Chapter Four
Angelica entered the hotel room thrumming with energy, Maria was sat on the couch in unfamiliar clothing, there was a worn backpack near her feet and Angelica’s laptop on the coffee table, and by the looks of things she was watching Glee. Maria looked up and turned anxious, she was wearing make-up, it was light, but there, “I got some stuff from Mr. Reynolds because I’m here for two more nights- I had him meet me at the deli you brought me to this morning so he didn’t know the hotel you were staying at, I- I’m sorry if you didn’t want me to leave, I should’ve texted you.” She looked unsure of herself and Angelica sat beside her and shook her head, eager to relieve the girl.
“Don’t worry; I should have arranged for you to get a weekend bag, this is good. I want you to be comfortable.” She placed a careful hand on Maria’s knee, and the relief that seemed to fill the girl was almost alarming, Angelica wasn’t sure if it was wishful thinking but she felt Maria’s knee push into her hand, a small gesture but one that, if not imagined, meant her touch was welcome.
Angelica was a politician's daughter, and a successful business woman; she had perfected the art of persuasion, of finding ways to say the most offensive things and make it sound like a compliment. Why was it then, she had no idea what to say now? Her hand stilled where it sat in Maria's knee, and her mouth opened and closed several time, Get it together Schuyler you look like a God damn goldfish. She pursed her lips together and nodded, Maria's expression of confusion didn't let up until Angelica spoke, at which time it turned to worry and maybe even a bit of fear.
"Last night, I kissed you. And you kissed me back." Her words were measured, her tone even in a way that clearly left Maria thinking she had done something wrong.
"I- I’m sorry, I didn't mean anything by it! I won't do something unless you tell me next time, I promise. I'm sorry." Her voice shook and her leg tensed, Angelica watched her fingers slowly flex where they were clasped in her lap, she was trying to keep still.
"You're not in trouble. You're an adult Maria, I'm saying this because I want to know, are you interested in women?" She swallowed the nervous lump in her throat and looked up to meet Maria's eyes. The younger seemed to be genuinely considering the question, searching Angelica's face for the right answer. Angelica tried her best to keep her expression neutral; if she was going to sleep with an abused prostitute, she was going to make it as consensual as she could, and that included honesty in her interests.
After a long moment Maria broke their eye contact, her eyes had dampened only the slightest and her cheeks grew pink, “No one had ever asked me anything like that. I don’t know – I don’t think I’ve even thought about it.” Her voice was lined with shame in her confession and Angelica’s heart ached for the life this girl has endured.
“I’m asking you because it’s only Saturday and this weekend has me starting to wonder if my never having been with a woman was because of preference, or lack of option. Do you understand what I mean by that?” A small nod from Maria and Angelica continued, “Now I don’t care how much money I gave your husband, you are not in any circumstances obligated to do anything with me, you are allowed to say no without penalty or hostility. Do you understand that?” Another nod. Good. “When I first saw you, in a dress far too small for the weather and make-up that must of taken some practice, I was, intrigued. You aren’t the first girl that’s ever caught my eye, but it was maybe the first time I knew it was in the same way an attractive man might. Some conversations I had today really made me realize how significant that might be.”
There was a long pause between them, the air had grown thick, and at some point Maria had gotten closer. Angelica’s hand had consequentially travelled up her thigh in the shift. Aware of it now her hand flexed and the grip she adjusted on Maria’s thigh had the girl’s lips parting to let out a heavy breath. “And last night, I kissed you. And you kissed me back.” Angelica waited for a reply, but nothing came save for Maria leaning forward the slightest bit more and an almost silent sound falling out of her mouth. “I was wondering now, if you’d like me to do it again.”
A final nod from Maria and Angelica was closing the gap to press their lips together in a kiss that didn’t make a thousand worries rush through her head like the one the night before did. One hand held Maria’s jaw in a grip more gentle than she thought she was capable of and the other moved from her thigh to hold fast the dip of her waist, just above the wide spread of her hips. Maria’s hands held lose grips on each of Angelica’s wrists; it was clear she eventually tired of their urgent kissing and pulled the hand on her face down towards her chest. Angelica paused and moved her head back just far enough for them to catch their breath, “Bed.”
They fell to the smooth sheets and plush pillows with breathless kisses, Angelica quickly found herself straddled by Maria, and pushed the girl’s shirt up up up and broke the kiss to remove it. Maria returned the favour and they paused, just looking at each other, they had found themselves that way a lot in the short time they’ve known each other.
She reached out a hand and let her fingers trail gently over the soft expanse of the younger’s stomach, tracing faint stretch marks down her thigh and up her back, sitting herself up enough to reach behind and stop her hands at the clasp of her bra, a barely-there nod and Angelica flicked it open, Maria let the lace article fall and Angelica took in a short breath. She grew up with two younger sisters and spent a fair amount of time in locker rooms with teammates, but something about seeing someone naked with a whole new purpose built a warmth between her legs and in the pit of her stomach that made her want more.
She fell back against the pillows, pulling Maria with her and attaching their lips, she let her hands find the girl’s chest and familiarize themselves, experimentally tugging at one of her nipples and relishing in the gasp she got in return. Her mouth travelled down Maria’s neck, not rough enough to leave a mark but not gentle enough to be just a kiss, dancing around the her nipple before a soft whine convinced Angelica to take the dark bud into her mouth, laving it with her tongue and measured scrapes of teeth. She listened as Maria’s breath grew heavy and flipped them over to nudge her knee between Maria’s leg, grinding down on the thigh she consequently found between her own, Maria inhaled sharply and pulled Angelica’s face back up to meet her own. Maria pushed Angelica’s tennis skirt and panties off in one pull and made quick work of the older woman’s bra while Angelica kicked her clothes off the bed and tugged off Maria’s pants, pausing before removing her underwear to press her thumb on the wet spot that had formed there. She rubbed softly and glanced at Maria’s watching gaze and open mouth, she paused when words replaced the steady flow of breath, “Please. Can I taste you?” Her words were a little shaken, as though the request was outlandish, but Angelica couldn’t be happier to comply, laughing and nodding while pressing their lips together quickly and letting Maria return them to their original position, instead kneeling between Angelica’s legs rather than over them.
Eager kisses were pressed down Angelica’s stomach, a gentle smile on Maria’s lips the whole way, turning the kisses into more of a press of her mouth than much else, when she reached Angelica’s thighs the older of the two spread her legs with little patience, Maria’s expression sobering into deep arousal as she pressed another kiss to Angelica’s inner thigh and took in the sight of her. She let her eye’s meet Maria’s as the girl finally laid her mouth on her, only to press a soft kiss to her clit, but making Angelica gasp all the same. Soft dark eyelashes fluttered shut as she began to push her tongue between the folds, tasting with soft kitten licks that made it impossible to resist the urge to press a hand to the long curly hair in a silent request for more.
Maria took the response with fervor and began to fuck her tongue deep into Angelica, licking up with broad strokes and sucking on her clit in a way that made Angelica’s stomach tighten and toes curl. She could only imagine how wet she was, how wet Maria was, and soon her hips were bucking and Maria’s hand came up to pinch and pull her nipples until Angelica gasped and came, clamping her thighs so tight she would’ve been worried if it was for how little Maria reacted, slowing her tongue to work Angelica through her climax.
Angelica melted into the bed, limbs heavy as lead as she came down from the best orgasm she’d ever experienced. Okay. Maybe a lesbian. Her thoughts were pulled away from her as Maria looked up from where she was resting on her stomach; her face was shiny slick from being buried in Angelica’s wetness, her jaw slack and mouth open and an arm between herself and the mattress leading to the hand she had in her panties, panting faintly and riding the feel of her own fingers.
The sight gave Angelica a new sense of energy and she surged forward to push her lips to Maria’s, tasting herself and moaning at the filth of it. Neither broke the kiss as Maria let Angelica flip her over, and Angelica tossed Maria’s panties to meet the rest of the clothing on the floor. She batted away Maria’s hand and pressed kisses to her neck while she slipped her own fingers in the soaking heat, rubbing over her clit for a moment before pushing one, then two fingers into the girl who was breathing soft utters of yes yes yes. She crooked her fingers and let her thumb press on Maria’s clit, building up her speed until she was able to pull back to watch her back arch up and her face screw shut as she came, tightening around Angelica’s fingers and pausing her breath only to gasp for it as she came down. Angelica was enamoured by the sight.
She fell to her back beside Maria, didn’t protest when the girl turned over to drape an arm over Angelica’s stomach and tuck her head under her chin, found bliss in the soft skin on skin and tickle of unruly hair on her neck. They laid uncovered for a long time in a silence that Maria eventually broke, once again returning to her timid demeanor, “Um, I don’t want to push you or accuse you of anything at- at all but you told me you weren’t gay?”
Angelica chuckled, then laughed, reallylaughed. She shook with it and Maria huffed out a laugh of her own but mostly looked startled so Angelica forced herself to sober with a few coughs and a heavy breath out. “Sorry, it’s just, yeah, I did didn’t I? I might’ve been wrong about my previous disclaimer.” At that Maria gave an honest giggle of her own, now seeing the humor in the question, and settled back against Angelica who glanced at the time and was surprised to see how long they had taken, it felt like only a minute, maybe lesbian sex was the world’s best kept secret. “Do you want dinner?”
The night dissolved into comfortable silences paired with good food, Angelica pulled on her slip to accept the room service and offer a tip but Maria seemed content to remain completely naked, only wrapped in a sheet to preserve her modesty. They fell asleep that night wrapped up in the bed together, both overly aware of the lack of time they had left together.
Angelica woke early the next morning and left Maria with a room key for the breakfast downstairs, texting John about meeting and getting the address of the Starbucks he was loyal to. She threw on some clothes and walked the early morning Manhattan streets until she found the familiar face of John Laurens. It felt different to see him, he was the same, still wearing his same style of clothes, still covered in freckles and smiling too big; but this time she felt like she was seeing someone who gave her something rather than someone who took something away. This time she wanted to smile back, and her grin stretched naturally across her lips when he offered her one of the two cups in his hands. “Eliza told me how you take it.”
“Thanks; also, thank you, for your advice yesterday. I don’t think there’s anyone else who could’ve given that to me.” She lifted the opening in the cup lid to her lips but didn’t sip it, John led them to a table and they sat, the overcrowded Starbucks so packed with people looking for their morning coffee that all conversations blended into a white noise that gave the illusion of privacy.
“Yeah no worries, look I know you love Alex, it’s in your eyes. But you never hesitated to put Eliza’s happiness first which is crazy commendable, what caught my attention is that you never found anyone else, there’s no way you’d never even like someone, and instead you moved in with a guy just to make your dad happy?” Angelica’s expression hardened; this guy definitely didn’t connect with Alex over their way with words.
“That’s pretty presumptuous.” She sipped her coffee, looked away from him to people watch with disinterest.
“Sorry! I’m trying to tell you how we’re alike, my dad is like, sickly homophobic, you know that. After the wedding I was so obviously depressed so he wanted to point me away from Alex and towards a woman and so he could get his oldest back into his life. He introduced me to Martha, and we got married and had a kid and everything, just so he was happy, but we both knew it wasn’t love. So when I heard about Phillip I talked to her, and my daughter was still a baby so I moved to the Hamilton’s and I pay child support but Martha is happy to raise her alone, more so that she was with me at least; it’s really a messy situation but I’m happy with Eliza and Alex y’know? I don’t want to see you fall into a situation like that because no one pointed out your other options.” John took a long sip from his coffee and watched Angelica’s face with a cautious gaze.
She took her time processing his story, it was a lot. And she remembered her own father’s talk of his lack of grandchildren from his oldest, remembered her John telling her they should both just ‘get it over with’ like a child was a chore. No one was going to pull her out of that but herself, and being with another woman, she didn’t dare fantasize about Maria specifically, for the rest of her life seemed like a beautifully winsome idea. She agreed with and thanked John and pulled the conversation to Phillip and little Angelica, they chatted until his phone buzzed, it was Alex and he smiled while he read it and indulged in a bit of conversation before seeming to remember himself, and offering Angelica an apologetic smile. “He sent me pictures of Phillip and Angie, doctor check-ups. Look at this one, she made him hold her hand.” The picture was sweet, her niece squeezing her nephews hand while sitting in Eliza’s lap, who was beaming at the camera; maybe just at Alex, he probably had his own goofy grin at the charming scene. There was a caption underneath; Home now, neither of the kids are dying, but I don’t know why El insisted on paying doctor fees to tell us something we already knew. Alex always hated the doctors, he and John caused all sorts of trouble back in college and it was always followed by his frantic demand of no hospitals while Eliza tried to tend to whatever injury he’d gotten himself that time.
“Looks like you have someone to get back to. I’m sure my email is bursting at this point; I’ll see you at dinner yeah? Thank you. Again.” She gestured to his phone and he nodded, they exchanged pleasantries and parted ways. She tried to ignore the flutter in her stomach that occurred each time she took a step closer to the hotel room where Maria was waiting for her.