Stone Walls, part 6

 

Sorry about the delay, I began reading First Lady By Advocate and T Novan and couldn’t stop!

 

 

 

They woke up in the early evening, refreshed but lazy. Sandra thought of everything being left undone and forced herself to get up.

 

“Come on lazy butt, we need to get cracking…and no wise remarks!” Duster pouted then saluted as she was given a shove towards the bathroom. “Shower then change. We’re going shopping before the stores close and then I’m taking you out to dinner. I seem to remember a promise to treat you once you got out,” she reminded Debra. The former prisoner whined when Sandra refused to share the shower, but she knew if she had joined her in that small stall, shopping would be forgotten.

 

Turning on the water, she jumped in surprise when it came out hot, nearly scalding her. “Holy shit!” she cursed, jumping out and reaching for the controls. She had forgotten all about things like hot water. In the prison, she just turned on hot and ignored the cold control. Adjusting the temperature, she settled on very warm then reentered the stall.

 

A few minutes later, she left the bathroom, toweling off.

 

“That was fast,” Sandra commented, grabbing a fresh towel from the tiny closet for herself.

 

“We’re only allowed sixty second…” She had forgotten she wasn’t in prison anymore. Old habits died hard.

 

Sandra understood. “Well, you can take them for as long as you want now,” she said kindly, closing the door and starting her own shower. Afterwards, she redressed in her worn clothing, hating not having fresh to put on. “Let’s go shopping!”

 

 

Sandra headed for the gently used store, knowing they were cheaper than new, keeping in mind Debra would sweat over every penny spent.

 

“Let’s just get casual for now. That’s all you’ll need for working anyway,” she suggested. Debra nodded, following her into the building. She had forgotten what shopping was like.

 

Soft music played in the background and a subtle aroma of perfume scented the air. It was so different than what she had grown used to. The prison smelled musty, almost like a locker room, except for the disinfectants used to clean. Carpeting covered the floors, muffling their footsteps. A woman nicely dressed in a mauve outfit and heels asked if she could help them.

 

“We’re looking for casual clothing, my friend…she lost a lot of weight and needs new clothes, you know,” avoiding the truth to spare Debra any embarrassment.

 

“Any idea of your current size?” the saleslady asked kindly.

 

“No, afraid not,” Debra answered. The woman looked her over. “Are you looking for unisex or more feminine attire?” the woman asked, already guessing that the large woman was far from the frilly type.

 

“Unisex is fine.”

 

The woman led them to a section further to the back. Looking over what was available, she pulled out several pieces. “Why don’t you try these on?” she suggested. “Let me know if you need any help,” she smiled, giving Duster an appreciative look, then walked away.

 

“Bad girl aura,” Sandra grinned.

 

 

They settled on three pairs of pants, four shirts, and a one piece outfit. They walked up several doors and entered a small shop and bought underwear and bras.

 

“Do I really need to wear bras?” Debra whispered.

 

“Well, I hate to say yes, but you ought to at work,” she admitted, preferring the sight of those luscious beauties swaying freely. Besides, if one person so much as leered at her lover, she wouldn’t be responsible for her actions.

 

Sandra suggested a restaurant down the street and Debra agreed, having few experiences with them. Her father never took her to one as far back as she could remember. The closest she came to one was on the SV. They window shopped as they strolled down the street but as they passed one shop, the guard stopped and grabbed Duster’s arm, leading her into it.

 

The smell of leather permeated the air.

 

“I gotta see it on you!” Sandra grinned, pointing at a black leather jacket with silver buttons. Grinning, Duster took it off the hanger and put it on. It was a perfect fit. Sandra’s grin spread in delight.

 

“Good fit, but you need black pants to match,” a salesman said from behind the counter.

 

“And boots too,” Sandra added. Duster rolled her eyes.

 

Thirty minutes later, she walked out of the store dressed all in black. Her ‘old’ jeans were actually new but fashionably scuffed, and her boots were modeled after the biker boots of the 1950’s. The outfit had drained Sandra’s credit card but the effect was worth it. Even now she wondered if she could wait until they got home before she ravished her bad girl lover.

 

The restaurant had a short waiting line, so they went to the bar until their names were called. The noise of the room startled the ex-con as they walked through the crowded bar. She noticed several stares and instinctively put on her ‘I’m the head bitch here so don’t fuck with me’ look and followed Sandra to the bar. There, she asked for an iced tea, never had grown fond of the taste of liquor.

 

Sandra swallowed a giggle. An iced tea hardly fitted the look. She pictured Duster asking for a beer or whiskey instead, but glad she didn’t. Part of her parole was no alcohol or drugs. She would be tested monthly for it.

 

They looked around for a pair of seats but the place was crowded with the local drinkers. They found a lone stool and Duster motioned Sandra to it. The smaller woman sat down and turned the stool so she could face Duster who stood behind her, one foot propped up on the ring of metal near the bottom. She leaned closer and rested her hand on the back of the stool, bringing them to a casual snuggle.

 

“I really love you in that jacket,” she grinned, running her fingers down one lapel as her face showed exactly how much she admired the view. Duster felt the instant arousal to the look and growled quietly.

 

“Ain’t you two just so cute?” A male voice asked sarcastically.

 

Looking up, they saw a man dressed in his dirty work overalls, holding a beer. Unkempt hair flopped down into his eyes and a five o’clock shadow was heavier than most men’s attempt at growing a beard after a week. He looked towards Sandra and leered.

 

“Ain’t you just a little piece of heaven sent down to bring joy to a bum like me? Wanna go to my place and f-“ his eyes crossed as he slumped down to the floor. Duster never saw Sandra move, only feeling a slight flexing of muscles just before the man dropped.

 

“Some people just can’t hold their liquor,” the guard commented.

 

Duster grunted and watched a couple of men drag the unconscious man from the room. She didn’t comment on Sandra’s actions but felt a funny little emotion bubble up inside. Irony. She was the tough looking butch of the relationship, but came to the realization that she had better hide behind Sandra during a fight, where she’d be safer. The guard’s sweet feminine appearance hid the deadly warrior under the surface.

 

Seeing the humor in it, she grinned and raised her glass in salute to her lover, who nodded regally.

 

 

They went to Sandra’s apartment after dinner so she could change clothes. Neither woman spoke aloud about their expectations for the rest of the night. Although she wanted to sleep in her own place tonight, she was too bashful to ask Sandra to join her. 

 

While Sandra was in her bedroom, Duster looked over the room, noting the décor and such. On one wall was a group of trophies for martial arts along with photos of her in her little white outfits. Then framed certificates caught her eye so she walked over to them. Reading the diplomas in awe, amazed that Sandra had degrees in engineering, chemistry, and computer programming. What in hell was she doing working as a poorly paid prison guard?

 

A dull ache of fear sat in her gut. And why was Sandra even bothering with her? An uneducated ex-con with nothing going for her? All her insecurities rushed to the surface. She was in love with a woman a thousand times better than she was, but to what good? Sandra never said she loved her. She only agreed to date her when she got out of prison, nothing more. Maybe all she felt was pity for her—and lust. But those couldn’t last and eventually Sandra would drift away from her.

 

Debra brushed away several tears and walked out the door, wallowing in self-pity.

 

 

She shouted a question through the door but got no response. Opening her bedroom door, she poked out her head and wondered where Duster had gone to. Figuring she was in the bathroom, she finished dressing and grabbed her overnight case. It was rather presumptuous of her, but what the hell, a girl had the right to hope.

 

Noticing that the bathroom was dark and the door wide open, she looked around. “Debra?” She wasn’t there. A quick inspection proved that her guns and valuables were untouched. Glad she hadn’t been wrong on those issues, she was still wondering where Debra had gone and why. There wasn’t even a note. Grabbing her keys and bag, she headed out the door.

 

She kept her eyes peeled as she slowly drove in the direction of Duster’s apartment. Within a minute, she spotted the woman. Something was very wrong. Duster’s usual cocky gate was slow, her shoulders drooped in utter misery, eyes down.  What was wrong? She eased over to the side of the road, stopping. Duster glanced up, the shimmer of shed tears highlighting her face.

 

“Debra? Sweetie, what’s wrong? You left without a word.”

 

Duster shrugged her broad shoulders and kept walking.

 

Frustrated, Sandra parked the car and got out. A few running steps to catch up and she grabbed her sleeve, pulling her to a halt.

 

“Talk to me damn it! What’s wrong? You owe me some sort of explanation after what we’ve been through.”

 

“It’s over. You filled your part of the bargain, now you don’t have to bother with me anymore,” Duster bit out.

 

“What in hell are you talking about? I thought we were working on a relationship. Now you’re telling me you had your fun and out of prison so bye, nice knowing ya?”

 

“No!” Debra spun away and tried to walk away but Sandra held on tightly

 

“Tell me what’s going on inside that head of yours Debra.”

 

Duster refused to speak, her throat tight.

 

“Then I have no choice but to believe you used me. Did you bet with the others that you could fuck me? Or maybe saw me as a sucker who could be conned?” the small woman forced out between sobs. How did things turn so terribly wrong? She spun on her heels and stomped back to her car.

 

“It wasn’t like that,” came a pitiful whisper. Sandra stopped, not daring to breathe. “I love you Sandra, more than anything.”

 

Tears poured faster down both their cheeks.

 

“Then why are you walking away?” the guard asked.

 

“Cuz I’m scared,” came the answer many seconds later. Sandra began walking slowly back to her.

 

“Of what?”

 

“That I’m not good enough for you. You could have anyone you wanted. You’ve got brains and looks, so why bother with me?” she admitted.

 

“You think I’m going to grow tired of you and just leave, don’t you?” Sandra couldn’t find it in her to be offended, just weary.

 

Debra shrugged. Wasn’t what everyone thought anyway? That Sandra was slumming?

 

Taking the last step that separated them, Sandra lifted Debra’s chin and forced her to look into her eyes. “Didn’t it occur to you that I loved you too?”

 

Debra’s full lip trembled.

 

With painful clarity, Sandra realized she had never told her so. Snaking her arms around Duster’s solid frame, she snuggled close. “I do love you Debra. I’m sorry I never said the words before now.”

 

Duster’s arms lifted and gripped her hard as a sob of relief tore from her. They stood under the streetlight, too afraid to let go lest they awoke and found it that it had been nothing more than a dream.

 

 

She winced as the sunlight hit her in the eyes. Grunting, she eased out from under Sandra and searched for the bar that would shut the blinds.

 

“What a lovely view,” came the sleep husky voice from behind her. Grinning, she turned her eyes towards the bed. Sandra was on her stomach, her dark eyes roaming over her nude body. The ex-con didn’t know that her tanned and muscular body was covered in stripes of sunlight and backlit, causing a soft glow around her. Turning the control, the blinds closed, taking away the light show.

 

Duster returned to the bed and nuzzled a soft shoulder. “Good morning,” she murmured happily. The night before had eased many of her fears. They had spent the too short night just loving one another gently until they were both sleepy and content.

 

Sandra hummed with a smile and stretched. “Good morning yourself,” she smiled, easing to her side and moving closer to Duster’s warm body, drifting back to sleep, barely aware of a soft kiss to her cheek and being recovered.

 

The scent of coffee woke her from her nice dream. Breathing deeply, she opened her eyes and got up, taking a robe from the closet before strolling to the kitchen. There, she saw Debra hastily scraping a pan clean over the trash can. Chuckling, Sandra wondered if she had to buy a new one. The kitchen was a disaster, dirty dishes everywhere. Chuckling softly, she walked into the battle zone.

 

“Damn, you woke up too soon.”

 

“Hoping to hide the evidence?” Sandra asked with a crooked grin.

 

Duster looked slightly embarrassed. “Yeah. I thought I’d turn my hand to fixing breakfast. It looks easy on SV,” she grimaced.

 

“It’s okay. I’ll cook for now. You can help me clean up in a bit, after I have some coffee.” Sandra grabbed a mug and started pouring herself a cup.

 

“Um, Sandra, did you get your health insurance yet?”

 

Sandra lifted an eyebrow and peered into the cup.

 

“I, uh, found out I can make a decent cup of tar. Just to warn you,” she said with a guilty shrug.

 

Sandra laughed and poured it down the drain. “Okay, lesson one: How to make coffee.”

 

 

To Be Continued

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