by C R Long

Feedback is always welcome: crlong@e-scribblers.com. You can also check out MySpace at www.myspace.com/seecrlong

Copyright © 2007 by C R Long. All Rights Reserved.

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Sydney International was more hectic than usual for the end of the week. I headed towards Departures realizing that this really was going to be a mission. The fully manned Qantas check-in counters were choked, the queues winding back four rows and then some. Security on international departures had increased tenfold since recent information had come to the Government’s attention of further terrorist activity in Indonesia and Airport Police swarmed the terminal. Two beefy, sweating, security guards were performing anti-explosives scans on all passengers and their luggage, stop/starting their stainless steel trolley along the seemingly endless rows. The line crawled slowly and each time I heaved my bag over my shoulder and took a few paces forward, I checked my watch as it ticked closer to departure time. Shit! There is no way I am going to make this damn flight.

Then miraculously over the loud speaker a voice repeated, “Any remaining passengers for QF 49 please go directly to counter B1 to finalise check-in.”

With a possible reprieve in sight, I shouldered my bag once more and made my way through the crowd to B1. Several other frazzled passengers quickly joined me at the counter, breathing heavy sighs of relief as the attendant weighed, tagged and loaded our bags onto the conveyor and issued boarding passes. He then indicated to his left to where an Airport Policewoman waited patiently to accompany us through Immigration. She stood calmly at ease, hands clasped behind her back, casually observing the melee surrounding her. As we approached, she glanced toward us, a brief smile crossed her face but she quickly reverted to observation mode.

My breath caught in my throat for a moment as I met her dark brown eyes. She was clad from head to foot in navy blue. A wide leather belt sat on her narrow waist. Clipped to it was a pair of shiny steel handcuffs and a holstered handgun. The heavy cotton fabric of her trousers fit her like a glove across the hips and thighs and then flared slightly over her knees and calves to end abruptly tucked into polished leather lace-up boots.

Her navy shirt collar was open to reveal a heavy gold chain sitting high on her tanned chest. Over the shirt, she wore a darker navy, v-neck, wool sweater that fitted snugly to her torso and stretched over her small breasts. Three gold braid stripes denoting her rank accompanied the Airport Police crest on each shoulder. Her medium length blond hair was tied back and held in place through the back of her navy and gold crested baseball cap.

The flicker of a smile enhanced perfect, high cheekbones and her tanned olive complexion indicated she spent just as much time outdoors as in. She slid her eyes over me curiously, taking in my probably trendy, but somewhat shabby appearance. My attire had been chosen strictly for traveling, not for attracting attention, especially not the sort of attention her gaze was offering. Scuffed suede boots and ancient Levis with ragged, holey knees coupled with a white singlet covered by an unbuttoned plaid shirt with sleeves rolled up to the elbows was not my best look. Even my short hair was tousled, having only had time to grab a handful of gel and run my fingers roughly through it just to keep in out of my eyes. Yep, I had definitely outdone myself. Who would have thought after dozens of typically dull trans-Tasman flights that I would have anyone to impress? I slid my boarding pass into my back pocket with my passport, hooked my thumbs into my front pockets and strode valiantly if not confidently towards her.

After just a few moments, we had formed a small group before our policewoman, and she called us to attention in a voice that spoke of quiet authority.

“Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention please? To get you to the gate on time, I will accompany you from here,” She cast her glance toward me, the briefest shadow of a grin on her face. “Please follow me,” then she quickly turned her back and headed in the direction of the departure gates. As she walked ahead, I felt the stress of the morning begin to ebb, almost certainly helped along by the view of a delectably tight, well-rounded butt before me.

At that moment, a distant memory tweaked at my brain. The voice, the face, the body, from somewhere long ago buried deep – do I know you?

An immediate search began in my brain to unearth the where and the how.

We arrived at Immigration and were led through the crowded hall to an empty counter reserved for crew and manned by a cute butch Immigration Officer with a hell haircut. She grinned at our policewoman and then glanced toward me, since I was the first in line.

“Passport, boarding pass and departure form please?” she asked firmly. These people never engage passengers in small talk, it’s business all the way. You get that one frosty glare, often accompanied by a single raised eyebrow. Does the face match the photo? Yes. Thank you. Goodbye.

I handed over my documentation and noticed that our policewoman had moved behind the officer, enabling her to glance casually over her shoulder at my passport.

Hmm, okay. What’s that all about? I thought.

She handed back my documentation, and dismissed me with a quick jerk of her head in the direction of the x-ray machines.

After being scanned, poked and prodded, one by one our group rejoined to await direction. I scanned the hall for our guide, still searching my memory for clues, then found her chatting animatedly to the Immigration Officer. Their casual banter indicating they were probably friends. She glanced up and finding my eyes upon her, excused herself and strode towards us.

“Okay, guys, your flight is departing from Gate 12 and that’s just ahead to our left. Feel free to carry on to the gate now and please don’t stop for any last minute Duty Free purchases or you will miss the flight.” She stood at ease and smiled warmly at us, a picture of absolute authority and beauty.

The group began to move off and I heard her call my name.

“Excuse me, Miss Clemens, could you wait a moment please…do you mind if I walk with you to the gate?”

That voice - so calm and sure. I looked into her smiling eyes, faltering slightly, straining to remember.

“Um…yeah, sure.”

She reached out a hand to me and I gripped it firmly, enjoying the contact.

“Kei,” she said, still holding my hand, “Kei Barrett,” her look hopeful, questioning. “You don’t remember me do you?” My puzzled expression gave her the answer.

Our hands reluctantly disengaged. I found myself staring, unable to break the connection. Barely a moment passed when, in the far recesses of my memory, the name finally fit the face that came tumbling from a place I had once so tenderly placed it.

My friendship with Kei Barrett dated back to the days of Primary School and on through the first two years of high school, after which she suddenly disappeared and I hadn’t heard of her since.

Kei was my first real crush. When my raging hormones began to take on a life of their own, at age eleven or so, Kei was the object of my forever unspoken affections. She was also the object of many nights of my self-imposed pleasure. We were so close for four years and I knew she shared a similar affection for me, in fact, we had come close to consummating our relationship once or twice but in the heat of the moment, we were both just too afraid to act on it. Then she was gone without a word. Her family moved away, leaving me to battle my teenage demons alone. Things were never quite the same after that.

I blinked rapidly, momentarily stunned as the memory flashed through my mind. How could I not know her after what, only twenty-four years? I actually felt my cheeks heat as the smile spread over my face.

“Oh my God… Kei, I never thought I would see you again?” I threw my arms around her and we hugged, hard and fast and just a little nervously.

“Jamie Clemens, you are just as butch and gorgeous as you were at…what was it, fourteen?” She laughed, pulling back and holding me at arms length.

“As soon as I saw you all the memories came flooding back,” She lowered her voice, still grinning, “God, I was hot for you back then, did you know that?”

Surprise, pleasure and relief swamped me all at once. That simple but powerful confirmation of a feeling from so long ago had me buzzing.

“Well I thought there was something, but you just up and disappeared before I had the courage to do anything about it,” I said.

“Oh right, like you would have done anything… you were a little chicken shit back then,” she chuckled.

“Yeah? You really think so huh?” I chided back, positively glowing under her gaze.

We held each other at arms length and my eyes roamed over her. She openly appraised my body from head to toe, her eyes lingering just a moment too long over my crotch then flying upwards to my bra-less breasts, taking in every curve. My cheeks warmed under her scrutiny and my stomach twitched slightly as distant recollections flew round my brain.

“Let’s sit down for a minute, okay?” She asked as she searched quickly for a quiet spot out of the way of the constant foot traffic.

“I should get to the gate and double check the boarding time, but come with me…please, if you have a few more minutes to spare?” I found myself almost pleading with her, not wanting to lose her again.

“Sure thing,” she said swinging her arm around my shoulder comfortably as we fell into step.

She turned to look at me again, eyes smiling, “Whatever you have been up to for the last twenty years or so certainly agrees with you girl, you look wonderful.” Her casual familiarity sat very comfortably with me.

“You have changed so much Kei, I mean you always were sexy as hell to me, but Jesus, you look edible in that outfit - all authoritative and all.” I knew my comment was a tad brazen, but hell, Kei always did enjoy a compliment.

She laughed aloud and turned to me. “My God…you were never backward at being forward, were you?” Her cheeks flushed. “After high school I ended up at University somehow.” She raised her eyebrows, grinning as if in disbelief. “Studied Journalism, received my degree and then decided that wasn’t for me so I joined the Commonwealth Police. They trained me for Covert Ops and Anti Terrorism, and transferred me to the International Office in London. The short version is that eventually I hurt my knee and ended up back here.”

As she completed her sentence, we found ourselves at Gate 12 and she led me to a couple of spare seats by the window, away from the milling crowd.

“Sit, please,” she gestured toward the seat, “and tell me about you. What have you done with all those years? God, you look good.”

Our eyes met and I hopelessly fell into hers, her warm tone melting my insides.

“Well, these last few years I have taken up residence in Auckland and run my business from there. My business partner is a New Zealander and since my parents have passed away, I find it far more comfortable living there and just flying back here every few weeks for meetings.”

I paused for a moment. Kei’s bright eyes were keenly observing me, flicking from my eyes to my mouth as I spoke, unnerving me just a little and sending tingles from my stomach to my groin. I remembered how she had looked at me when we were kids and my reaction was just as immediate as it was back then. She had always looked at my mouth when I spoke, as if she was imagining what it would feel like against her. She was always a great listener and hung on every sentence, so intently. I think that was the first thing that attracted me to her…she was always interested.

“So what business are you in?” she asked, reaching out and placing her hand on my knee. A simple, friendly gesture, but one that shot a bolt of invisible lightning straight to the pit of my stomach.

“Ah…,” I swallowed, attempting to quell the nervous tingling. “We import PC hardware from China and sell online all over the world. Our largest market is here, New Zealand and South Africa.”

“Well, I’m impressed. Sounds like you haven’t stood still for a moment.” She grinned her cockiest grin, flexing her fingers against the skin above my knee. My nipples hardened in response. Her eyes slid over my chest and she took a sharp breath.

“It’s so good to see you,” our voices intermingled as we spoke the words simultaneously. The look she gave me was simmering and I moved forward on the chair, forcing my jeans tighter against the swelling dampness at my crotch. The quick movement also forced her hand higher on my thigh and brought us face to face.

Suddenly over the loud speaker, “This is the final boarding call for all passengers traveling on Qantas Flight 49. Please make your way to the gate with your boarding pass and passport opened at the photo page. This is the Final Call.”

“Fuck,” Kei cursed quietly, casting her eyes downward, “when are you back?”

She looked back up at me, disappointment clouding her expression.

I lay my hand over hers, her outspread fingers gripping my thigh tightly.

“There is no fixed time, I come and go as I please, really. Do you have a card? Here I will give you mine.” The words tumbled out of my mouth in a rush as I reached for my wallet. I had never felt quite so helpless. There was no way I wanted to get on that plane.

The queue for boarding had dwindled to a remaining few and the attendant was beginning to throw me questioning glances.

We both stood and Kei signaled to the attendant with a wave.

“Just give us a minute please.” Her voice had a firm, authoritative tone to it, leaving him in no doubt that she was serious. As far as he knew, her presence at the gate could mean any number of reasons why the flight could be delayed even further. Security had the last word in the terminal.

I handed Kei my card and she didn’t even bother to glance at it, just slid it quickly into her back pocket, her eyes not leaving my face.

“I would love to see you again,” she whispered so only I could hear her, “could we get together when you come back?”

“I can think of nothing I would like better…call me, please?” I suggested nervously.

All of a sudden I became aware that my emotions were all over the place so it came as no real surprise when tears stung my eyes. I wiped them away quickly with the back of my hand, “I must go Kei…take care.”

Embarrassed by my unexpected display of emotion, I turned from her penetrating gaze and made my way to the waiting attendant.

While he examined my boarding pass, I glanced back over my shoulder. Kei was still standing where I had left her, her stance not quite relaxed, but she did give me a sly wink, before she turned and strode away.

Finally seated, I accepted the pre-flight champagne and orange juice, in an attempt to calm my jangling emotions. Barely noticing the tingling sensation on my tongue, I sipped, my eyes fixed on the busy scene outside the window but seeing little. My mind drifted to a time over twenty years ago when my biggest worry was making the softball team - to be with Kei.

We were both tomboys back then and sports always came easy to us, though Kei was always lighter and faster and I had the better upper body strength, we competed mercilessly. She excelled at swimming and track and I was the bigger hitter and thrower. I guess that was the commonality that brought and kept us together through those critical years. That and the fact that we never really did feel we fit anywhere else. I admired Kei because she never seemed bothered by what anyone thought about her. Believe me, they did think…and snigger. Nothing about her was the slightest bit feminine. Slender, gangly, tanned arms and legs, short and shaggy boyish haircut, shorts and singlet in the summer, jeans and sweatshirt in the winter, seldom in shoes unless it was a school day, and an easy, fluid gait. She had a swift, dazzling smile but a “fuck you” attitude toward those who looked down from their high perch and attempted to judge her. Kei lived in a small flat by the beach, along with her father and grandmother. She lived her young life with little or no input from either of them and through her forced independence, developed a freedom of spirit I envied passionately. She was magnetic.

I wanted to be with her, to be like her - to escape the smothering responsibilities that came with being the oldest child of less than working class parents and three younger siblings.

Though I would never admit it to her, as far as I was concerned, at the tender age of thirteen, she was my hero.

So many times we had sat across the table from each other on a warm summer evening, doing homework in her Gran's kitchen. I would watch the muscle flex in her forearm as she scribbled. Traveling upward, following the edge of her singlet to her bare bicep and shoulder, my mind would drift off, seeing us in bed, that arm securely wrapped around my waist, holding me as we slept. I craved that closeness with her and inevitably experienced waves of heat in the pit of my stomach which spread lower, warming and moistening me with amazing sensations, which at the time, I had only the vaguest notion what to do with. Eventually, feeling my gaze upon her, she would look up and give me the sexiest grin that turned my insides molten, and in the depths of my being, I prayed she felt something too.

“Cabin Crew, prepare the cabin for landing please.”

The First Officer’s words echoed inside my head, bringing me to the edge of consciousness. The flight attendant touched my arm and leaned over me. I opened my eyes, realising I must have slept the entire journey.

“We are about to land, ma‘am, please place your seat in the upright position and fasten your seatbelt,” she spoke gently, trying not to startle me. I looked outside to see the lights of Auckland International looming beneath us. The next thought I had was that Kei was over two thousand kilometers away. I hung my head and closed my eyes again, waiting for the landing gear to jolt us into contact with the tarmac.

Almost an hour later, I keyed my front door lock and dragged myself inside, dropping my bag in the tiled foyer. The JBEX PC office took up half the bottom floor of my city bungalow and Bex, my partner, knowing my schedule, had left my desk lamp on, giving the empty house a warm, welcoming glow.

I slumped into the comfort of the soft leather office chair and kicked off my boots, my mind still searching to make some sense of the churning emotions.

I flicked a switch with my toe and the computer sprang to life. We had several international customers who would have been in their offices for several hours already so checking the email and catching up on the day’s events was imperative. One of the last entries in the Inbox caught my eye. The address wasn’t familiar and the subject line simply read HURRY BACK.

The body of the email contained a brief message:

It was hard to watch you go
You left me wet and wanting you
Just like you did when we were kids
Kei

Stunned, I read and re-read the message, revelling in the sensation that gripped my stomach and twisted.

I leaned back in the chair and closed my eyes, feeling the heat of her words wash over me, ending in an explosion of sensation in my crotch.

Before hitting the Reply key, I reached for the phone and dialled Bex.

“Hey, I’m back, hon, but there are a couple of things I forgot to take care of. Can you hold the fort for a few more days?”

“Yeah, sure,” she made a sleepy groaning sound, “two questions though - do you need me to book your flight and does it concern a woman?” Bex knew me better than most.

“Yes and yes, and how did you know?” I questioned her realising I had been holding my breath.

“You never sound this chirpy at midnight and you can’t lie for shit,” she was fully awake now and I could almost see the smile on her face.

“If I call now, we can get you on the eight am flight, will that get you there early enough?” Her tone was all business now with just a hint of sarcasm.

“Perfect.” My mind raced hoping that Kei would be on duty when I arrived. “Thanks, Bex, I owe you. See you in a couple of days.” As I replaced the receiver, not waiting for her answer, I hit ‘Reply’ hoping Kei checked her email regularly.

After a few hours of restless sleep and a shower I threw on a pair of loose fitting, camo cargo pants, a soft, cable knitted, cream wool sweater and boots. I remembered leaving the house, but the remainder of the journey was a blur until we touched down in Sydney. The time difference put us at the terminal at precisely nine thirty am.

A nervous twitching began in my gut as I headed up the airbridge, trying to avoid the jostling of harried businessmen in rumpled suits, racing to early meetings. As we emerged into the brightly lit terminal, my eyes adjusted and found her immediately, standing back from the crowd against the far wall, legs slightly apart, hands clasped behind her back and dressed once again from the top of her head to top of her shiny black boots, in navy blue. She looked toward me from under the shadow of her peaked cap and that sexy grin spread across her face. For all intents and purposes, she was there in an official capacity to observe the arrivals and as she walked towards me, she reached out her hand in a formal gesture.

“Good morning Ms. Clemens, how was your flight?”

I released her hand and we fell into step beside one another. “Pleasant and without incident, thank you,” I turned my head toward her, grinning broadly.

We walked together silently for about twenty paces then Kei stopped abruptly at an unmarked, nondescript door and reached for her keys. Observing the puzzled look on my face, she said, “My office, please…after you.” She gestured formally once again as the door swung open.

She followed me into the narrow hallway and closed and locked the door behind her, then turned to face me.

Her eyes burned into mine. “I missed you,” she spoke so softly I barely heard her. She reached up and removed her cap, tossing it carelessly toward the desk.

“How much?” I replied a little too confidently.

“Smart ass,” she laughed, “you sound like a cheeky school kid,” shaking her head. “I guess some things never change.”

“I feel like a cheeky school kid right now. In fact, I feel exactly like you used to make me feel. Like I want to be inside your skin with you.” I paused to take a breath and organize my thoughts. “Everything’s just flooding back Kei and I’m dealing with it the only way I know how… the only way I remember how.”

“Me too,” her voice was low and the look in her eyes was hungry. She reached out and touched my cheek with the back of her hand. “Since you left yesterday I have been kicking myself for never showing you what I wanted back then, for never reaching out to you. I never could let go of the ‘tough girl’ act long enough to be vulnerable, even to you.”

I relaxed immediately putting my hands in my pockets, slouching against the wall behind me and thrusting my hips slightly forward, leaving her in no doubt of my intentions. “Looks to me like you still enjoy the ‘tough girl’ image, but you seem far better equipped to deal with it now.” I was still unable to shake the cockiness from my tone.

She stepped closer to me and placed her hands flat on the wall on either side of my shoulders, leaning into me but not quite touching. Our eyes locked and held and I felt her breath on my face as she spoke, her voice controlled and deeper than I remembered it. “While I was waiting for your flight to land, I spent the time daydreaming about what I wanted to do to you when I got you here. The image of your nipples hardening under that singlet yesterday…Fuck, I could not get it out of my head. That and the fact that I wanted to lick your skin through the holes in your jeans… Jesus.” She made a short gasping sound as if she had just been touched, but the calm, assertive tone never left her voice.

Her words cut a burning trail from my breastbone to the pit of my stomach, igniting everything in its path and when it arrived, a bolt of white-hot lightening struck my crotch and the flood gates opened. My eyes closed and I suddenly remembered to breathe again.

I pushed off the wall, putting my lips within centimeters of hers and whispered. “Are you planning on talking me through this or are you actually brave enough to fuck me this time, tough girl?” I flicked my tongue across my top lip, grinning.

Kei raised her eyebrows, “You just don’t quit, do you?” she pushed her hips forward till we finally made contact, belly to belly, hip to hip, and then she ground against me, teasing and rubbing from left to right and back again.

I reached up and grabbed a handful of her shirtfront and pulled her to me. We fell into the kiss roughly at first, forcing each other’s mouths open. I couldn’t get deep enough inside her. We bit and sucked each other until we both realised at once that we were not going anywhere – there was no rush.

Kei’s grip on me eased and her tongue slowed to a gently stroking. I sucked her bottom lip then ran my tongue slowly up and over between her teeth and lips. Her hands roamed downwards smoothing over my hips and thighs then back up under my sweater to rest on my bare waist. After several moments, we pulled back from one another, breathing deeply. Her eyes smoldered with lust as she pulled open the top button on my pants and slid the zipper down. She slid her palm over my stomach and came to rest over the manicured fuzz. She watched my eyes for the reaction she wanted then pushed her index finger deep between the thickening layers, hitting the top of my clit.

My eyes closed and a groan escaped my lips, but not about to submit so readily to her ministrations, I forced through gritted teeth, “Hell… is that all you got?” I pushed my hips forward hard, forcing her first three fingers to slide into me.

“Fuck you, J,” she moaned as her breath escaped in a hiss. As if trying to punish me, she pushed her hips hard against her hand, which in turn pinned me to the wall, knocking the wind out of me.

We looked defiantly into one another’s eyes and sparks flew like daggers. I leaned forward to capture her bottom lip, biting softly, then began to thrust my hips rhythmically, burying her fingers deeper and harder each time. She took up the rhythm with her hand, pulling back to look into my eyes expectantly. Then quite suddenly, she released me from the pressure of her hips and repositioned her hand. Surprised by the shift, I caught my breath as I felt her fingers recede. After only a moment’s hesitation, her thumb slid inside me to replace her fingers and her index finger slipped back and pushed against my sphincter muscle.

“Jesus…Fuck,” I gasped.

Her eyes probed mine, a feint smile crossing her lips, “Okay?” she questioned, taunting me.

“Do it!” I grunted defiantly, desperate to get as much of her inside me as possible.

“Will that make you come?” she whispered into my ear, holding back, teasing.

“No,” I ground my teeth and almost cried trying to stand my ground, her finger still rubbing softly against the tense muscle, poised to enter.

She moved her head lower, her teeth grazing my neck. Then she increased the pressure on my ass slightly, breathing hard against my collarbone she murmured, “Because the minute I go inside you, I know I’m gonna come in my pants, baby.”

“Yes! Yes it will,” I gave way - her words shattering my defences, “Do it Kei, please,” I cried out pushing down on her probing fingers, forcing her inside. Her thumb slid deeper inside me causing its base to press hard against my clit while her index finger worked its magic.

She groaned and came violently, thrusting hard against my thigh. The sound of her pleasure pushed me over the edge into an explosive orgasm. I shuddered violently on her fingers, sucking and releasing them in the spasms that ripped through me.

“Oh…fuck…me,” Kei gasped her relief then sagged against me, sucking in air.

She gently removed her hand and gathered me in her arms, pulling me to the floor with her, kissing me deeply.

When we recovered enough to speak, I lifted my head to face her as she began tracing my cheekbone tenderly with her thumb.

I couldn’t help myself, “So… who came first?”

The famous grin flashed across her face, taunting me again. “It’s obvious you’re still dragging your sorry ass across the line behind me, Ace.”

The End

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