“How about we take our new purchases upstairs?” Kristin regretted not having taken more time to explore in the shop, but her mind had been so preoccupied all of a sudden, as though the thoughts she was having couldn’t possibly wait, not for the fifteen minutes more they could have spent in the shop, nor for the closer-to-five that they actually did. “I’m sorry for being so distracted earlier.” It was important to apologize because Kristin knew that this was what she did: she lost herself in projects. Working twelve-hour days was never an issue for her as long as she completely believed in what she was doing.
The thought of opening a coffee shop—and a thought was really all it was at this point, perhaps a silly one, but perhaps also a viable one—injected a different kind of energy into Kristin’s veins. One she wanted to share with her partner.
“I know what you’re like when you’ve got your eye on something.” Sheryl said, a half-cocked smile on her face. A smile Kristin recognized so easily.
“I was focused on the wrong thing at the wrong time. My bad.” Kristin slanted her head, hoping that the look in her eyes conveyed exactly what she really wanted to say.
Sheryl’s eyes narrowed as they fixed on her. “Go upstairs,” was all Sheryl said.
Kristin obeyed.
Sheryl took her sweet time unwrapping her new toy, cleaning it, and getting ready to join Kristin in the bedroom. This was her favorite time of the day. Her hangover had worn off and she felt at ease enough with everything, herself, her relationship, her life, her memories, to not feel that itch for a glass of wine yet. But, as she stepped into the panties that came with the dildo, and mused about their ease of use and the difference with the more old-fashioned straps she used to fasten around her hips and always got caught somewhere they shouldn’t, she also felt her age.
When she and Kristin had first bought strap-on dildos, the whole endeavor had been a wild adventure. From scouting where to buy it, to ending up in the most sleazy, women-unfriendly shop, and bringing the purchases home all giggly and excited, unable to keep their eyes and hands off each other for a single second.
Everything was different now. They had both changed. Their bodies and their personalities had, over the years, done a subtle shift from always ready to a more sedate state. And, as she stood there in the bathroom, avoiding the sight of herself in the mirror, then berating herself for doing so, Sheryl wondered if she had aged well. Kristin was right when she’d said their toys hadn’t been used in years, and Sheryl asked herself if her body would still be up for this. She hadn’t taken care of herself the way Kristin had, though she knew it was futile to compare.
Sheryl shook her head, stepped in front of the full-length mirror and tried to admire herself. The sight of this used to excite her so much. This game they were about to play used to have her jumping out of her skin with anticipation. Whereas then, she felt more like she was getting ready for a performance.
It wasn’t so much that desire had slipped away with her youth, because Sheryl felt plenty of desire at many different times, but her relationship with her own body and with Kristin had changed. Sheryl could derive the utmost pleasure from watching Kristin rise in the morning, sitting on the edge of the bed, stretching her still-taut body before tiptoeing into the bathroom. She took great comfort in pressing her breasts against Kristin’s warm back before falling asleep at night, an arm slung protectively over her body, pulling her in as much as she could. But that was companionship. A different kind of intimacy requiring a different kind of mindset than the one needed for what they were about to do next.
When Sheryl walked into the bedroom, she found Kristin kneeling in front of the bed, her torso resting on the sheets, her head turned away from the door. She didn’t stir, didn’t give any indication she had heard Sheryl walk in, though she must have. She was playing her part.
The atmosphere in the room was serious and quiet, like the calm before a storm. Sheryl slapped the other toy, the one she’d had to dig deep into a drawer for to find, against the palm of her hand. Just the action, paired with the sensation of the leather slapping against her hand, made her perk up. Made her step into that much-needed mindset.
Sheryl caressed Kristin’s ass cheeks with the back of her hand, ever so gently, just to state her presence, and to contrast with what she was about to do next.
Without any further ceremony, she thwacked the paddle hard against Kristin’s right butt cheek, then her left.
Kristin’s body shifted with the impact, but she didn’t make a sound. Sheryl saw her nails dig into the sheets, though, a sight that didn’t fail to arouse her.