I'm sure you know there will be a sexual relationship between two women, but if you don't know this is me warning you. There will be a sexual relationship between two women in this story (starting at the very beginning actually).
Contact the lunatic at: starving.lunatic@gmail.com and lemme know what you think of the story. Thanks and enjoy. You can also find me on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/SL-Kassidy/482097488469386
Many thanks to my beta - Rleef.
This story is going to be told in rather short chapters, snapshots showing Quinn's and Artie's growth together.
Artie had just crawled into her pajamas and finished a hearty dinner of cold pizza chased by warm cola. It was delicious and just like she preferred them. She was planning to watch a little television on her computer. She did not have a television in her dorm. A knock at her door paused that plan and opening the door completely changed her evening.
Quinn practically jumped on her, lips first. The intense, but welcomed greeting surprised Artie. She did not have time to think, only feel those soft, pleasant lips on her mouth, trying to consume her. She moaned as Quinn nibbled on her lip and the sound brought her back to her senses enough to shut the door.
"Not that I'm complaining …" Artie had to shut up for a second as Quinn gave her another hot kiss. Hmm … she's freaking amazing at that! "but, what's the occasion?" Artie finished once Quinn broke away for a breath.
"I want you," Quinn whispered against her lips, hands eagerly tugging at Artie's tank top.
As far as Artie was concerned sexier words were never spoken. She leaned down and took control of Quinn's mouth, exploring every hot, wet inch with her tongue. The pale woman moaned wantonly, causing Artie's body temperature to shoot up. Quinn was more into this than ever before, which made her extremely aroused.
"You want me?" Artie asked, pecking Quinn on the lips in between words.
"Uh-huh," Quinn replied with a slight nod.
"You got me. Now, what?"
"Fuck me," Quinn breathed.
"Okay." Artie amended her last thought, now sexier words were never spoken. Her heart rate spiked and she felt like her blood was evaporating right under her skin.
She ripped her shirt off and the tearing echoed through the room. The air seemed heavy and did not help her blazing body temperature. She attached her lips to Quinn's again as she made short work of Quinn's shirt and her own shorts. Her tongue brushed across Quinn's plump, wonderful lips and Quinn let her in without delay. A mysterious moan bounced off of the walls. Artie's hands fell to Quinn's pants, deftly unbuttoning them and pushing them down to her knees.
Artie's lips left Quinn's just long enough for her to say, "Step out of the pants."
Quinn nodded and stepped out of her trousers without putting much space between their bodies. As soon as she was out of the pants, she pressed herself against Artie, skin to skin, breast to breast. Artie could not breathe and she was certain that she was about to explode. Somehow, kissing Quinn helped keep the combustion at bay. Although the purr that she swallowed from Quinn was almost enough to make burst into flames. Artie's hands moved on their own, needing to feel more of the temptingly delicious flesh. She felt the heavy weight of Quinn's breasts and moaned into Quinn's mouth. She pulled back slightly.
"Can I?" Artie whispered, pleading.
"Can you what?" Quinn asked, sounding dazed.
"Put my mouth on them?" Artie requested, massaging Quinn's luxurious rack. The rules seemed to be different now, but she needed to be sure. She did not want to make Quinn uncomfortable.
Quinn was silent for a moment and her eyes fluttered shut. A small mew escaped her as she gave a short nod. "No lower, though."
Artie groaned, not really needing any lower at the moment. Slowly, taking in every bit of Quinn, she kissed her way down, starting from the lips. She kissed a few freckles on Quinn's cheeks before adoring each one down her ivory neck with soft, lingering kisses. Her hands occupied her goal, kneading and savoring supple breasts. Quinn whimpered and purred with each touch, clutching at Artie's shoulders and arms, as if she was not sure what to do with her hands. Artie decided she was going to make Quinn crave her, beg her.
"Oh, Art," Quinn moaned as the kisses made it to the top of her right breast. She shivered, body humming against Artie's touch.
Artie continued kissing down and around the dark pink center. Quinn whimpered and her hands lost themselves in Artie's cropped hair. Those small hands fisted her short locks as she wrapped her lips around a tight, pebbled nipple. Quinn hissed loudly as Artie's tongue lightly flicked the gem in her mouth. Quinn's legs actually gave out and she slumped as Artie gently played with her nipple. Of course, that made Artie lose the puckered pearl, but she caught a breathless Quinn.
"Bed?" Artie offered.
Quinn went with a closer form of support, leaning against the door. She pulled Artie's head back to her breasts. Artie was not about to argue that decision and put as much of Quinn's right breast in her mouth as she possibly could. Her left hand wandered to Quinn's bare hip and she wedged her thigh in between Quinn's legs. The sensation that greeted her made her groan loudly against Quinn's flushed chest. She stood, looking Quinn in the eye, sharing Quinn's breath.
"You're ready," she stated and she was about to step away for Quinn's favorite strap-on, but was delayed.
"No!" Quinn whined, pulling Artie back. "Don't leave."
"I need …" Artie did not get a chance to explain.
"I need you," Quinn growled. It was so sexy that Artie was ready to just go down on Quinn to satisfy them both.
"I know, I can feel it." Quinn's arousal on her thigh was enough to make her explode, which was why she needed to get to that toy now or she would pass out from dizzying sensation.
"Then don't go."
"But, Quinn, I don't have what you like," Artie pointed out.
"I like you. Don't leave. Use your fingers," the smaller woman pleaded.
Artie's brain shut down at the request. She was being ordered into forbidden territory and only now did she realize how much NOT being allowed to use her fingers had affected her. The thought of finally being allowed to was almost overwhelming. Her mind conjured images and sensations that made her pant with desire.
"Artie!" Quinn whined, jump starting the taller woman's mind and reminding her that this was not a fantasy.
Artie did not say anything, fearful that she might ruin the experience. Instead, she reattached her mouth to Quinn's breast, earning a near-scream. Her lips and tongue adored the precious gem, possibly leaving a mark. Quinn clutched Artie's head as her fingers trailed over Quinn's soft abdomen before dipping into what had been denied to her. She shivered while Quinn whimpered as she glided through liquid bliss.
Quinn's hold on Artie tightened, so Artie added more pressure while flicking the nipple in her mouth with her tongue. Whenever Artie's fingers passed over Quinn's most pleasurable point, she cried out and held on tighter, one hand on Artie's neck and the other bruising her shoulder. Artie did so until she could feel nails biting into her skull and Quinn snarled in frustration, needing more of everything.
"More," Quinn begged.
"Inside?"
"Yes!"
Artie could not and would not ignore that and eased a finger inside of the pale woman. The crushed velvet surrounding her caused Artie to make a choking noise while Quinn hissed and screwed her eyes shut. Quinn engulfed Artie, took over her senses, and drowned her ecstasy. Artie moaned as she moved inside of Quinn, in disbelief that she had been denied such a treasure. Her thumb caressed Quinn's throbbing clit, earning sweet, wondrous whines and whimpers as Quinn clutched her even tighter.
Soon, one finger became two and Artie was trying her best to draw things out because she never wanted to leave Quinn, never wanted to cease touching her. The bite of Quinn's nails into her burning muscles told her that Quinn wanted her to stay just as much as she did. She switched breasts as she increased her pace and Quinn could only make noise, which filled the room. She grew louder as Artie's strokes became even more powerful.
Quinn gasped as her body clamped down on Artie's fingers. Artie continued stroking her as she practically molded her body to Artie, clinging to Artie with everything in her. Artie pressed her against the door to make sure she stayed on her feet. After a long moment, Quinn slumped against her, panting heavily and totally spent.
"Bed?" Artie offered again.
Quinn cooed and nodded. Artie was able to bear much of Quinn's weight, but she was hardly in any condition to carry Quinn the way she would have liked. Thankfully, they did not have to go far and fell into bed. Artie consciously gave Quinn the side by the wall because she did not want Quinn sneaking out later to try to go to her own dorm late at night without an escort. She covered Quinn's body and then her own with her blanket. Quinn was already asleep.
Artie woke up as she felt Quinn moving against her. Her eyes opened and she glanced down at Quinn. She yawned before her eyes fluttered open and she smiled when she saw Artie's face.
"You gonna tell me what happened?" Artie inquired.
"We broke up," Quinn answered in a low, scratchy voice.
"I figured that when you attacked me with your lips, not that I'm complaining. But, do you want to talk about what happened?"
Quinn sighed and frowned a bit. "He believes his friends over me. They just keep telling him that I'm cheating and nothing I say can dispute that. It's gotten to the point where he basically doesn't even want me to know any guys or go out with my own friends. For him, their words became the truth. It … it hurts that he thinks so little of me. I would never cheat."
"It's his loss and you're better off. I know it hurts because you like him, but he sounds like he doesn't hold you in the same esteem and you shouldn't have to suffer his idiocy and insecurity any further," Artie stated.
Quinn smiled. "You think so highly of me."
"It's not a hard thing to do. If he can't see your good qualifies, it's his loss."
"Do you say that to all the girls?"
"Only when it's true. Look, I'm not saying this to be nice or to get in your pants again. I'm saying this because it's true. You're great. You don't cheat. You wouldn't even continue our activities once you both made a commit to each other to pursue a relationship and that was purely physical, no emotions involved at all. You're great at conversation, intelligent conversation, and you like going out. Plus, you're hot with a very nice rack and ass. What more does the guy want, for you to be dipped in gold?" Artie snorted.
Quinn chuckled. "You're too good for my ego."
"I like my girls to realize their self-worth. I don't hang out or do more with just anybody," Artie remarked.
Quinn smiled, but her eyes drooped and she yawned a little. She settled back onto her pillow and fell asleep. Artie chuckled a bit and shook her head. Sometimes, guys are dumb and sometimes, their friends are asses. Although, she felt that Quinn had not dealt with Kavi's stupidity the right way, but she was definitely not going to complain about that.
She did think that what happened between them had changed things. She was not sure if it was for the better yet because Quinn had not really reacted. She felt closer to Quinn, though, but then again, she felt that way about most women that she slept with on a regular basis. While she did not do relationships, she did have to have a connection with the woman that she had sex with beyond a one-night stand. She figured it would not be a good idea to tell Quinn that until Quinn dealt with changing their rules.
"What an awesome change," Artie sighed contently before drifting off to sleep.
Artie had taken Quinn's advice to chill out more often. She planned on watching a movie with her friends, but she did not have a television … or the movie that she wanted to see. She decided that she would provide the snacks and room. Her friends would have to take care of the rest. Thankfully, they did not seem to mind much.
Quinn showed up first, holding her laptop and several DVDs. She grinned as she presented her bounty. Artie took the items and nodded for Quinn to sit on the bed. She was pleased that Quinn had come over in purple sweat pants and a lilac tank top because she did not want Quinn to feel out of place considering the fact that she was dressed in pajama pants, which had little teddy bears on them.
"Am I the only one coming?" Quinn asked, sounding a bit curious.
Artie had to glance at her to gauge how she should respond. This was the first time they had seen each other since the rules changed a couple of days ago. The morning after had been quiet with Quinn leaving after placing a gentle kiss on her cheek and insisting on walking by herself back to her dorm. Everything seemed okay, even though she had not been able to walk Quinn back to her room, and still seemed so. She hoped that they stayed that way.
"Nah, Vega and Tega have to bring the TV. I got booze, cookies, and other junk if you want," Artie said as she put down the laptop.
Before Quinn could say anything, there was a knock at the door. Artie opened the door slightly, only to have it shouldered open all the way. Artie stepped out of the way as Vega came in with her thirty-two inch television cradled in her arms like a baby. Yvonne was right behind her.
"How the fuck do you want to have a movie night without a fucking television?" Vega grumbled, her golden honey skin flushed and glistening with sweat. "And why the hell didn't you come pick this fucking thing up? You got the fucking muscles! You should've been dragging this damned thing down the hall!"
"You done, Vega, or should I just tell Tega to go down on you now?" Artie playfully snapped.
"Vega's been naughty, so there will be no going down on her," Yvonne declared as she closed the door. She was short with dark ochre colored skin and kind brown eyes. She was dressed in black yoga pants and red tank top since the little hang out session was supposed to be super casual. Vega was wearing pajama pants with gold fish on them and a white sleeveless t-shirt.
"What did Vega do?" Artie asked curiously.
"I didn't call my dad for his birthday until she reminded me," Vega answered with a frown as she put the TV down on the desk. She turned and from the look on her face, she finally noticed Quinn.
Artie grimaced. "Shit, I didn't call him either."
"Forget that for now and do it later when we're gone. Are you going to introduce us or are we all going to stand on ceremony, except for the person sitting anyway," Vega commented.
"Oh, my fault. Vega, Tega, meet my friend, Quinn Matherson," Artie said, feeling that was an accurate description of Quinn. "Quinn, meet my best friend Vega Nasri and her keeper Yvonne Ortega, who I lovingly call Tega because I'm her favorite."
"The hell you are!" Vega huffed while Quinn offered them a small wave.
"You're both in a lot of trouble considering how poorly you're treating your kind papa. I'm surprised at you, Art. You're usually good with birthdays," Yvonne pointed out.
Artie pouted. "I know. I've been working myself crazy, so I lost my mind for a while. I'll call him tomorrow and beg his forgiveness." She turned her attention to Quinn, who was plucking the threads of the blanket. She tapped Quinn's knee to get her attention. "I've known Vega since we were like ten, so I'm pretty close to her dad."
Vega scoffed. "Not to mention your mom works for my dad. Now, what are we watching?"
Artie went through the five DVDs that Quinn had brought over, but once again showed how behind she was in pop culture. She had no idea what any of the movies were. Vega snorted and snatched the cases from her.
"You're so fucking pathetic. Have you ever even watched a movie without at least couple of kids tucked under your arms?" Vega teased.
Artie pondered it while throwing herself on the bed. "Recently or ever in the history of my life?" she remarked with a smile.
"I know the answer to both," Vega replied while turning her nose up at the selection. Well, she thought that she knew the answer to both.
Artie felt Quinn squirming next to her and she was about to just grab a movie to get Vega to stop appearing so offended by the DVDs. Yvonne beat her to it, snatching one right out of Vega's hands. She then pushed Vega down onto the bed. Vega grunted while Artie snickered.
"Told you I was her favorite. She'd never be so mean to me," Artie proclaimed with a giant grin.
"Art, be a gentleman and start this movie," Yvonne requested, passing the case to the taller woman.
"Anything for you, beautiful," Artie smirked.
Yvonne giggled while easing on the bed next to Vega. The twin-sized bed was definitely beyond maximum capacity, so Artie sat on the floor after connecting everything and starting the movie. She tapped Quinn on the foot, earning a giggle as the pale woman slid off of the bed to join her.
"I thought you could use the company," Quinn quipped.
Artie smiled. "Always. It could get pretty lonely down here." Vega made a gagging noise. "Don't make me come up there and really choke you."
They quieted down as the movie began and, for about thirty minutes, remained that way, except for the sounds of the snacking. And then, Vega nudged Artie with her foot, hitting the taller woman in the temple.
"Gimme some gummi bears, you pig," Vega ordered, poking Artie with her toe.
"Tega, control your monkey before I snap her in half," Artie laughed as she yanked Vega's big foot. Yvonne reined Vega in for a few minutes, but for the rest of the movie the taller pair messed with each other like little kids.
As the credits rolled, Quinn wondered what she should do as far as sticking around or going back to her own room. It was weird being around such close friends like Artie and Vega. Yvonne seemed used to it, so it was like she was a part of the shenanigans as far as she was the referee. Quinn almost felt like she was intruding.
"That was a good movie. You have good taste," Yvonne told Quinn, surprising her with a warm smile.
"Oh, thanks," Quinn smiled back.
"What are the other ones about?" Yvonne inquired.
After Quinn explained the basic plot of each movie, Yvonne decided that they were watching another one. She also kicked Vega off of the bed and insisted that Quinn sit with her. Vega growled, but moved to the floor. Quinn tried to argue, but Artie picked her up and dumped her on the bed. Quinn yelped in surprise as she landed.
"Everybody is happy when you just give into Tega. I don't know why," Artie said.
Quinn would not be able to dispute that as she and Yvonne discussed plot points in the movie as it played. They shared thoughts on what they liked in the movie and in movies in general, what they thought made for good entertainment, and how well the actors were selling the storyline. Artie joined in and by the time the movie ended, Quinn did not wonder what she should do. She stayed for the next.
Artie grabbed her phone as it began going off. "What's up, Vega?" She did not take her eyes off of her computer screen. She did take a moment to push her glasses up and scratch the bridge of her nose. She tried her best not to wear her glasses, but sitting in front of the computer for a couple of hours demanded them.
"Poetry slam, tonight," Vega stated.
Artie groaned as she considered it. She had her evening of relaxation with movie night and had jumped back into her work as always. Her brain was already pounding after banging out three papers in one day. She could hear Quinn in her head telling her that she needed to slow down and take it easy.
"Art?" Vega said.
"Oh, sorry. Sounds cool. Do you mind if I invite Quinn? She likes shit like this," Artie stated.
Vega grunted. "You know I do mind."
"Why? She's nice. Tega really hit off with her."
Vega snorted. "I'm not entertaining one of your fuck buddies, even if Tega liked her. Tega doesn't rule me."
Artie laughed. "Have you told Tega that? Hell, have you told yourself that yet?"
"What's with you feeling the need to hang out with women you have sex with, but don't want a relationship with? It's still like dating," Vega pointed out, leaving the "idiot" unsaid at the end, but definitely understood.
"Most women I have regular sex with are good friends and understand that I don't want a relationship. Hanging out is not dating because there's no level of expectation. Me going out with Quinn or any other woman I sleep with is like going out with you or Yvonne. I don't see why you have such a problem with it. Hell, you sometimes like my so-called fuck buddies and make them your friends. Remember Rika?"
Vega sucked her teeth. "I reserve the right to be prejudice and judgmental despite what the past has shown."
Artie chuckled. "Stubborn to the end. Dress like a newsy with me."
"It's too cold for short pants. All my wool socks are at home."
A loud snort escaped Artie. "A likely story. When and where is this poetry thing?"
Vega rattled off the details and then had to go. Artie called Quinn right after. Quinn took a while to answer.
"Artie, hi," Quinn said. "I don't mean to rush you, but I'm in class right now. Can you make this quick?"
"Poetry slam tonight at ten. Open mic if you're brave enough."
"Oh, I'd love to go," Quinn practically cooed.
"Okay, I'll come pick you up then. Enjoy your class," Artie said.
"Bye."
Artie focused back on her work as she put her phone down. She finished what she could before she had to rush out to her own class. On her way, she recalled that she had a paper for herself that was due. She made a mental note to do that tomorrow and then began thinking that it might be a while before she relaxed again.
Artie knocked on Quinn's dorm room door at a quarter to ten. The shorter woman was still getting ready, but she invited Artie in. Artie sat at Quinn's desk while Quinn fixed her makeup.
"We're meeting Vega there. Are you cool with that?" Artie inquired.
Quinn went completely still. "Vega? Did you tell her that I was coming?"
Artie frowned. She picked upon the fact that Vega doesn't really like her. Shit. "I did."
"And she's okay with it?"
"I guess that depends on how you define okay. If she makes you uncomfortable, I could just punch her for you," Artie offered. It often worked.
"No, I don't want you punching anyone for me, especially not your childhood friend. She doesn't make me uncomfortable, but she made it perfectly clear that she doesn't really care for me. She won't mind me coming?"
"Look, do you want to come or not? Don't let Vega's shitty attitude get to you. It's not even you. It's me really."
Quinn looked at her with an arched, perfectly sculpted eyebrow. "It sounds like you're breaking up with me. What the hell do you have to do with how she feels about me?"
"She's bothered by the fact that I like the women that I have sex with and I like being friends with them, but won't get in a relationship with them."
"Wait, you told her we had sex?"
"No, I don't have to. I've known Vega since I was nine. She just knows stuff about me like I know stuff about her. But, it's not that she doesn't like you because we're sleeping together or even because you did something that she thought was wrong. She hates that I'd hang out with you, but won't be in a relationship with you."
"But, I don't want a relationship and neither do you. Hell, I'm straight."
"This does not compute to Vega. Sex means relationship to Vega if you're going to be friends, too."
Quinn shook her head. "I don't get it."
"That makes two of us. I don't get it, either. I also don't get why it's any of her business, but she seems insistent on making her business. But, we need to get moving. If we're late, she'll end up hating us both."
Quinn nodded and quickly finished applying her makeup. She looked beautiful and Artie was tempted to make other plans, but doubted that Quinn would go for it. Not to mention, Vega would never let her hear the end of it if she stood Vega up to have sex with Quinn.
They walked out to Quinn's car and drove to the poetry slam. Artie had to give directions because the event was in a different location than the last one. They were a few minutes late and Vega was already there, glaring at them the second that they walked through the door.
"The fuck? You stopped for a quickie?" Vega huffed.
Artie reached out and wrapped her hand around Vega's ear. The shorter friend hissed and bent with Artie's hand. Vega grabbed Artie's wrist, attempting to get her off of her.
"Come on, dude. That's not nice," Artie scolded her friend.
"Lemme go," Vega growled.
"You know what you have to do."
Vega snarled and cut her eyes to Quinn. "Sorry," she grunted and was immediately released.
"Now, be nice. Quinn's nice to you," Artie pointed out.
Vega made a face at Artie, which earned her a punch the shoulder. Vega hissed and punched Artie right back. They exchanged blows until they were seated at a small table in the charming little café. Artie stood back up to get them all drinks and snacks before the poetry got underway.
"So, where's Yvonne?" Quinn asked curiously.
"She went home for the weekend. Something about her roommate getting on her nerves, right?" Artie tossed a teasing smile her best friend's way.
"More like getting on her roommate's nerves. I've never been more happy to see Yvonne go in my life," Vega remarked.
Artie scoffed, but did not say anymore as the first poet came to the stage. They listened and snacked while the poet preformed. Conversation came as soon as the poetry ended.
"I love it when the poet gets a good rhythm," Vega commented.
"She went too fast. She sounded a bit nervous," Quinn argued.
Artie jumped in before her best friend could pick a fight with Quinn for contradicting her. "Yeah, but despite the flow issue, her message was good. I hate when poetry gets all depressing and whiny." Quinn laughed.
"Oh, god, that is the worse, except when it's about lost love. Poets are usually good with that," Vega said.
Artie cast her friend a skeptical look. "And when was the last time you wrote anyone some poetry?"
"Shut up," Vega laughed and punched Artie in the bicep.
"You two must have been the most bruised up little girls in your school," Quinn commented.
"It used to be worse. Art doesn't know how to keep her hands to herself," Vega said.
"The hell I don't. You started all this punching crap because you used to be taller than me, Olive Oyl," Artie countered.
Vega gasped. "You take that back, Dad."
Artie snorted, but could not retort as the next poet came to the stage. As he finished, they managed to have a brief discussion that did not involve Artie and Vega punching each other. The same could be said as the next couple of poets came on.
"You guys want more drinks or cake?" Artie offered. When she got nods, she got up to get the items. When she returned, Vega and Quinn were still talking about the poets. She slid their drinks in front of them and smiled for a moment before she jumped back into the conversation with them.
When the listed poets were done, the floor was open to anyone that wanted to share. Vega's light brown eyes went wide when Quinn stood. The pale woman accept the microphone and recited a brief piece about the setting sun, the sky growing dark, the stars going out, and the sun rising the next day. It was a nice poem about hope.
"Good work, Princess," Artie said as Quinn sat down. Quinn smiled and let go of a long exhale.
"That was pretty okay," Vega complimented her, as best she could for the moment.
"Quinn, what are you getting all dolled up for?" Morgan asked with an arched eyebrow. She was sitting on her bed, reading a book. She twirled a highlighter in her hand.
Quinn scoffed while looking at her roommate using the mirror they had on the wall. "Putting on my usual makeup is not dolled up. Art invited me to a party."
"Cool. You need to have some fun after Kavi. Dudes will be at that party, right?"
Quinn's brow wrinkled. "Uh … pretty sure there will be. I didn't think to ask." It seemed like a given.
"Well, if there are dudes, try to find one that's not an ass like Kavi. Branch out," Morgan joked, laughing at herself.
Quinn chuckled, too. "You act like I go out looking for asses."
"You damn sure find them with little trouble."
Quinn laughed more. "You're right about that." She finished with her makeup just as there was a knock at the door. Of course, it was Artie and she was dressed in her usual 1920s gear, even though it was hard to tell beyond her black knickerbockers. She had on suspenders and crimson long-sleeve button down shirt with her bowler hat. Morgan did not even bat an eye to the clothing.
"Nice to see you don't wear skinny jeans with your ass hanging out," Morgan remarked, keeping her eyes on her book. A small smile played on her lips.
"Once upon a time, but not very often. I've always been into vintage," Artie informed the blond.
"I thought you said you were going to wear one of your gangster suits. I really want to see what it looks like," Quinn said.
"Oh, yeah, one can only imagine that," Morgan snickered.
Artie took the teasing in stride, smiling. "Yeah, the gangster suit isn't something to write home about. It's a pinstripe suit with a wide tie and kind of boxy. I've got a zoot suit you'd both probably like," she commented with a shrug.
"Well, while you're making all of these weird fashion statements, make sure you take care of my roommate. It's too late in the school year for me to train a new one."
"This is one of the reasons why I don't have a roommate. I don't have time to train anybody," Artie laughed.
"Please, with the size of your arms, I'm sure training wouldn't be a problem."
Artie only laughed. Quinn smiled at both of them as she finished with her makeup. She turned and faced both of them. They glanced at each other and then whistled. From the amused look in their eyes, if she did not know any better, she would have thought they planned it.
"Sexy," Artie clicked her tongue.
"You know I can leave for a few minutes if you want some time alone," Morgan remarked with a smirk.
Quinn scoffed. "I'm not trying to reapply this makeup. Besides, this dress is for good looking guys only. Girls need not apply."
Artie arched an eyebrow. "The fact that I could probably take those good looking guys doesn't mean anything? My arms do look like this." She rolled up her sleeve and flexed her bicep.
"And what about your abs?" Morgan teased, chuckling at her own question.
Artie scoffed and then grinned. "You could grate cheese on my stomach. You wanna see?"
"Stop showing off and get out of here. Keep my buddy safe and don't let her go off with any asshole dudes. She's good for finding them," Morgan said quite seriously.
"I got this," Artie vowed and gave a little salute.
"God, come on before you two bond anymore or Artie gets on a damned white horse," Quinn giggled as she grabbed Artie by the hand and pulled her from the dorm.
"Don't talk about my white horse. She's very sensitive," Artie joked, earning a laugh from Morgan.
Quinn shook her head and the pair met up with Vega and Yvonne. Apparently, Artie and Vega were close enough friends for Artie to convince Vega to dress "vintage," too. She had on black knickerbockers without high socks, showing off her rich, copper toned legs. She had a matching vest and a sea green shirt.
Yvonne was dressed more for their century and the party that they were going to, wearing a yellow sundress. Quinn felt like she fit in because she was wearing a purple sundress. She was happy to see that Yvonne carried a purse too because she noticed Artie and Vega kept everything that they needed in their pockets.
"You don't mind driving us?" Yvonne asked as they all started for the parking lot.
"No, but I do reserve my right not to remain sober if I so choose," Quinn remarked, even though it was not likely that she would get drunk. She had a lot of practice in being the designated driver.
Yvonne laughed. "Don't worry. Vega doesn't drink at all. So, she can drive back if necessary."
Quinn glanced at Vega. "You don't drink?"
"Nope, against my religion," Vega replied with a shrug.
"Oddly enough, eating pussy is not against your religion?" Artie teased.
Vega immediately punched her best friend. "Hey, I won't be judged by some godless heathen monkey. Besides, I only follow stuff that makes sense. Not drinking is healthy. My body will look better than yours for years to come."
"Don't start flexing the biceps," Quinn ordered Artie, who laughed, but also obeyed.
It was a short drive. The party was down the road at an off-campus apartment complex that catered to college students. There was a parking lot and plenty of people out there, so Quinn had to be careful not to hit some poor, wandering intoxicated soul. Once the car was secure, they made their way into what they assumed was the party, or at least part of it. Several apartments had music pouring out of them with people strolling from place to place.
The group broke up almost instantly as soon as they entered. A woman attached herself to Artie's side and pulled her away. Yvonne drifted to a crew while Vega went in the opposite direction to talk to a woman. Quinn had a brief moment to consider that weird before her time was taken up by a guy chatting her up.
Artie went to get a drink for her friend Lori. She had plans to go hangout with Lori tomorrow as long as she finished some work that was waiting for her. It'll be good to catch up and maybe do a little more. She glanced at the friends that she arrived with and saw that they were having a good time. She smiled as she returned to Lori, who plastered her beautiful body to Artie's as she took her drink.
"So, what are we doing tomorrow? I feel like I haven't seen you in months," Lori commented.
Artie nodded. "It's been a while. You should've taken that women's sociology course with me."
Lori snorted. "I'm not taking another class with that crazy ass prof. I don't get how you can get along with that nutty woman. You didn't bang her, did you?"
Artie laughed. "No, but I would. Brains are so fucking sexy." She purred and licked Lori's neck. She smiled when Lori giggled.
"You're so bad. Get off of me. You know we both hate public displays," Lori said as she stepped away from Artie. "You are in a frisky mood. What's up with that?"
Artie shrugged. "Horny as always and I haven't seen you in a while. Seeing you makes me think about how you taste and makes me crave you. You know you love it. You're all blushing and everything."
Lori scoffed. "Please, I'm way too dark for you to see a blush."
Artie smiled. "I can imagine it. I love your complexion, though."
Lori rolled her eyes, but Artie knew that she loved the attention. It also helped that she was sincere; Lori ate up everything she said for that reason alone. She turned it up a notch, just to give Lori an excuse to touch her with light, playful slaps. The fire that the slight touching ignited made Artie fairly certain that she would be going home with Lori. The thought left her mind for a moment as she spotted Quinn staring off outside with a haunted look in her eyes. It was like being splashed with a cold bucket of water.
"Excuse me for a second, my pretty," Artie said as she pulled away from Lori.
"Just make sure you ride your white horse back over here after you go save some fair damsel in distress," Lori remarked.
Artie only laughed as she made her way through the crowd and over to Quinn. Before saying anything, she looked out in the direction that Quinn was looking. The view peered out of the apartment to another crowd of party-goers having a good time on the front lawn, so she was not sure what was disturbing to Quinn.
"What are we looking at?" Artie asked, causing Quinn to jump.
"Artie!" the brunette gasped, turning just enough to glare at the taller woman for frightening her.
Artie offered a small smile as an apology. "Yeah, so what are we looking at?"
Quinn's shoulders slumped as she sighed. "My ex."
"Kavi's here? Where?"
"No, not Kavi. Thomas. My first boyfriend. He's out there with some girl."
Artie squinted, trying to figure out which of the dozen partiers was this Thomas joker. She thought she spotted him because she knew that Quinn had a type. She saw a guy that looked a lot like Kavi. He was guzzling a beer and grinding on a sexy lady.
"Is that his girlfriend?" Artie inquired.
Quinn shrugged. "I don't know. I hope not. I mean, he put us on pause to experience new things. I expected that he would sleep with other girls …" her voice cracked and she sniffled.
"But, you didn't expect that he'd go out and get a new girlfriend," Artie guessed. She put her hand on Quinn's shoulder and massaged it in gentle circles.
"I didn't. I also didn't expect it to hurt …" she whimpered, putting a hand to her heart.
"Hmm … I can go find out if she's a girlfriend or something a little less substantial. Do you think that might help?" She hated that was the best she could do. She had been made out to be this knight in shining army and now she felt like she was wandering in the dark.
"You don't have to."
Now, she thought that it might be the right thing to do. "Don't worry about it. Just to be sure, it's the girl in the blue dress, right?"
"Yeah. She's pretty, isn't she?"
"You look better and I will bet money that you offer much better conversation. I'll be right back." Artie marched off to go gather information.
Quinn stood back and watched as Artie went outside. Butterflies gathered in her stomach and it felt a little hard to breath as Artie casually spoke to the girl right in front of Thomas. He did not appear happy about it, but then Artie made a muscle and he backed off. The conversation lasted for a couple of minutes, but it seemed like an eternity plus to her. It did not help that her heart was racing. After that, Artie was back by her side.
"Okay, I may have ruined the experiment by basically offering up my body to her, but she claimed they weren't together and he claimed that he was her boyfriend. He was pretty drunk, so I don't know if that makes him more or less honest. She eventually did admit to sleeping with him for a couple of months, but she said it wasn't serious and then she tried to feel me up. Does that make you feel better?" Artie asked.
Quinn nodded, but she really did not feel better. It should not bother her that Thomas was with a girl or sleeping with her, especially considering she had dated and been intimate with other men. But, her heart felt like it was in a vice and her eyes burned. She feared that she might have a breakdown in the middle of the party.
"It's okay to be hurt," Artie tried to assure while putting her thick arm around Quinn's slumped shoulders. Despite the support, Quinn felt like her shoulders weighed a ton.
"I shouldn't be hurt, though. It's been a year and I thought I had moved on," Quinn sighed.
"This is your first love and he rationalized leaving you with the idea of future regret hurt you then and it hurts you now because you still have feelings for him. Seeing him with her makes you feel like he has managed to discard any feelings that he might have had for you. Worse yet, you could fear that he never had feelings for you, which leads to a million other emotions and thoughts you don't want."
While Quinn knew that Artie was trying to make her feel better, it only led to those million other emotions and thoughts. Did he ever actually love me? I doubt he's thinking we'll get back together. He's probably having the time of his life and will probably do so all through out his twenties. She curled into Artie, as if somehow the contact would make things better.
"Wanna go?" Artie guessed. Quinn could only nod. "All right. Lemme go tell a friend that I'll see her later and tell Vega that she and Tega need to find rides home."
Quinn nodded again, not totally taking in what Artie said. She whimpered when Artie rushed away and immediately missed the warmth and security Artie offered. She watched as Artie went over to the woman she was speaking to earlier. They had looked cozy before and she assumed that they were lovers. The woman glanced at her and then offered Artie a sorrowful smile with a gentle pat to the shoulder. After a kiss on the cheek from the woman, Artie was off to find her best friend. She was gone for less than a minute, like she had radar for Vega.
"Come on, let's blow this joint," Artie said as she offered Quinn her arm.
"You don't have to. I know you're having fun," Quinn replied, even though she took the offered limb. She did not want to ruin the night for Artie, especially not after Artie was following her suggestion of relaxing and also Artie was the one that was kind enough to invite her.
"You're my friend and you're hurting. I want to be there for you like you would be for me. So, let's go. I just hope this doesn't take more than a bag of cookies because I won't be able to get to the gym for a few more days," Artie said with a smile.
Quinn laughed a bit, but did not say anything. The pair left and ended up at Artie's dorm. The cookies never stood a chance.
Quinn felt silly standing at Artie's door with a fairly big teddy bear in her arms. It was a gift for Artie. She was afraid Artie would laugh in her face despite the fact that she knew Artie had a small collection of teddy bears. Of course, those could be gifts for her sisters that she had not delivered yet. It was too late to get rid of the toy, though. Not like it would fit in her messenger bag and the door was opening anyway.
"Hey, Quinn, come on in," Artie smiled as she stepped to the side so that Quinn could enter.
Quinn nodded and entered to the sound of metal music that she was becoming used to and enjoying. She even recognized the song and bopped her head to it until Artie turned it off. Music was not allowed during tutoring sessions.
"Hey, who's that you got?" Artie asked as her eyes fell to the teddy bear.
"Oh, I got this for … I got this for you," Quinn replied, stuttering slightly and staring down at the toy.
"Oh. That's nice of you. I like teddy bears if you didn't notice," Artie chuckled as she motioned to the bed where she had seven teddy bears lined up.
Quinn nodded. "I thought so, but I wasn't sure." When she first began going to Artie, the teddy bears were not out, but stored under the bed. She guessed that as Artie got more comfortable with her, the stuffed animals were left where they usually were. Of course, when they were using the bed, the toys ended up on the floor.
"I totally love 'em. My grandmother gave me one on every birthday. She always said it was to remind everyone I was a girl." Artie laughed. "I guess it was a way to counter all the action figures and sports junk my granddad gave me. I didn't really act like I appreciated, but they grew on me after a while and made me feel close to her, even when she was driving me crazy."
"Well, he's not a birthday gift, but a thank you gift. Thank you for being there for me when I didn't know how to handle seeing Thomas with that girl. You're awesome."
Artie chuckled. "I know I am."
Quinn scoffed. "You gonna flex your muscles now?"
"You know you want to see them. Touch 'em, too, I'll bet. Anyway, thank you for the bear." Artie cutely cuddled the teddy bear as soon as it was in her arms. Quinn had to fight down the urge to go "aw."
"Thank you for being there for me with Thomas …" Quinn said and then she opened her book bag, wanting to avoid thinking about Thomas. She hoped that tutoring would get her mind off of him.
Of course, tutoring did not help. She could not focus on the statistics, only thinking about how she and Thomas were probably done. Seeing him with that girl and talking with Artie allowed her to realize that she had been holding onto the hope that at the end of school Thomas would be back in her arms. He had been the only man that mattered to her and seemed to be the only man that truly enjoyed her company. What if even that was an act?
"Hey, focus," Artie breathed in her ear.
A shiver ran down Quinn's spine. "I'm trying." She had never really known her ears were an erogenous zone on her until Artie, mostly because Artie was the only sexual partner that she had that explored as much of her body as she could, even with the rules.
"I find that hard to believe. What's on your mind?" Artie asked, pressing her lips to Quinn's neck, causing her pulse to race. One of Artie's hands drifted to her breasts and ghosted across her hardening nipples.
"I just … I just …"
"You need to relax and focus on your work. Thomas is the one missing out, not you. You're an incredible person. Intelligent and fun and you don't need a bunch of booze to be that way, which he apparently can't say in return. You're great. I wouldn't be doing this if you weren't."
Quinn began panting. "If I'm so great, why did he need to experience more?"
"Because …" Artie paused to lick Quinn's throat. "Some people will throw away something old that's perfectly fine for something new just because it's new. That's just the way some people are."
"Is that why you have so many lovers? Just to always have someone new?"
"This isn't about me, but I have issues, like any other human being. It's not about new for me. I like you. You're kind and smart, total turn-ons for me. You're also hot." She kissed Quinn's neck again.
Quinn tilted her head, giving Artie more access to her throat. With each touch of Artie's lips, she felt her mind drifting from the past to the present, from Thomas to Artie. Her body was starting to burn, her blood heating up, and her skin flushed.
"You always say the same things about me. You don't really know anything about me," Quinn whispered. Something in her wanted to push Artie away, push the world away, as if that would push the pain away.
Artie pulled away and frowned. "You really think that, don't you?"
"You don't."
Artie snorted and her lips returned to Quinn's neck. "Your favorite color is purple, more specifically lilac." Her tongue came out and ran along the column of her throat.
Quinn's breath hitched as Artie's hands began unbuttoning her shirt. "That one is easy. Anyone who has seen me twice would know that."
Artie did not miss a beat, hands opening Quinn's shirt and massaging her breasts just right. She could not hold in a moan, as her breasts were aching for more pressure. She arched, pushing her body into Artie's hands.
"You love poetry and can analyze it as well as perform your own. You have a wonderful flow when you perform, also," Artie continued as a hand glided to Quinn's back, unlatching her bra. "You also wear very sexy under things," she whispered as she removed the lace bra.
"Okay, so you know I like poetry. Big deal."
"Not just like. Your poetry is very introspective, but full of magnificent imagery that paints a picture with words. You like reading, which I'm sure influenced you to be an English major. I'm sure you write, too, beyond your poetry, I mean. But, I doubt you want to share because you probably don't think people would like it."
Quinn's breath hitched again, now more in disbelief than the feel of Artie's strong hands kneading her flesh. "How did you know?" she gasped as a thumb flicked her nipple.
"When you actually stood up at the poetry slam and dared to recite your own work, I figured you wrote a lot of poetry to know what you wanted to say off of the top of your head and then I remembered you talking about taking creative writing. That's more than poetry. You write," Artie stated, nipping Quinn's earlobe.
"I do. I tell stories, both fiction and nonfiction."
"Why?" The question was posed as taut nipples were rolled.
Quinn moaned loudly. Somehow, Artie knew how to do that with the perfect amount of pressure and pull. It felt sinfully delicious.
"Why?" Artie repeated with a growl.
A whine escaped Quinn as her body got hotter. Something about Artie taking charge made her just melt like butter and shamelessly spread her legs. She licked her lips and focused enough brain power to answer the question.
"I just want someone to listen to me. No one ever listens …" Quinn answered and then purred as one of Artie's hand trailed down her abdomen.
"I'm listening. Tell me more. Tell me what you want everyone to know," Artie whispered.
Quinn felt like her heart was about to explode and she could not speak. Artie's other hand abandoned her breast and she considered that she might be being punished for not answering the question. She whined until Artie unfastened her pants. Her head fell back as Artie's hand went inside her pants.
"So wet," Artie groaned before attacking Quinn's open mouth with her own.
Quinn cried out into Artie's mouth as Artie's fingers moved hard and fast against her. Quinn reached around, grabbing Artie around the neck, holding her close. Her grip tightened as the pressure increased and Artie's free hand returned to breast. Soon, her hips were moving and her tongue caressed Artie's. All too soon it was over as a tidal wave of pleasure crashed against her, rocking her, drowning her in ecstasy. Her body shook, the desk chair rattled, and for a second all she could see was white. She slumped forward as Artie withdrew.
As Quinn came back to herself, she realized that Artie had stepped away. She had to catch her breath before she could say anything. Artie flipped the page of Quinn's statistics textbook.
"You think you can study now?" the taller woman inquired.
Quinn scoffed. "I can't even feel my legs."
"Really? That's a shame because I was going to suggest move this to the bed. My strap-on could use some attention and there's still so much I don't know about you."
Quinn almost banged her knee on the desk as she got up. She shed her shirt and pants before crawling on the bed. There would be no studying today. Her head was not in it before, but there would be no way to get her focus back now when she could be having a mind-blowing orgasm. Not like she would need her mind until tomorrow in class.
Quinn packed up her book bag with her statistics and shouldered the bag. She checked her makeup in the mirror once and turned as she heard Morgan snickering. The blond sat on her bed with a thick science textbook open, smirking with a devilishly amused glint in her eyes.
"What's so funny?" Quinn asked against her better judgment. A laughing Morgan was rarely a good thing, especially when they were alone.
"I was just thinking that you might as well go live with Artie. You're definitely at her dorm more often than you're here," Morgan pointed out with another laugh.
A thin eyebrow arched. "So?"
"Just move in already and take your bed with you. You two have probably broken her bed, so the nice thing to do would be to replace it." Morgan laughed again, but Quinn frowned.
"I go there to study. Sometimes, we do more, but I go there primarily to study. I need as much help with stats as I can possibly get. We're not just banging each other's brains out."
Morgan scoffed. "Yeah, right. The way you look at her always screams 'fuck me hard now!' And she looks like she wants to bend you over any available surface and pound you most unforgivably, which is good. You need to have some fun. I just didn't expect you to go all queer for Artie."
Quinn jumped as if her roommate had shot her, even putting her hand to her chest. Her mouth moved, trembling, but nothing came out. She did not know what to say or how to say it. She simply glared and charged out of the room, leaving a confused Morgan behind as she slammed the door shut.
She rushed over to Artie's room with tension in her every movement. Her blood boiled and not in a good way. She practically tried to knock the door down as she pounded on it. Artie opened the door with an arched eyebrow. Quinn shoved her way inside and tossed her book bag on the floor before she began pacing.
"I'm not the one in trouble, right?" Artie inquired as she closed the door.
Quinn spun around at the question. "What? No. Stupid Morgan."
"What did Morgan do?"
The frustrated growl that escaped Quinn almost scared her. "How dare she call me queer and make light of our friendship! What the hell does she know!"
Artie's brow furrowed. "Uh … what are we angry about?"
"Morgan! She said I'd gone queer and then implied that we're fucking like jackrabbits, instead of studying! What business is it of hers? Not like she knows what we do! And sleeping with you occasionally doesn't make me queer!"
"I totally agree with you."
Quinn blinked and stopped completely. "You do?"
"Well, first off, it's no one's business, even our best friends, what we do. It is insulting for Morgan to think that all we do is have sex. If either of us just wanted sex, we'd go clubbing and have a string of one-night stands. It makes no sense to get this involved."
Now, Quinn's forehead wrinkled. "Are we involved?"
"We're involved in so much as we're friends and we sleep together every now and then. There's nothing wrong with that. Hell, even if all we did was have sex, there's nothing wrong with that, but there's more substance to us. But, there's no need to get bent out of shape over her misconceptions. She's not us."
Quinn sighed. "I guess you make a point. But, I'm pissed that my best friend, a person that knows me pretty damn well, a person I tell almost everything, thinks that I'm over here getting fucked rather than worrying about my grades or just hanging out and having a good, non-horizontal time with you. Not to mention she thinks I'm gay! And it sounded like she thought you turned me gay!"
Artie actually laughed. "I am better than I thought."
Quinn snarled. "It's not funny! I've had to put up with people trying to put me in their little boxes all my life! My family does it all the time! I don't want to have to put up with it from friends, too!"
"Oh, okay. Well, first off, calm down. I doubt Morgan meant to offend you. She was more than likely joking, not realizing how you'd take it. Next, are you worried that you are gay or just pissed that someone labeled you as such?" Artie squinted a bit, as if she was trying to piece things together.
"I'm not gay. Why the hell would my best friend label me?" Quinn huffed.
"All right, agreed. You're not gay. But, maybe in Morgan's head once you have sex with a woman it makes you gay?" Artie offered with a shrug.
"But, she barely considers you a woman!" Quinn exploded and then slapped her hand over mouth. She whimpered. "Sorry."
Artie waved it off. "You're not even close to insulting me. Look, sleeping with a woman doesn't make you gay, just like if I went out and boned a dude that wouldn't make me straight."
Quinn sighed and flopped down on the bed. "I'm sorry I'm acting like this. I know I'm not gay. I just don't like when people label me and I guess I feel a bit like a failure at being heterosexual."
Artie dropped down right next to her. "A failure at being heterosexual?"
"Beyond Thomas, I haven't been able to keep a boyfriend for more than a couple of months. You're the longest sexual relationship I've had and we're just fuck-buddies."
A brief frown marred Artie's face and she shook her head. "First off, we're not fuck-buddies. We're friends with benefits. That takes away all the pressure because we'll still be friends even if we never have sex again. When you're trying to build a relationship, there's pressure. You need chemistry, connections, things in common, and compromises. You don't really need that with friends. I think you're worrying too much about having a boyfriend, about showing that you be in a healthy relationship. That's only adding to the pressure. Are you trying to prove to Thomas that you can get on without him?"
Quinn shook her head. "I don't even know. I don't know what I'm doing anymore."
Artie patted her leg. "Then slow down and take a breath. Regroup and reevaluate. You don't have to prove anything, especially not to Thomas. Don't let him label you or put you in a box. If anything, you should take this time to get to know yourself and just feel life out, like you sort of did when you first approached me to do you. That was just about having fun. Just have fun. It's not like you need to get married tomorrow, right?"
"No, although I'm sure my parents would love for me to get married right after college and become an English teacher or something, which for me is all the more reason not to do it. I just never thought about it. Thanks for talking me down," Quinn remarked with a smile.
Artie chuckled. "One of the many things friends do. Now, let's get to the stats because you do have a test."
"Oh, god, the test! I need to study! You need to help!" Quinn jumped up and went into yet another panic as she grabbed her book bag.
Quinn looked at Morgan upon hearing a knock on their door. Morgan shrugged and went back to packing her bag. Quinn arched an eyebrow as she opened the door and was surprised to find Artie standing there. Artie had a bag on her shoulder.
"Get packing. You're coming with me for Spring Break," Artie announced as if that was the most logical thing in the world.
"Yes! High five to getting Quinn off campus!" Morgan cheered as she moved to slap Artie high-five. The taller woman chuckled and accepted the high-five with more enthusiasm than she should have, as far as Quinn was concerned anyway.
"Wait, what?" Quinn asked, rubbing her forehead.
"Pack your stuff and come on. You agreed that you're going to experience stuff. Well, you can't do that on campus during a vacation. You're always on campus. Time to do something new. You're coming home with me to see how the other half lives. So, start packing," Artie ordered quite seriously.
"Make sure she has fun," Morgan commanded.
"I got this," Artie declared with a confident grin.
"How are you making plans when I didn't even agree to go?" Quinn inquired, throwing her hands up.
"You're agreeing now. We'll go hang out with my sisters, see some movies, and do some other junk. It'll be fun and you'll love my sisters. So, come on," Artie insisted.
"Yeah, get to packing." Morgan pointed to Quinn's dresser.
Quinn frowned at both of them, but found herself packing. She was curious about Artie's sisters and she did not want to spend another vacation on campus. She was supposed to be trying to experience new things, after all, and have some fun. Artie would see to that, too, so she would not have to do it alone.
Morgan left while Quinn was still packing. The friends exchanged a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Morgan playfully threatened Artie on her way out, telling her to look out for Quinn "or else." Artie made it a point to look serious as she nodded. Morgan gave her a smile as a farewell.
"Okay, I'm ready to go," Quinn announced as she shouldered her messenger bag and a purple suitcase with wheels.
"Gimme those," Artie insisted, taking both bags.
"You don't need to," Quinn objected, reaching out for one of the bags. Artie stepped out of her range while shouldering the messenger bag.
"Yeah, I do. We're going to take your car since Vega left this morning. It also gives you an escape route if this becomes too much for you. It can get overwhelming," Artie admitted.
The shorter woman nodded. "It'll be fine."
A wide smile spread across Artie face. "That's the spirit!"
They made their way to Quinn's car. Artie put the bags in the back and also volunteered to drive. She did not want to give directions for over an hour. Quinn was surprised that Artie could drive.
"Why don't you have a car then?" the pale woman inquired.
"Because they don't grow on trees," Artie joked.
Quinn snickered a little and then made a puzzled face. "Don't they?"
"Then my granddad lied to me!" Artie laughed.
Quinn chuckled, too. The ride was pleasant with conversation instead of playing music. Artie was pretty aggressive driving, but Quinn had been a passenger for worse drivers. The trip to Sutterford was a little over an hour and it appeared to be a quaint, little town.
"You want to ride around and see the place or do that later?" Artie asked.
"I want to meet your sisters before anything else," Quinn replied.
"All right. No problem. They'll love you and you'll love them. They're cool."
Quinn chuckled. "I don't think I've ever heard an older sibling say that about younger siblings."
Artie only smiled and the expression warmed Quinn. For some reason, she liked the idea that Artie loved her sisters so much and thought that they were cool. It was as if that made her respect the taller woman more, even though she knew that she probably could not respect Artie any more than she already did. There was just something wonderful and special about how Artie talked about her sisters and expressed her emotions about them.
They pulled up to a small, two-story house. Quinn could not believe that such a large family lived in the very modest-sized home. Her family was smaller by two and lived in a house that had to be at least twice the size of Artie's home.
"I've got the bags," Artie said as she pulled out their luggage. She shouldered the bags and they entered the small yard.
There was a small lawn with a few minute, brown spots. A narrow, cement pathway ran from the sidewalk to three stairs that led to the front door. There was a mid-sized sedan parked in the driveway. Artie used her keys to go into the house and it seemed smaller on the inside.
There was a tiny den with a couple of bikes and a chair focused by one of two windows that looked out to the front of the house. Next, there was the living room with a couch, armchair, and television on a stand with a cable box and gaming system. There were shelves full of pictures and toys all over the place. Quinn's attention was drawn from that as Artie let loose a loud whistle. Five bodies came trampling from all directions.
"Artie!" the smallest amongst them hit Artie around the knees and hugged her tightly. Artie bent down to scoop the tiny child into her arms, embracing her.
"Hey, how's my little Piglet?" Artie grinned before playfully gnawing at the child's neck, causing her to giggle like mad.
"I fine! Missed you!" the child declared before placing a loud kiss on Artie's cheek.
Artie laughed and set the tiny redhead down in front of the other girls. She reached out and pulled Quinn close to her, putting her close to the group of five. For a brief second, they all just looked at each other and Quinn was not sure if she should say something. Artie was the one that spoke up.
"Pantheon, this is my friend Quinn Matherson. She'll be spending Spring Break with us, so be good," Artie ordered and there were nods all around. "Now, Quinn, meet the pantheon. The twins - Venus and Aphrodite."
The oldest pair waved and stepped forward, allowing Quinn a better look at them. They were clearly identical with the same thick, dark brown hair, bright green eyes, and light caramel skin. As they stood before her, they even seemed to stand exactly the same.
But, they had gone through some lengths to look different. Venus had her hair cut short, just above her shoulders while Aphrodite's hair went just beyond her shoulders. Venus was also dressed closer to how Quinn dressed while Aphrodite was dressed more like Artie in baggy jeans with a black t-shirt.
"Call me 'Dite. That's what everyone else does," Aphrodite said, reaching out to shake Quinn's hand. The move was warm and welcoming.
"And I'm just plain Venus, the elder," the other twin chimed in with a friendly smile.
"Shut up," Aphrodite huffed playfully, shoving her apparently older sister. "She's lying, we were a c-section."
"So what? I'm still older!" Venus barked.
Quinn looked to Artie for the real story. "They were a c-section, but Venus was taken out first, so she considers herself older. Not that matters because they get treated the exact same way. Next on the line is Hestia."
A lanky blond girl stepped forward. Her blue eyes were covered with thin glasses that rested cutely on pale cheeks. She stood out from the set, the lightest of them all.
"I'm 'Tia and you're pretty," the blond proclaimed with the same enthusiasm as the twins. "You like my glasses? They're just like Artie's."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Tia," Quinn said graciously as she shook the child's hand. She then glanced at her friend. "Since when do you where glasses?"
Artie offered her an innocent smile. "Uh … I should probably wear them more than I do."
Quinn nodded and made note of that. "We'll talk more about that later. I don't want you ruining your eyes if they're already on their way."
Artie groaned and her sisters snickered. "Art got scolded," Aphrodite whispered to Venus, as if it was a secret.
"Anyway, then there's Juno, my little June bug," Artie said and the next one flung herself into Artie's arms. She was pretty big, but Artie lifted her with no problem. "Juno, say hi to Quinn."
"Hi, Quinn. Tia's right, you're pretty," Juno said. She was missing her right front tooth, but grinned just the same. She was about the same olive complexion as Artie, but a shade darker, with lighter brown eyes. Her hair was sandy brown and done in corn row braids with plenty of barrettes.
"Thank you, Juno," Quinn smiled back and shook her hand.
"And, last, but not least is my namesake, Diana Phoebe, the Piglet," Artie said.
"I'm the Piglet!" the smallest declared, clutching a plushie of the Winnie the Poo character Piglet to her chest. Her blue eyes seemed to sparkle.
"Well, hello, Piglet. Who's your friend?" Quinn asked.
"He's the Piglet, too!" Diana giggled.
"And that's the Pantheon. Now, I'm going to put the bags down and possibly take a nap. If homework is done by the time I come back up, we can have pizza for dinner," Artie announced and that cleared the room with cheers, except Diana.
"But, I don't have homed-work!" the little girl declared.
Artie chuckled and leaned down to kiss her forehead. "Go practice writing your ABCs. The twins said you're getting better."
"Okay! Dite has my noted book!" Diana charged off, stomping upstairs.
"They're all so adorable. Can I have the whole set?" Quinn joked with a smile.
"I've already collected 'em all. C'mon. You can see our suite for the week," Artie said, taking Quinn by the hand.
They walked through the living room to the dining room, where Juno and Hestia were doing their homework. Diana was making her way up the stairs with a composition notebook in one hand and her Piglet doll in the other. Artie went to a door that was right next to the kitchen, revealing the basement. She hit a switch on the wall to light the area.
"Watch your step. The stairs are steep," Artie warned before allowing Quinn to go first.
Quinn nodded before proceeding. The basement was just like the other rooms, small. It was about the size of her dorm room. A full size bed was tucked in the corner with two mirrored closets opposite it and a black dresser with four drawers. She was surprised that there was a television at the foot of the bed. There was a lot of clutter.
"Sorry for the mess. My room acts as a spare room because between the five of them, there's only two bedrooms upstairs aside from the master bedroom," Artie explained.
"Wow. How do you guys manage?" Quinn asked.
"We just make do. We have to." Artie began straightening up. "Any questions?"
"Hmm … well, I know the twins just turned thirteen, but how old are the other girls?"
"Tia is ten, Juno is seven, and Diana is three, soon to be four."
"Wow, you're twenty with a three-year-old sister."
"Crazy, I know. My mother is somehow one of the most fertile women on the planet for some odd reason and seems to have problems with birth control. All different fathers in case you couldn't tell either." A frown marred her face for the briefest of moments.
"I wasn't …" Quinn was not even sure what she was about to deny. She sighed and sat on the bed. "So, the Pantheon, huh? Is Artie short for Artemis by any chance?"
Artie laughed. "Yes, I'm Artemis."
"So, Diana really is named after you?"
"Yeah. That's my little junior. Cute, isn't she?" Artie smiled proudly.
Quinn laughed. "She is. And, what's this about glasses?"
Artie sighed and shook her head. "I have glasses, but I don't really need them unless I'm staring at a computer screen for too long. You don't have to scold me again," she remarked with a smile.
The pale woman smiled, too. "All right. I'll let you off the hook for now, but if I suspect you do need them, I'm going to get on your case about wearing them. I'll ask your sisters if I have to."
"They're going to be going a mile-a-minute when we go back up there. Want to take a quick nap with me?"
Quinn suddenly yawned at the mention of sleep. Even though it was just the late afternoon, she was exhausted. Just doing something new had wiped her out.
"You don't mind sharing the bed, right?" Artie asked, moving teddy bears to the floor and falling into bed.
Quinn followed. "You've seen me naked. I don't think it's a big deal for us to actually sleep in a bed together."
Artie did not say anything, just rested her back against the wall and closed her eyes. Quinn gave Artie some space, not much though, considering the bed was not that big. She drifted to sleep believing that she had made the right decision in leaving with Artie.
Quinn groaned as she woke up to the sound of rattling. She was not sure what was going on until she felt Artie pull her close. Then, she remembered that she had gone home with Artie and met five adorable sisters. The week seemed promising, even though her nap was disturbed. She suspected those five adorable sisters wanted Artie's attention.
The rattling stopped as Quinn slowly turned her body to face Artie. The taller woman was sound asleep on her side, back against the wall and arm slung over Quinn's midsection. She appeared calm and peaceful, her face taking on an almost childlike innocence. Quinn decided not to wake her.
Instead, she let her mind wonder what type of family the Brenners were. She could not be sure they all shared that last name since Artie made it clear that all of the sisters had different fathers, not that their paternity seemed to have any bearing on how they felt about each other. She wondered what type of woman had six kids by five different men; surely the twins at the least had the same father. She doubted such a woman was married, but she was probably hard working.
The family had a roof over their heads and seemed to live comfortably, if not a bit tight. So far, she got that they were loving and very welcoming. Actually, they seemed very much like their eldest sister. She definitely wanted to see more of the sisters interacting.
Her thoughts were interrupted by Artie groaning. The sable-haired woman squeezed her a bit as her eyes fluttered open. Artie covered her mouth as she yawned. Quinn kept in a smile, finding the sight to be cute. Not to mention, the arm around her stomach made her belly quiver just a bit.
"I'm surprised they're not beating the door down to tell me they finished their homework," Artie commented in a grumble.
"I think they wanted to come down about ten minutes ago. The doorknob was rattling."
"Yeah, I locked the door. I wasn't sure if you'd be comfortable with my open door policy."
"Artie, I don't want you to feel put out for me."
Artie scoffed. "You're my guest. I dragged you to my cramped little corner of the world. So, it's up to me to make sure you're all right with things. Now, I usually keep my door closed, but unlocked. My mom generally does the same, just in case the girls need anything, but she still needs to get sleep. At night, I may leave the door open because Diana likes to sleep in my bed when I'm around. I don't know if you'd want to share the bed with me, let alone with a three-year-old you just met."
"That's fine. This is all so different from my family."
Artie's forehead wrinkled. "How so?"
"Well, first off, I have two older siblings instead of five younger ones. I have never greeted my brother and sister as enthusiastically as yours greeted you, nor have they ever bothered to personally introduce me to any of their friends. If they had bothered, I never would've greeted their friends as warmly as your sisters greeted me. It was awesome." She felt like the smile on her face might split her cheeks open, but she could not stop herself from grinning.
Artie chuckled. "I'm glad you noticed. So, you don't mind the open door thing?"
"No. I want to see more of how your family is because it seems really great. I mean, you let your little sister share your bed. I want to see what else you guys do."
"Okay, but it's not all cuddles and cuteness."
"I'll be the judge if that," Quinn remarked with a light laugh.
Artie laughed, too. "All right, let's get up and see if the Pantheon earned their offerings of pizza."
Quinn smiled and nodded. The pair stood and stretched before climbing the stairs. Artie unlocked the door and, as she turned the knob, they could hear the patter of five children dispersing. Artie glanced at Quinn with a wrinkle in her forehead from her eyebrows scrunching up. Quinn shrugged.
"Don't look at me. They're your sisters," the younger woman pointed out.
Artie did not argue that as they emerged from the basement. The sisters were scattered about the living room and dining room. Venus was sitting at the table with an automotive magazine that was upside down with Juno looking at it from just under her arm. Aphrodite and Hestia were in the living room, video game controllers in hand, but the game had not started yet. Diana was on the stairs with a major pout on her face, bottom lip poked all the way out. All the sisters seemed to look everywhere but at them. Artie ignored that and went right to Diana.
"What's wrong, Piglet?" Artie asked while lifting the toddler into her arms.
"Your door was locked-ed! We couldn't come in!" Diana wailed as if that was the worst thing on Earth.
"I know, Piglet. I'm sorry," Artie apologized while rubbing the child's back.
"Why couldn't we come in?" Diana sniffled and the other girls began snickering. Artie looked up, surveying the area that the girls were in. The laughter suddenly stopped.
"Art was getting it on," Hestia said in a whisper … or what was supposed to be a whisper.
Artie frowned and a dark look settled on in her eyes. "Is that what you're all giggling about? Where did you get that idea?" she demanded. Her voice seemed to thunder, even though she was far from shouting. There was an authoritative edge that went beyond a big sister.
The girls were dead quiet. Art scanned the two rooms, like she was trying to pick a victim. All of the girls squirmed and took an intense interest in the floor. Art's gaze narrowed on the ten-year-old, who visibly gulped.
"Tia, why would you say that? I've never done anything like that, so why would you say that?"
Tia continued staring at the floor and Aphrodite opened her mouth. That mouth closed immediately when Artie glared at Aphrodite. The twin focused on the television while Tia seemed to hope Artie would drop it.
"Tia, I'm waiting," Artie said, putting Diana down. She stepped closer to the living room and folded her arms across her chest.
"Um …" the blond girl muttered.
"Tia, tell me. You're not in trouble. Just tell me," Artie pleaded, slightly anyway. Her stance remained rigid.
"Mommy … Mommy locks the door … sometimes," Tia muttered.
"What sometimes?" Artie demanded, cutting her eyes to the stairs. There was silence. "Somebody tell me something. What is sometimes?" And there was more silence. "I'll go ask her myself then."
"Wait!" Aphrodite and Venus jumped up. The twins looked at each other, as if deciding who would explain.
"Mommy sometimes has boyfriends over," Venus said in rush, like that would lessen the blow.
"Boyfriends? She brings guys into the house?" Artie asked, her eyes hardening in a way that Quinn had never seen before.
"Sometimes," Aphrodite replied with a shrug.
Artie ground her teeth together. "And she locks the door when they're here?" The girls only nodded. "And did one of them tell you that crap about getting it on?" Again, the girls nodded. "Anything else anyone wants to tell me?"
"Um … a couple of times … the guys walk around in their underwear. It's gross. Mommy kicked them out, but it was still gross," Venus answered.
Artie's nostrils flared and she gritted her teeth together. Suddenly, she bounded up the stairs, sounding like she might break through the floor with each heavy step. The girls all gathered at the foot of the stairs, but no one dared say a word or go higher.
Quinn wondered what was going, but did not have to wonder for long. "You bring your fucking boy toys home and lock the fucking door? You bring these clowns around the girls? Let them interact with the girls?" Artie screamed.
"Who the hell are you yelling at?" another woman shouted.
"I'm yelling at you! How dare you bring your fucking guys in the house with the girls here? You know the type of fucking guys you're attracted to! What if something happened?"
"Nothing happened!"
"Something could have happened and I wasn't here! Your fucking guys already have the girls figuring that a locked door means there's sex going in the room! What the fuck? This is the type of fucking example you want to set?" Artie hollered.
"Excuse me? What are you trying to say?"
"I think I'm saying what the fuck I'm trying to say pretty clearly. So, what the fuck?"
"Oh, I'm at fault, but you can bring your fucking dirty bitches here? You think it's okay for them to see you being a fucking dyke?"
Quinn winced at that question. She was not sure if she should take offense because she was not sure if the person was aware of her, so she was not sure if she fell in the "fucking dirty bitches" category. She honestly hoped that was not Artie's mother screaming at her like that … and vice versa.
"I don't bring girls home and I definitely don't bring them home with the intention of fucking them with the girls around. I damn sure wouldn't bring around a girl that bragged to the girls that we were fucking. But, this isn't about me. It's about you. I don't like or want you bringing men here, especially around the girls! You know the type of men you attract and that you like. You work at a fucking hotel! Do whatever you need to do in one of those empty rooms there!" Artie barked.
"You can't tell me what to do in my house or with my daughters!"
"Your house? I've been paying bills around this motherfucker since I was fifteen! If I stopped sending money here, the lights would go out and you'd freeze to death! So, don't tell me this is your house! And you'd better stop acting like you and the girls aren't my concern! You're my biggest concern!"
"I'd tell you to go have your own daughters, but you're too gay to even do that!"
Again, Quinn winced and felt guilty for listening. "Hey, why don't we go watch TV?" she suggested, trying to usher the group toward the living room because she knew that they should not be listening to such a heated argument. No one moved.
"Artie gonna leave," Diana sniffled and burst out crying. Venus picked her up and cuddled the child to her chest. The older sisters looked like they wanted to do the same, but they were able to hold it in.
"No, she's not," Quinn tried to assure them.
"I shouldn't have said anything, but I didn't think she'd hear. She always leaves when they fight," Hestia huffed, folding her arms across her chest and glared at the floor as if it had caused all of their problems.
"And Mommy's gonna cry all day and probably make herself sick when she goes to work," Aphrodite sighed, shaking her head.
"And stupid Artie won't know she made Mommy cry because she'll be gone," Juno pouted.
Quinn was skeptical on that until Artie came storming down the stairs. She had never seen Artie appear so visibly upset and pissed off. Everything about her was tense and drawn. As she blew right by them without looking at anyone, Juno sniffled and began crying. Hestia's lip began to tremble, but she was doing a good job of keeping her tears in. No one followed behind Artie, instead looking as if the world was about to end.
Quinn found herself going after Artie. She caught the taller woman just outside the front door. Grabbing Artie by the hand, she managed to stop Artie on the stairs. She was lucky that Artie did not yank her hand away or she would have plummeted down the cement steps.
"Artie, you can't just walk away like this. You're breaking the Pantheon's little hearts. They don't want you to leave," Quinn said in a low tone.
Artie growled while glaring at the street. "I can't with that damn woman."
"What do you mean? This isn't just about her. Those girls have been waiting for you and they want you home. To them, you walking out is not you avoiding an argument or being frustrated, but you walking out on them."
An olive-toned forehead wrinkled as she turned to face Quinn. "What? Why would they think that?"
"I don't know, I just got here, but they do. Also, Tia feels guilty for telling and may think she caused the fight. You can't leave. You have to go back in there and talk to them, calm them down," she implored the taller woman.
Artie was quiet for a moment and Quinn feared that she had not gotten through. But, then Artie sighed and her shoulders slumped. She turned to Quinn.
"Thank you for getting me to take my head out of my ass," Artie said with a smile.
"No problem."
"And I'm sorry you had to hear that argument. My mom and I sometime clash on what type of people to have around the girls."
Quinn nodded, as if she understood, even though she did not. "It's all right. You care about your sisters. So, go back in there and talk to them."
Artie nodded and squared her shoulders before she reentered the house. Quinn followed behind her, but stopped in the den. The girls were still in the dining room, huddled together. The youngest three were still crying.
"Hey, guys," Artie said in a low, sheepish tone. She had her head ducked low and bent down on her knees, putting herself at the younger ones' level. Diana and Juno flung themselves on her, but she grabbed Hestia and brought her into the embrace.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said it," Hestia wept.
"Shh, it's all right, Tia. You did the right thing. I did the wrong thing. You guys shouldn't have to listen to me arguing with Mom like that. So, I was wrong. I'm sorry. And I shouldn't have left. I wasn't leaving you guys. I'm never leaving you guys. Sometimes, I just get mad and I have to go cool down," Artie explained.
"For days?" Aphrodite huffed. It shocked Quinn that Artie left for days at times like this. She figured that if it was all right, she would have to ask about it.
"I'm sorry. I promise to do better. I didn't realize I was hurting you. I didn't realize you thought I was leaving you. It's nothing like that. I leave because I don't want you to see me angry like that and I don't like being angry at Mom. But, I'm sorry. I will do better," she vowed, giving Tia another squeeze.
The twins fell on Artie to complete the Pantheon group hug. The tears dried up and they all seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, even Diana. Quinn smiled at the scene. They were a cute little family, even with the argument and odd dynamics.
"Now, who's up for pizza?" Artie inquired and the girls cheered. "Quinn, you up for pizza?" All eyes went to her.
Quinn smiled. "I'm a college student. Of course, I'm up for pizza." The girls cheered again.