Trading Places

Franky arrived back at the office out of breath. She had been gone for longer than she would have if she was just getting a haircut as she’d planned, but thankfully no one appeared to notice her late return. Franky felt self-conscious about her clothes. They seemed strange on her because they had not long ago been taken off and eventually put back on in haste. She worried that it would seem as obvious to other people as it seemed to her. Had she fastened some button wrongly? It all seemed fine, but she wasn’t sure enough. She rushed to the bathroom with some makeup. In the unforgiving bright light she checked in the mirror for puffy lips or visible bruises. She did some remedial work with mascara and eye-liner. Her hand was trembling. She had to bang it against the sink to steady it.

Franky rang Bridget’s cell phone. She sounded as if she was in the middle of something. Franky told her that she was going out for drinks again after work and might be late home. How late? She didn’t know, she’d wait and see how well the drinks were going down. Would she be back for dinner? She told Bridget to go ahead without her. Franky rang off and told herself that she was just trying to make things neat. She would probably be home before Bridget was. Then she sat and thought about what she had done. She remembered Erica’s face. She sniffed at her wrist and smelt the soap. Erica’s soap. It made her shiver and when she closed her eyes she could feel the tiles under her feet and hear the shower pattering on her skin.

There were one of two things that could happen, by which Franky meant that there was one of two things that should happen. She could go straight home after work, then the next day procure Erica’s email address from one of her sources and write to her that things would go no further between them. If she did go back to Erica’s apartment, then she would have to tell her firmly and clearly the same thing. That was that. It was a mad thing to have done and the best thing to do was to pretend that it hadn’t happened.

Franky had been dazed when she had returned to the office, but now she felt clearer-headed than she had for weeks, full of a new kinetic energy. Over the next hour she completed all her filing work promptly and precisely. Sylvie dropped by her desk and asked if she was doing anything after work. Yes. Meeting an old friend from Wentworth for a drink. Franky was sure Sylvie would presume she meant a fellow ex-inmate. Either way, Sylvie didn’t ask to join them.

Franky looked at the clock on her phone. It was five to six. As she was collecting her things in her bag, Louise, her boss, came in. There had been some unexpected developments in one of her cases that afternoon and she needed someone to do some research for her.

“i’m really sorry, Lou. I’ve got something on.”

“Really? What?”

For a moment Franky thought of giving Louise the same excuse she had given Sylvie.but some flicker of survival instinct prompted her not to. Best not blow off the boss for a fictional drink with a friend. “It’s something private.”

Louise raised an eyebrow. “Job interview?”


“You caught me, the Galballys have been knocking down my door,” Franky said sarcastically.

Louise laughed but she didn't go away. She wasn’t going to take no for an answer. “It won’t take long.” Louise sat down with her notes and went through the points she wanted Franky to check on. Franky was able to check one or two of them online but had to phone somebody about another. She made a promise to herself that she wouldn’t look at the clock a single time. What did it matter anyway? When they were finally done, Franky looked at her phone. Twenty-four minutes past seven. Twenty-five past. She didn’t hurry, even after Louise had gone. She went to the lift feeling relieved that her decision had been made for her somewhat. It was best this way. She’d email Erica tomorrow and it would all be forgotten.

*****

Erica lay at an angle across the bed with her head on Franky’s stomach. Sweat was running down Franky’s face. She could feel it everywhere: on her back, on her legs. Her hair was wet. And she could see the sweat on Erica’s skin. It may have been freezing cold outside but things had gotten very hot in Erica’s bedroom. Franky had worked up a thirst.

“Got anything to drink?” she asked.

“Sure,” Erica said. She sat up quickly, as if she was embarrassed that she hadn’t had the manners to offer Franky a drink before she had asked for one. “What would you like? Water? Vitamin water? Wine? Beer?”

“I’ll go a beer,” Franky hadn’t pictured Erica as the type to have beer in her fridge, but at that moment she was grateful she did. She felt like she could chug six of them. She watched Erica’s naked form as she left the room. Briefly, she allowed herself to remember the way Bridget looked when she would walk naked around their house. Their home .

Erica returned with two bottles of Peroni and handed one to Franky who took a large swig. The sheet had been kicked down to the bottom of the bed. Erica pulled it up over them and they sat together on the bed. Franky looked around the room. There were photographs on the wall of landscapes from around the world. Franky suspected Erica had taken them herself. There was no television opposite the bed, instead there was a large bookcase. Franky examined the books in there one by one: the collected works of W. H. Auden and pf Sylvia Plath. Wuthering Heights , some D. H Lawrence. A large coffee-table book entitled Humans of New York .

“Not a bad collection,” Franky said, “might’ve read a few of those myself.”

“I don’t doubt that,” Erica said with a slight smile. Franky looked around at her. “Listen, Franky…”

Franky shook her head and touched Erica’s lips with one finger. Their bodies were close together anyway and Franky moved forward a couple of inches and kissed Erica.

At first Erica kissed back but then she pulled away. “What are you thinking?” she said, running her fingers softly along Franky’s arm. “Talk to me. Tell me something.”

Franky didn’t answer immediately. She slid the sheet off Erica’s body and moved her onto her back. She took Erica’s hands and raised them above her head on the mattress as if they were pinned. Erica was exposed like a a specimen on a slide. Franky gently touched Erica’s forehead then ran her fingers down over the blonde’s face, her neck, down her body and came to rest just above her belly button. Erica shivered.

Franky leaned forward over her and kissed her stomach. “I was thinking,” Franky said, her right hand moving to caress Erica’s left breast, “that your body is fucking amazing,” she kissed up Erica’s stomach and licked the curve of her breast, causing Erica to gasp. “And I was thinking that I like the way you taste.” She was looked into Erica’s eyes intently. “And I can’t wait to have you come against my mouth again.” Erica’s breaths were shaky and fast, her cheeks blushing from her arousal. Franky began kissing her way down Erica’s stomach. When she reached her hips she stopped and looked into Erica’s eyes again. “What are you thinking?” she asked.

Erica lifted herself up onto her elbows. “ You lie back,” she said. Franky gave her a teasing smile, but did what Erica asked.

Erica ran her fingers over Franky’s body, which smelt of sex and sweat. “What am I thinking? I think that when I woke up this morning I never would have guessed this would happen today.” She pulled herself on top of Franky, their breasts pushed together in the most delicious way. “I came to see you today because I wanted to be honest with you.” She kissed Franky’s neck, before looking her in the eyes once more. “And I can honestly tell you I’ve wanted this for the longest time.”

A feeling of intense joy rose up in Franky at hearing those words.

Erica broke eye contact once more. She shuffled downwards and kissed Franky’s breasts. Her lips trailed down Franky’s torso to her navel and then traversed her stomach from side to side. Her efforts elicited a low moan from Franky.

Erica moved further down, her hands went between Franky’s knees and held them apart. She gently kissed her inner thigh, moving towards the center in a series of agonisingly slow pecks. Franky’s breathing became heavier as Erica’s lips neared their intended destination. Her body began to writhe with the pleasure that was coursing through her.

Erica held on and steadied Franky to keep her in line with her tongue. Slowly, she ran her tongue along Franky’s inflamed lips. Franky let out a guttural groan, raw, insatiable lust ruling her body. Every sensory cell within her lit up brightly, like a million fireflies fluttering within her until the glow of her arousal threatened to burst through her skin.

Erica dropped one of her hands and and traced the inside of Franky’s sex with one finger, then two. Then she pressed harder, moving her fingertips slowly. Her ministrations caused a rush of hormones through Franky’s body, heating her all the way to her core. She opened her eyes wide and looked upwards. Feelings long dormant blazed through her mind in vivid flashes. All the times she had had fantasised about being in bed with Erica’s head between her legs.

Franky moaned when Erica pushed her fingers deep inside. Erica was gentle and moved carefully until she felt Franky begin to grind against her fingers. She looked into Franky’s pleading eyes and pushed harder and faster. Every stroke of her fingers caused a paroxysm of pleasure to course through Franky’s body. Franky continued to grind, embedding Erica’s slender fingers deeper with her. Erica took the opportunity to lock her lips around Franky’s clit and suck on it, before massaging it with her tongue.

“Fuck,” Franky yelled. The fingers and tongue in tandem spurred her pleasure to even greater heights. Her back arched upwards and her head rocked back. She closed her eyes and surrendered herself to the feeling.

Before long it hit her. Waves of pleasure cascaded through her body, making her spasm and convulse. Her thighs locked around Erica’s face, holding it in places as her orgasm erupted. She looked into an incandescent flash of colour before going back again. Her body went limp and her limbs gave way as she floated back down from the euphoric high of her orgasm.

As she lay gasping for breath, Franky saw Erica crawling up to see her. They kissed softly, tongues twirling lightly against each other, just enough that Franky could taste herself on Erica’s mouth. Slowly Erica extracted herself before laying down beside Franky contentedly.

They lay together for a long time after that. One hour, two hours. They barely spoke. They touched. Rested. Looked at each other. Franky lay and listened to the sounds of voices and cars in the street below. Then she broke the silence. “I have a girlfriend,” she said. “More than a girlfriend. I live with somebody.”

She didn’t know what she expected. Anger, evasiveness, maybe even a sigh of relief. Erica didn’t move. She didn’t even open her eyes. “Okay,” was all she said.

Franky took a deep breath. “I better get going,” she said with resignation.

She showered and then dressed. Erica was sitting up in the bed, looking at something in her cell phone. “Can I have your number?” she asked tentatively.

Franky pulled her own phone out of her pocket. “Give me yours,” she said. She tapped out Erica’s number as the blonde gave it to her then rang it, thus ensuring that her own number would now be in Erica’s phone. She took a step towards the door but then turned back. She leaned over and kissed Erica gently. Erica wrapped a hand around the back of her head and pulled her down. Franky felt an ache in her chest so that she could hardly breathe, but she shook Erica off. “Gotta go,” she whispered.

It was after midnight. When Franky let herself into the house, it was dark. Bridget had gone to bed.Franky tiptoed into the ensuite. She put her underwear into the washbag. She had a shower for the second time in an hour. The fourth time that day. She washed her body again in her own soap. She washed her hair in her own shampoo. She crawled into bed beside Bridget, who turned and mumbled something.

“Me you too,” Franky said.