Chapter 14
Moving to Sydney was actually Louise’s idea. Franky’s boss was aware of the dramatic changes in Franky’s personal life. She felt a change in scenery would probably do her good. Louise was also aware of an opening for a junior associate in their Sydney offices and genuinely felt that Franky would be perfect for the job.
Franky had little hesitation in taking up Louise’s offer. She had lived in Melbourne all her life and when she thought about it, far too many of those years were unhappy ones. Until recently the prospect of moving to Sydney or anywhere interstate wasn’t even an option for her. Her parole conditions had stated that she was unable to leave the state of Victoria. If she was ever going to make a big move, now was the time.
Erica was more than willing to make the move with her. She loved Franky’s ambition to further her law career and revelled in the excitement she showed about moving cities. Erica had also never lived outside of Melbourne and was confident that with her credentials, experience and connections she would be able to find a job for herself. The idea of starting from scratch with Franky in a city as beautiful and vibrant as Sydney appealed to her greatly.
Of course with a big life change such as moving there were lots of people to tell. For Erica, she had to inform her friends and family. Franky was estranged from her mother and father, but she still had a family she wanted to notify. Rather than phoning or texting, she decided to write to Doreen, Liz and Boomer. They were going to be very surprised. She had only told them that she and Bridget had separated. She hadn’t even mentioned Erica to them yet. She also wrote to Bridget, despite struggling to find the right words. She didn’t want her to hear it from anyone else first.
Louise had promised not to tell Sylvie, Clive or any of the other articled clerks until the last minute but they would find out soon enough. Franky planned on speaking to them, and even to Pauline, but she somehow always put it off.
******
In the weeks that they had been living together, Franky had learned that Erica cooked great curries. That, like Franky, she preferred reading to watching television. That she walked very fast. That she had a sewing kit and would sew buttons back onto shirts with meticulous care. That she loved single malt whiskey and good red wine and wheat beer, and hated baked beans and bony fish and mashed potatoes. That she was almost fluent in both Spanish and French. That she didn’t need much sleep. That she liked cats but was never allowed pets as a child. That her hands were always warm, no matter how cold it was outside. That she hated lids to be left off jars and drawers to be left open. That she had a manicure every second week. That she always carried tissues in her handbag.
Franky also learned that she could hold Erica down with one hand. That Erica would let her take naked photographs of her on her phone. That she liked being tied down, literally. That she gave the most beautiful smile when she woke up and Franky was lying beside her, watching her. Franky felt at last if she had been turned inside out and all her private internal landscape, everything that had belonged only to her, was known. She felt very, very happy, but if this was happiness, then she had never been happy before.
It was a Monday morning when Franky finally spoke to Clive and Sylvie and let them know that she would be moving to Sydney in three weeks’ time. Their reaction was as she expected, they wished her well but didn’t show any great excitement. What she did not expect, was for Clive to invite her out for coffee on their morning tea break on Thursday. He was polite and formal, their dynamic had certainly changed, but asked if Franky and Erica would like to come to his girlfriend Gail’s birthday party. It was the next day, Friday, nine o’clock, with food and dancing.
Franky hesitated. “Will Bridget be there?”
“Yes.”
“And Pauline?”
“Yes.”
“Do they know that you’re asking me?”
“I wouldn’t have asked you without talking to them first.”
Franky took a deep breath. “You’d better give me the address.”
Franky didn’t think Erica would want to go, but she surprised her. “Of course, if it’s important to you,” she said casually.
******
Gail’s flat was in a large, rickety house in Richmond. When Franky and Erica arrived there, all the windows were lit up. Even from the sidewalk they could hear music and laughing voices, and see the shapes of people through the open curtains. Franky grabbed Erica’s elbow. “Is this a good idea? Maybe we shouldn’t have come.”
“Let’s go in there for a little while,” Erica said soothingly. “You can see everyone you need to see, and we can go and have a late meal afterwards.”
Gail opened the door. “Franky!” she hugged Franky exuberantly, as if they were old friends, then turned inquiringly towards Erica, as if she had no idea who she was.
“Erica, this is Gail. Gail, Erica.”
Erica smiled and shook her hand. Gail looked at her. “Sylvie was right.” She giggled. She was drunk already.
“Happy birthday, Gail,” Franky said drily, forcing Gail to switch her attention away from Erica.
The room was full of people holding glasses of wine or bottles of beer. Music was playing from an iPod stereo. Franky took two glasses from a table and slugged some wine into them for Erica and herself, and looked around. Bridget was standing near the window, talking to a woman wearing a strikingly short leather skirt. She hadn’t noticed her come in, or she was pretending that she didn’t.
“Franky.”
Franky turned. “Pauline. Nice to see you.” Franky moved forward and kissed Pauline’s cheek, but she was unresponsive. Franky introduced Erica awkwardly.
“I gathered,” Pauline said.
Erica touched Pauline’s elbow and said in a clear, carrying voice, “Pauline, life is too short to lose a friend.”
Pauline looked taken aback but managed to speak. Franky drifted away from them, towards Bridget. She had to get this over with. Bridget had seen her now. She was still talking to the woman in the skirt, but her glance kept turning towards Franky. She went over. “Hello, Bridget,” she said.
“Hello, Franky.”
“Did you get my letter?”
The woman turned and left them. Bridget smiled at Franky and said, “God, that was hard going. It’s difficult being single again. Yes I got your letter. At least you didn’t say you hoped we could still be friends.”
At the other end of the room Franky saw Erica taking to Sylvie and Clive. Pauline was still beside her. Franky saw how everyone looked at Erica, drifted over towards her, and she felt a twinge of jealousy. But then Erica looked up, their eyes met, and she gave a funny twisted grin.
Bridget saw the glance. “Now I know why you seemed busier than usual,” she said, with a painful smile. Franky didn’t reply. “I feel pretty bloody stupid. all that happening under my nose and me not knowing. Oh, and congratulations.”
“What?’
“When is the big move?”
“Oh. In three weeks’ time.” Bridget winced. “Yeah, well,” Franky continued, “Sydney should be sweet …” she stopped. Her voice sounded too bright and and cheery. “Are you alright, Gidge?”
“It’s no longer your concern,” said Bridget, in a voice that was trembling slightly. “Can you tell me something?”
“What?” Franky realised that Bridget was a bit drunk. She bent closer to her, so Franky could feel her breath on her cheek.
“If it hadn’t been for, you know, her, would you have stayed with me and -?”
At that moment Erica appeared at Franky’s side.
“Erica, this is Bridget.”
The two women didn’t say anything. Erica held out her hand. Bridget didn’t move at first; then, with a puzzled expression, she put her hand into Erica’s. Erica nodded. A desire to giggle rose in Franky’s throat, which she suppressed. She recognised the awkwardness of the situation and decided to diffuse it immediately.
“We’re gonna get going, Bridget,” Franky said awkwardly. She was about to kiss her ex-girlfriend politely on the cheek, but Bridget pulled away and walked to the other side of the room.
“Come on, let’s go,” Franky said, leading Erica from the room. She sketched a half-wave at Pauline and left.
Outside the house, Franky stopped and tuned Erica towards her. She kissed her savagely. Erica slid her arms under Franky’s jacket and shirt and leaned into her. When Franky pulled away, she saw Bridget, still standing at the window and looking out. Their eyes met but Bridget made no gesture.
******
“Do have a second helping of shepherd’s pie, Franky.”
“Ok, sure.”
“And salad. Please have some more salad. I’ve made too much, I know. It’s always so hard to get quantities right, isn’t it? But that’s why the freezer is so useful.”
“That’s cool, I’ll have more.”
Erica’s mother was pink and garrulous with nerves. Her father, taciturn at the best of times, had said almost nothing. He sat at the head of the table and plodded through the lunch.
“Wine?”
“That’d be great, thanks.”
“Erica used to love my shepherd’s pie when she was little, didn’t you, Erica dear?” She was desperate. Erica smiled at her but couldn’t think of anything to say, for, unlike her mother, she became tongue-tied when nervous.
“Did she?” Franky’s face lit up, she was always interested to hear more about Erica. “What else did she like?”
“Meringues.” Erica’s mother’s face sagged with the relief of finding a topic of conversation. “And the crackling on pork. And my blackberry and apple pie. Banana cake. She was always such a slim little thing, you wouldn’t believe how much she could eat.”
“Yeah, I could.”
Franky put her hand on Erica’s knee underneath the table cloth. Erica blushed. Her father coughed portentously and opened his mouth to speak. Franky’s hand pushed upwards and stroked her upper thigh.
“It seems a bit sudden,” announced Erica’s father.
“Yes,” agreed her mother hurriedly. “We are very pleased, of course we are very pleased, and I am sure that Erica will be very happy, and it’s her life anyway, to do what she wants with, but we thought, why rush? Why not spend another year in Melbourne and then move to Sydney if you’re still keen?”
Franky’s hand moved higher. She put one sure thumb on Erica’s crotch. Erica sat quite still, with a hammering heart and throbbing body.
“I don’t know if or when I’ll get another opportunity at this job,” Franky said. “I wanted Erica to come with me and she wanted to come.” She smiled rather gently at Erica’s mother. “I know this is the first time Erica has had a girlfriend. And I know that’s hard to get used to.” Franky turned her full gaze onto Erica and the blonde felt as if Franky was undressing her in front of her parents. She struggled to remain composed.
“I’ve never been happier than I am now, Mum,” Erica said softly. “Sydney is going to be a great move for us. I promise.”
In Erica’s old bedroom, museum of her childhood, Franky picked up each object as if it was a clue. Swimming certificates. An old teddy bear, with one ear missing. A stack of old, cracked CD covers. A tennis racquet, still standing in the corner of the room by a wicker wastepaper basket she had woven at school. A collection of shells. A porcelain lady, a present from her grandmother when she was about six. A jewellery box with pink silk lining, containing just one necklace.She unrolled a school photograph, 1995, and quickly located Erica’s face, smiling uncertainly from the second row.
Erica was busying herself looking through a photo album. Franky walked up behind her and wrapped her arms around her waist. Before Erica even knew what was happening, Franky wordlessly reached around her front to unbutton the snap on Erica’s jeans. Erica quickly flinched then writhed in Franky’s embrace. Her hands attempted to push away Franky’s wandering fingers. "Franky, no. My parents are downstairs," she argued looking towards the closed door.
"So?" Franky replied.
“Stop it,” she protested, still trying to prevent Franky from undoing her jeans. “We can’t do anything, they’d hear us.” Franky didn’t waver. Erica tried to move away but Franky was stronger and easily out powered her.
Franky ran her hands up along the front of Erica’s chest and gave her breasts a firm squeeze before tweaking her nipples through her shirt. “You want me to fuck you here,” Franky whispered. “I can tell. It’s ok, we’ll be quick.”
Franky grabbed Erica by the hips than moved her over to the single bed that sat in the corner of the room, a girly pink bedspread still on top of it. She pushed Erica down onto her back and unbuttoned the rest of her jeans and pulled them off her legs. She growled low in her throat once she saw Erica’s black lace panties, "God, you really don't know what you do to me, do you?"
Franky climbed on top of her lover. Her eyes stared at Erica intently as she sucked two fingers into her mouth, reached in between her legs and swiftly pushed her panties to one side to penetrate her. She started off slow and gentle before gradually increasing her pace, making sure that the palm of her hand rubbed up against Erica’s clit each time to create just enough friction. She pushed Erica’s hair to one side and kissed her neck, “Do you think you can be quiet?” she asked teasingly.
Erica’s eyes blazed with desire. “Yes,” she said breathlessly. “Keep going.”
Franky knew they would have to be quick but she also knew just how Erica liked to be fucked. She knew exactly where to touch her and which areas drove her the craziest. She knew that if she bit down on a certain part of Erica’s neck the right way, her legs would go a little weak and her body would tremble. Erica’s eyes fluttered closed and she bit down on her lip to try to stifle her moan once Franky found that highly sensitive area with her mouth, "Tell me again that you want me to stop,” Franky said.
Erica didn’t respond, but she quickly put Franky’s face in her hands and passionately enveloped her in a fierce kiss. It was hard and fast, full of desire and urgency. It wasn't until Franky briefly tasted her own blood that she realized Erica had bitten her lip. Franky didn’t care. If Erica’s parents were to notice it later then they could think what they pleased.
Franky broke free of Erica’s embrace and moved downwards, placing open mouthed kisses along her stomach.She peeled off the black panties and Erica parted her thighs, allowing Franky to quickly attach her mouth to her. Franky began licking Erica’s clit, causing the blonde to grind herself firmly against Franky’s face. “Oh god," Erica panted in a breathless whisper.
Using both hands, Franky spread Erica open wider and buried her face into her sex. Erica responded by pressing herself further into Franky’s mouth and she cooed softly when Franky gave her one long, lingering, upward lick with her tongue. She lightly nibbled on Erica’s clit before pushing two fingers inside her. Erica’s body shuddered. Franky’s mouth and tongue returned to Erica’s clit and she began thrusting her fingers in and out of Erica at a rapid pace. She applied as much pressure as she could with her tongue until she felt the muscles in Erica’s body tense up and her thighs tighten around her neck.
Erica tried to hold her orgasm off but the more she did, the stronger and more intense it became until she finally erupted. And with her legs still shaking, she screamed her release into a pillow until Franky’s mouth was filled with her sweet nectar. When her orgasm finally subsided, Franky climbed off the bed and allowed Erica to gather herself.
“Do you think they would have heard me?” Erica asked as she pulled her jeans back up.
“We’ll soon find out,” Franky said with a grin before taking hold of Erica’s hand and leading her out of the bedroom. “Good news is, you’ll be able to tell your mum I’ve had plenty to eat.”