“I know I should’ve pushed you away.” Lucy turned scarlet. “Or closed my legs.”

Hating that Lucy felt responsible, Kelly interjected, “You know what, Lucy? I think we both need to stop the blame game. Neither of us are masochist yet, it would seem, for weeks both of us have done nothing but beat ourselves up.”

“I’ve never done that.” Lucy picked up her wine glass. “Not literally anyway. But, I’ve tied myself up. Not very well, but well enough to get off.”

The declaration sent a jolt of lust through Kelly.

“That night, I discovered the meaning of sexual fulfilment. After coming down from the mind-blowing orgasm, the first I’ve experienced with a partner…”

A sense of pride shot through Kelly only to be replaced by a pang of sadness for Lucy. She couldn’t even begin to imagine reaching twenty-five and never having had an orgasm with another, let alone approaching thirty.

“Once my head cleared,” Lucy said. “I panicked and pretended I’d been asleep and thought it was a dream. When you said you had to use the bathroom, I saw the perfect opportunity to slip out of Paula’s bedroom and back to my own. And like I said, Paula would kill me if I even looked sideways at you. So, rather than pursue you, I took the cowards way out and went out of my way to avoid you.”

“That’s why you weren’t at Paula’s potluck dinner?” Kelly mused out loud.

“Correct. When you broke up, I wondered if it had anything to do with what happened that night. Not wanting to cause you, or myself, any more pain, I tried to forget you.”

Having no intention of letting Lucy forget about her, Kelly smiled. “But, lovely lady, apparently fate had other plans for us.”

Lucy raised her glass, Kelly picked up hers and they clinked them together.

“Amen to that. I don’t normally audit small businesses, but my work colleague, Mark, was away sick so you got stuck with me.”

The mention of a man’s name had Kelly’s mind jumping tracks faster than a train wreck.

“Did you get your kink on with the dude you slept with? I’m not sure if I can compete with a man.” Even though Kelly said it as a joke, the serious look on Lucy’s face suggested she took it as everything but.

“Don’t ever think you have to compete with a man, or anyone else, Kelly. I thought I was broken, until I met you. The one and only guy I dated, I discussed my desires with at length. When we finally acted on them, he slapped my bottom. He was very heavy-handed, and it hurt. A lot. Rather than be this great sexual moment, I wanted to jump up and punch him in the nuts.”