible to describe, but clearly visible on the out of
control woman's face. Susan knew it was almost time.
Swiftly she bent her head, and replaced her thumb with her mouth.
The responding cry was positively guttural, signaling the
accuracy of Susan's reading. Her mouth sucked in the nub, grazing it with her
teeth as she slowly stroked it with her hard tongue. Strokes that began slow
and firm, increased as Talia's body tensed further.
It was all Susan could to not lose her place as Talia
came in a hoarse cry, her words incoherent as her hips bucking madly in her
frenzy to reach her ultimate release.
Unmoving, breathing heavily, Talia
lay spent upon the bed. Susan did not stir, her hand
still within Talia, unwilling to leave its lair. A
shiver shuddered across Talia's body, an after effect
of the intense pleasure she had just experienced. Several more followed.
Susan inched up, wanting to
cover Talia's body with the warmth of her own body
even though she knew the cold wasn't the reason for her shudders. Her hand slid
slowly, reluctantly out of the warm home it had found. A tiny gasp escaped Talia's lips as she felt herself empty once more.
As Susan rested her head, her hair fanned out across Talia's chest. She slowly stroked the now sweaty blonde
strands of hair. The shudders subsided, and Talia
became aware of something new. There was a new dampness forming above her right
knee, originating from the delectable woman who warmed her.
She bent her head down until she could kiss the forehead
of the woman lying supine upon her. Nuzzling the hairline, Talia
rained small kisses along the edge of her brow.
"Susan. Susan, what about you?" she asked
hesitantly.
"Hmmm," Susan said.
"I can feel your wetness. Please, let me…." She
trailed off as Susan's face turned her way.
Susan watched her, not knowing what to do.
"Susan," Talia tried
once more, "I want to see you. I want to see you like you've seen
me."
The request was gentle and undemanding. Susan eyed her with greater
uncertainty.
"Will you take the rest of your clothes for me? Let
me see you. Take your pants for me Susan. Please."
Susan heard nothing but desire in that voice, and she got
up to do what it so sweetly asked. She wanted Talia
to see her, to feel her flesh pressed completely against the beautiful blonde's
own warm skin. The rest of her clothes came off quickly and easily.
She stood there silently, as though the still handcuffed
woman was inspecting her.
"Come closer," she whispered.
Susan complied, her long legs bringing her to the edge of the bed, near Talia's
head. She was close enough that Talia could smell her
desire, Talia inhaled deeply.
"You're beautiful as well, Susan. You smell like
heaven," the dusky words were faint, but sincere.
Susan actually blushed at the compliment. Talia was utterly entranced. Her body wanted Susan's again.
"Come back to me, Susan. I want to feel you on
me," she whispered fiercely.
Susan returned to the comfortable place she'd left only
moments ago. She felt her desire rip out of control as her wet center came in
contact with Talia's bare skin. Instantly, Talia thrust her leg up against Susan, encouraging her to
push back. Susan's hot breath scorched her neck in response. Quickly they
established a rhythm, and Susan raced onward.
Harder, faster, her breath almost painful to hear, Talia called to Susan.
"Susan. Susan, I want you to look at me," the
demanding tone was impossible to ignore.
Vaguely, Susan remembered that she was supposed to be the
one in charge. Somehow it didn't matter.
"Now, Susan. Look at me, now." There was no
question of refusal in her tone.
Using the small reserve of energy she had left, she
turned her face away from Talia's neck, coming face
to face with her blonde lover. The moment their eyes met, the universe faded
away to nothingness. There was only the two of them on this bed, locked in a
physical pleasure that had no start or finish. Talia
watched in awe at the raw emotions streaming across Susan's face, and then felt
the accompanying flood that washed against her leg.
Susan's release when it came was loud, explosive, and
seemingly unending. She collapsed down onto Talia,
her body as malleable as Jell-O. Talia bit back her
cry of frustration, as she was unable to put her arms around the woman she
wanted to comfort so desperately. She muttered soft words to compensate, mostly
inconsequential nonsense, to let Susan know she was all right, and that she was
not alone.
After a while, Susan stirred, and looked up drowsily at Talia. Talia smiled at her, but
there was a tension behind it.
Susan frowned, "What's the matter?"
'Nothing," murmured Talia.
Susan shook her head, not accepting the denial.
"Tell me what's wrong," she demanded.
"I'm sorry, it's just that," she nodded her
head in the general direction of her locked arms. "I'm beginning to lose
feeling in my hands."
Susan cursed mentally at her selfishness. She leapt from
the bed, and padded over to the table where the keys lay. Picking them up, she
hastened back to the woman lying on the bed.
"You should have said something sooner," she
said in lieu of an apology.
"I didn't notice sooner," Talia
laughed. "I was otherwise occupied."
They exchanged a shared smile at the memory of that
occupation. Susan unlocked Talia's hands, stepping
back once she had released her. Talia rubbed her
wrists in silence, saying nothing about Susan's caution.
Susan picked up her clothes, and began to get dressed. Talia pulled the blankets over her own nakedness and
watched.
Examining her wrists, she spoke lightly, "I think
you might be right. I'm going to have bruises."
Susan snorted with amusement, "I might be right? I'm
always right."
Talia laughed at the arrogance of
the statement.
Susan looked at her, and said with a perfectly straight
face, "You think I'm kidding, don't you? I am always right. You'll
see," she said with great confidence.
Talia said nothing, but the look of
amusement did not leave her face.
Fully dressed, Susan stood there, wondering what she
should do next. This was worse than that awkward moment when your date left you
at the door at the end of evening. What did you say to someone who you just
handcuffed to an iron bar so that you could have sex with them? 'Thank you'
seemed a bit odd under the circumstances.
"Good night, Susan," Talia
presented the simplest solution once again.
"G-good night then," Susan stammered back, still
feeling off kilter.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Susan wished she could say that the next day she shored
up her resolve, and that the evening's events were not repeated. But while
Susan's resolve may have been weak, she had never been a liar. That simply
wouldn't have been the truth. She did return to Talia's
bed again the next night, and the night after that, and the night after that.
Susan couldn't stay away, and Talia
didn't want her to. Not only were they learning new things about one another,
but they were gaining insights to a part of themselves they never knew existed.
Each night brought them together with a powerful attraction, one that could not
be denied.
Susan discovered a hidden side of her personality that
amazed her. She relished the power that she wielded over Talia.
She was never cruel or out of control, but she found she had the ability to
play an incredible array of sexual mind games with this vastly intelligent,
beautiful woman. That she could tease and manipulate the naked blonde form
until she begged for release was a source of immense satisfaction.
She had quickly learned that for all of Talia's quiet self-assuredness she was actually quite shy
about her body. Susan couldn't imagine why since her body was absolutely perfect
in every way. She used that shyness, demanding that Talia
give it up before she would do what they both knew Talia
so desperately wanted her to do.
Sometimes she would simply insist that they have sex with
Susan mostly clothed, leaving Talia the only one who
wasn't. She would have Talia remove her clothes
before putting on the handcuffs. Susan would walk around the room fully
clothed, performing idle chores or talking. She never took her eyes off the
lovely lines of Talia's naked body. The underlying
flush that covered her body would only disappear when overrun by the flush that
came when she did.
Another favorite game of Susan's was to refuse to touch Talia where and how she wanted until she revealed her inner
center to Susan's questing. At first she either had to demand or show Talia what she wanted, but lately Talia
had learned to respond to a simple quirk of her brow. She would spread her legs
without complaint, always with that incredibly delightful red color that never
failed to appear.
As for Talia, she too was
finding out new qualities she never suspected she possessed. The feeling of
helplessness never left her, even though she trusted Susan implicitly. Instead,
she found it was that feeling that was the foundation upon which her intense sexual
pleasure was built.
Indeed, she often played on it, deliberately provoking
Susan in some manner. She might deliberately misunderstand what she wanted, or
make a comment that got under her skin. Sometimes she would use simple
disobedience. When she did, and Susan got that look in her eye, Talia could feel herself wind up tight. She knew that if
Susan touched her in the right place she would come in an instant.
Then there was the evening she foolishly suggested that
Susan thought she was God. This was after hearing her say that she was always
right again. As punishment, Susan brought her to the brink of release countless
times without ever taking her over. It was only when she freely and repeatedly
admitted, at the top of her lungs, that Susan was God,
was she allowed over that edge. She was hoarse for two days from that little
stunt.
Talia's only frustration in all of
this was she couldn't touch Susan the way she wanted to touch her. She begged
endlessly for Susan to release her, but Susan was adamant in her refusal. Talia found it hard to believe that Susan still feared her
attempting to escape, but it didn't matter. She would do nothing to drive Susan
away from her.
Neglecting her more minor duties, Susan found herself dropping
in at the oddest times, wanting to talk to the fascinating blonde. In spite of
their intimacy with one another, she knew very little about this beautiful
mystery. Talia was very experienced at giving
non-answers to even the most innocent of questions.
Susan tried to get her to open up by sharing her own life
story. She talked about her father who came from
Fortunately, Susan was hard worker and extremely bright.
She learned English quickly, did well in her classes, and was contemplating
college when the first real tragedy of her life occurred. Her father and
brother were coming home late one night from the factory, when their car was
struck head-on by another vehicle. The driver of the car, another hard working
family man, had fallen asleep. Everyone in the ensuing crash perished.
Postponing her plans for college, Susan found what work
she could to support herself and her mother. Her mother had never had a paying
job in her life, and though she kept a clean household she wasn't qualified for
much of anything else. Then the day came when even that became impossible.
Susan's mother was diagnosed with inoperable cancer. Her mother had been dead
for almost eight years now, those last three years burned indelibly in her
mind.
Her career as a sheriff was a matter of serendipity. She
needed a job that would take her mind off the sadness in her life, and no one
wanted to be sheriff of such a God forsaken part of the country. It wasn't what
she had dreamed of for herself, but it suited her well enough. She took her
work seriously, and cared deeply for the residents of the county.
Every other week she dropped by to see the family of the
man who had been driving the other car that terrible night. Their oldest son
had multiple sclerosis, and the family was barely surviving. She did what she
could to help. They were her people, her family now too.
She shared all of this with Talia,
a few bits at a time, but was offered little in return. She knew that Talia resided in
This last piece of information intrigued Susan the most. Talia had been in jail for almost ten days. Yet she never
asked to make a phone call, nor asked Susan why the judge had not yet arrived.
She appeared to have no commitments elsewhere, and seemed content to remain in
jail as long as necessary.
This was where Susan's additional sin lay. She was the
reason the judge had not come. She had phoned him, and told him he could skip
his next visit because there was nothing that needed his attention. She knew
she was wrong, very wrong, but she did it anyway. She didn't understand why Talia didn't ask, but she was grateful. She didn't know
what she'd say if she did.
In spite of Talia's
unwillingness to share information, the two of them talked for hours. They
shared ideas, experiences, and themselves as best they could. At night they
came together in the heat of a passion that showed no signs of letting up.
The only time they ever truly got angry at one another
was the night that Susan asked Talia about the scars
on her hands. Talia had her hands up by the bars, and
they were kissing one another softly when Susan asked her.
"Talia, how did you get
these scars?" the question was asked with gentle curiosity.
"It's not important," Talia
answered flatly.
Reaching up to stroke the lines in question, Susan
answered, "But I'd like to know."
Talia's response was cold enough to bring
the Russian steppes into the warm cell, as she jerked her cuffed hands as far
from the unwanted caress as she could.
"It's none of your business, Susan. Drop it."
Taken aback by the harsh tone, Susan withdrew the
question, and from the bed. She got up quietly, unlocked Talia's
hands, dressed, and went home. Talia spoke not a
word. The next day, after a moment of awkward silence, they talked as though
the incident never happened. It was never mentioned again.
After that, Susan was always careful to never touch Talia's hands except to lock and unlock the handcuffs. She
never asked the question, though she continued to wonder what could have
happened, and why Talia never had them fixed. She had
money, and plastic surgery would have easily covered up such minor scars.
Obviously she was sensitive about them, so why were they still there?
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Susan knew they couldn't go on forever. It was inevitable
that their time together would end. One evening, after a particularly long and
passionate session, Susan announced that the judge would be arriving the day
after tomorrow. Talia said nothing, but nodded her
head to let Susan know she'd heard.
The next evening they said little, letting their bodies
do the talking for them as they came together. Susan started to speak several
times, but she never did and Talia, unsure whether
she wanted to hear it, didn't encourage her.
That next day, Susan appeared mid-morning to take Talia over to the courthouse. Dressed in a new outfit from
her suitcase, Talia looked more like the woman Susan
had initially picked up. It was impossible to see the woman she had come to
know so well. As Susan swung the barred door open, Talia
stepped through without looking at Susan directly.
"Thank you, Sheriff," she said coolly.
Susan started at the formality, her heart sinking, as she
bit back the speech she'd been about to make to her.
Talia waited in cold silence for
Susan to lead the way.
"Shall we?" she finally enquired.
Susan had yet to move. She was staring at Talia, wondering who this stranger was that had taken the
warm, sensuous woman's place. This woman looked right through her as though she
didn't exist, or was unimportant.
"Sheriff," she barked. "I believe the
Judge is waiting."
Susan mentally shook herself, making herself walk. She
moved towards the inner door, assuming that Talia
would follow behind.
As she opened the next door, she turned, looked back, and
saw that Talia was hesitating.
Talia's tone was still cool, as she
asked, "Aren't you forgetting something, Sheriff?"
In explanation she held her two wrists out in front of
her in a gesture that was undeniably familiar and erotic. Susan didn't know if
she should laugh or cry as she realized she would never look her at handcuffs in
quite the same way again.
'That won't be necessary, Ms Winters," she said
carefully, not wanting to betray what that gesture had just done to her libido.
"We're pretty informal around here."
Talia nodded her understanding, and
continued walking through the door. She stepped through the outer door, and onto the street for the first time in almost a
month. She blinked in the bright sunlight, and felt the wall of heat hit her,
even this early in the day.
She said nothing more as they headed across the street to
where the impromptu court session would be held. She very carefully did not
look or speak to Susan again. She knew she was being a cold bitch, but she
didn't know what else to do.
The lovely interlude was over, the harsh reality of the
real world, and her own life, were back. Both were inescapable, the best she
could for Susan was to get away from her as quickly as she could. It didn't
matter how she felt about the woman.
Entering the hotel across the street, the two women found
themselves in a small lobby. Thankfully it was air-conditioned. Ivanova led her prisoner down a hallway to a banquet room
with a small nod to the man behind the counter. The banquet room had tables and
chairs facing the small stage at the front. On the stage was a desk, bigger
than an office desk, but not quite a judge's desk.
The man sitting at the desk didn't wear a robe, and
looked far too young to be a judge. Talia assumed he
was his clerk. Ivanova led Talia
up to a table at the front, and indicated that she should take a seat. There
were a number of people in the room already, spectators and the like. Talia assumed that some of them were here for their own
cases. Apparently she was the only one who had to be formally held.
The man at the desk looked up at the two of them and
smiled, "Ah, Sheriff, there you are. Well, let's get started. Since this
case comprises the entire docket, the sooner I get started, the sooner I can
get out of this little hellhole you call home."
The words said with familiar warmth and affection were obviously not meant to truly offend.
Talia was startled to find out that
hers was the only case, and that he was the judge. She looked around again, and
wondered who all these other people were and why they were there.
In a sotto voice Ivanova explained,
"Corey has a big mouth. When people heard there might actually be a trial,
some of them decided to take the day off." She looked apologetic,
"Small town, entertainment is hard to come by."
Turning to the Judge, Sheriff Ivanova
answered, "We're ready, Your Honor. Wouldn't want you to
wear out our warm hospitality here."
Judge Sheridan flashed an amused grin, and then looked
down to shuffle a few papers.
"So, who do we have here?"
He looked up and peered at the prisoner for a moment,
"You're not from around here, are you? I'd remember you, no doubt about
it."
Talia tried not to appear as
disconcerted as she was feeling. The sheriff hadn't exaggerated when she said
things weren't very formal.
"No Judge, I'm not," she said simply.
Reading through the papers quickly he found a name,
"You're Talia Winters, is that correct?"
"Yes, Your Honor," she
confirmed the identity.
"So let's see, you're charged with quite a lot of
things here," the Judge was beginning to realize that this probably was
the oddest case to come before him.
The Sheriff stood up and began to speak, "Your
Honor, if you look through the papers you'll find a…"
She was cut off as Judge Sheridan suddenly snapped his
fingers and exclaimed, "Talia Winters! You're Talia Winters?"
Talia's heart sank, and she answered
resignedly, "Yes, yes I am."
Ivanova didn't understand the hang-up
with the name, "Your Honor, we've already established her identity. That's
not an issue. As I started to say, if you look..."
"That's where you're wrong, Ivanova.
That is the most interesting part. Let's see here..."
He started to rummage around in the briefcase sitting
next to the desk, "I had it this morning, where the hell is it?"
He was muttering to himself.
Ivanova sighed and sat down again. The
Judge was notoriously disorganized when it came to paperwork. This was going to
take a while.
"Aha! Here it is!" he pulled out a newspaper
triumphantly.
Ivanova was truly bewildered. The
judge could be eccentric, but he'd never before insisted on reading the paper
during court time. The judge unfolded the paper and found the front page. It
was the paper for the nearest big city, almost a hundred miles away, and not
something that you could get locally unless you were willing to pay exorbitant
shipping fees.
He held it up for the audience to see. Even from that
distance Ivanova could see Talia's
very familiar countenance looking back at her. She stood up swiftly, looked
over at the blonde woman who was refusing to look at anyone, and strode up to
the makeshift bench.
She almost snatched the paper from the judge's hand in
her haste to read it. Scanning the article, her eyebrows almost flew off her
head as some of the pieces fell in place. She walked back over to the blonde
who was looking down at the table, and threw the paper on it.
"There's a rather large reward out for you, Ms
Winters."
Talia did not speak nor look up at
her.
"It seems you've been missing for almost two months
now, and that your stepfather, Sy Bester, suspects
foul play. That would be Sy Bester of Bester
Communications. The multi-millionaire, right?"
Her two hands hit the table with a thud as she leaned
into the woman, forcing her to pay attention.
"You're his only heir,
isn't that right, Ms Winters?" The question was low and furious. "You
told me that no one would be worried about you, that no one was looking for
you."
Talia finally looked up, her face
completely impassive, "Yes, I am that Talia
Winters."
She looked down at the table again, refusing to say
anything further.
The people in the audience were all loudly talking over
one another. While they'd hoped for an interesting tidbit or two, they never
imagined they get to see the object of a nation-wide manhunt. A reward? They all wondered how much it was.
Susan stared down at the bowed head, and wished they were
alone. She wanted to demand answers from this woman. What the hell was going
on, and what was this all about? She sensed there was far more to this than met
the eye.
She swung around and faced the judge again. He had been
watching the whole exchange with as much interest as the audience had.
"Your Honor, I had no idea who Ms Winters was. Let
me assure you that we offered Ms Winters the opportunity to make a phone call
on more than one occasion, and she refused."
A deep flush appeared on Ivanova's
face at those last words. Susan tried not to think about the images that sprung
to mind at them. The blush did not go unnoticed by the Judge,
he was secretly astonished to see a matching blush appear on the face of the
defendant. Interesting, he thought.
"As I was trying to tell you, Judge, if you'll look
through the paperwork you will find a motion to dismiss the charges," Ivanova forged ahead.
A murmur of disappointment flew through the crowd as the
Judge's jaw dropped.
"A motion to dismiss? But
you didn't know who this woman was? Is that right, Susan, excuse
me, Sheriff?"
He was ripping through the papers trying to find the
relevant document. Ivanova sighed and approached the
bench. She looked at the paperwork that was in a complete jumble and pushed
them around a bit. Spying the familiar piece of paper she pulled it out and
slapped it on top.
As she walked back to the table that Talia
occupied, she could see that the blonde was looking up in surprise. She watched
the proceedings with great confusion. This time it was Susan who refused to
look at her as she sat down.
The judge finished reading the document, and looked up at
the two women. Something was clearly going on, and he wanted to know what it
was. He stared intently at the two women seated at the table. They had been
studiously avoiding one another's existence since they got here.
The blonde defendant was staring at Ivanova,
and she finally leaned over to speak to her quietly. As she did so, she touched
Susan lightly to get her attention. Ivanova jerked
away from the touch as though burned, and a look of deep hurt crossed Talia's face. The judge looked back down at his paperwork
as he took in the evidence, and muddled his way to a possible conclusion.
The reasons given for requesting the charges to be
dropped were ludicrous. Sheriff Ivanova, who never
lost a piece of paperwork in her life, nor failed to follow procedure properly,
was claiming both in this instance. She went on to explain that these
irregularities would cause the case to be dismissed if appealed, and therefore
they should not proceed. It was a load of crap, and the judge knew it.
He also knew that if he were to follow his first instinct
and argue with Ivanova in front of everyone, that it
would be a mistake. His gut was telling him to just let it go. Considering who
the defendant was, it would probably be better for the
entire town if the whole matter was dropped quietly and discreetly. Susan's
motives were her own business.
"Very well, case dismissed," the gavel hit the
desk.
A loud groan came from the audience as Ivanova's head came up. She couldn't believe the judge had
accepted her request so easily. She was sure he'd argue. She was also sure that
she'd win, just not so easily.
She looked over at Talia. She assumed
the blonde would be extremely happy at the outcome. Talia
didn't look like a woman who had just had several rather serious charges
dropped and her case dismissed. She looked like she'd received the death
penalty instead.
Susan refused to speculate.
"You can get your things over at the office, Ms
Winters. Corey will get them for you. Good-bye."
She walked away without looking back.
Talia didn't know what possessed her
to do it, but she was on her feet in an instant, running after the quickly departing
officer. She had no idea what she was going to say. She just knew she couldn't
have it end this way.
"Sheriff,' she called, hoping to get the officer to
stop. "Sheriff, wait. Susan, please, I want to
talk to you."
She caught up with Susan in the now deserted lobby. No
doubt the clerk was back in the banquet room with all the other nosy people.
She grabbed Susan's arm, forcing her to slow down and to turn around. She
didn't let go of the clothed arm as she stopped, and stepped closer to her.
"Susan, please. We need to talk," she pleaded.
"About what, Ms. Winters? You're
free to go, and it sounds like you really need to be somewhere," was the
bitter reply.
"What I need, is to talk to you. I need for this not
to be how we remember one another." Taking a deep breath, and speaking
softly, "What I need is you."
The depth of emotion that filled these last words made
Susan's heart tighten, and she knew she was in danger of crying right there in
lobby.
Sounding decidedly choked as she spoke, she nodded her
agreement, "All right then. Come home with me."
Talia squeezed her arm, and then let
go just as the spectators began to wander out from the banquet room.
* * * *
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Home Part
I Part II Conclusion