In Love in Almeria: Women Loving Women

By Susie Ray

A collection of three love stories, of Women loving Women

 

Love in Almeria follows the paths of Jenny and Sara as Sara tries to convince Jenny to follow her heart, not her mother's pre-conceived life plan for her. It's a battle to ignore parental influence, but Jenny comes to realise that the benefits far outweigh her fears if only she could get her Mom's blessing. Maybe life in Almeria might work in Sara's favour?

 

Forces Widows sees an unlikely alliance between two grieving women, Maddy and Brooke, not ready to move on and betray the memories of their spouses. They meet at the Memorial to their fallen partners, and strike-up a self-help arrangement, not expecting the full consequences, or the attraction that builds between them.

 

Monsieur Tiddles.  A chance meeting at the local supermarket, has far reaching implications for Mary and Alice. Mary is still reeling from having her life thrown into disarray, but is making the best of life in the South West, while Alice is just trying to muddle through and ignore the pain that keeps her on edge – her cat Tiddles provides distraction and company. Mary takes a leap of faith and tries to improve Alice's lot and neither saw the results creeping up on them.

• Language: English
• Publisher: S-Ray Press
• Release date: May 7, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201326524

Susie Ray

Susie Ray Author bio I love to read and lose myself in stories conjured up by the written word – I am a mature individual, but I can still recall love’s first sweet kiss and the sting of rejection; the elation of being brought alive, by another’s caress, or tender words. I write sapphic stories for my own pleasure as well as hopefully that of the reader, and my head is full of ideas and storylines that are desperate to be shared. Admittedly, it was a freebie, but the first sapphic tale I read, left me feeling wanting and empty. I thought ‘I could do better than that’, and I did! My stories draw on a lifetime of experiences and places I have visited, so there is always a piece of ‘me’ in them. My preference is for short stories; tales, in bite-size portions, although some topics, simply require a novella to do them justice. I feel my writing skill has improved and grown with me over time and I am pleased to offer some of my work for your pleasure. Come lose yourself for a while, like I do when I’m writing…

Book preview

In Love in Almeria

Chapter 1 Jenny

W e can’t go on like this!

You said that yesterday and the day before that, yet here we are...

Sara, you know what I mean!

Are you willing to say goodbye to this?

Sara’s hand was cradling my Mons, with her middle-finger about to dip below and raise the stakes even higher. That’s unfair – she knows I can’t resist her when she is inside me, but then life is unfair.

I’m twenty-one and never been that much interested in sex, until Sara came along and made me realise that I was one of the lucky ones, called lesbians. Until then I thought my dis-interest in boys, men, was just something I hadn’t grown out of since before puberty. Mom didn’t help, trying to convince me that all it meant is that I hadn’t met the right man yet. I believed her – I’m not aware of any other lesbians in our family or circle of friends, but then again, I suppose I wouldn’t be until I was initiated.

When I first met Sara, just a few weeks ago, we hit it off right away and I thought that she was BFF material, but she soon made her intentions known, touching my hand or my arm and sending weird signals to my brain – gosh only knows what she must have thought of me, blushing every other moment. She is very touchy-feely, Sara – and when she pecked me that first time – I nearly ran away, almost screaming, but – she tasted nice and then, everything just seemed to drop into place and I knew she was the one I have been waiting for.

Sara begins her onslaught and all my doubts vanish in an instant.

She has a way of making everything else seem immaterial, and in a way it is.

She brings out something wanton in me.

Sara makes me feel alive and that my life has purpose, if nothing else, but to see her thrilled at the way she has me squirming to her touch – soon I will be turning the tables on her and I’ll get why she looks so serene right now. The art of giving, she has taught me, is equally arousing and rewarding as giving in to my own needs. She won’t deny me that pleasure.

It’s afterwards, after the intense high is nibbled away at, when reality begins to seep back in – that’s when the doubts begin again. Of course, not getting my parent’s blessing hasn’t helped – we went hand in hand, Sara and I to visit my family and, for some reason, which escapes me at present, I expected Mom to be pleased that at last I have found the right one. Not only did we receive a bad reception, but Mom accused Sara of corrupting me, trying to turn me into something I’m not. Mom clearly has a different path outlined for me, in which, Sara doesn’t figure at all.

We are back in the moment and Sara implores me,

Please don’t let your mom split us up – we have something special going and I know you feel it too.

It’s the sneaking around that is getting to me – not being able to be honest and open, when I want to shout my love from the roof-tops, not hide it away in some out-of-the-way place. I love you, you know that, right? But I can’t just turn my back on my family!

Jenny, I’m sure your mom will come around eventually – what about your dad? Has he said anything?

Not a thing, but then again, I wouldn’t expect him too – Mom always has the last say! It’s hopeless.

Sara couldn’t bear to see her lover, so dejected, Hey Jenny, don’t get so down, I’m sure we will find a way and if not, maybe we can just elope together!

Was that a proposal? I know she is keen and loves me in her own way, but we are surely nowhere near discussing marriage yet.

If that’s what it takes, even though I would have preferred a bit more romance in the air when I finally do propose. Maybe Gladys needs to be confronted with a fait accompli and if we were wed, she would come to her senses and see how happy you are, then give us her blessing?

Sounds wonderful, but I have serious doubts that even a marriage certificate would move the mountain that is my Mom.

Sara tried a different tack,

I couldn’t bear the thought of losing you – it would be like chopping off my right arm and I would be crippled without you – I suspect you wouldn’t fare much better.

You are such a drama queen, you would get over me, even if it took a while. I was trying to inject a bit of humour into our deliberations – my way of dealing with things I don’t want to face up to.

It almost sounds like you have already decided our fate and, yes maybe I might in time get over you, but you never would. You have revealed your innermost self to me and I simply know it as a fact – we are meant to be together. But each time we have this discussion, I sense that you are nearer and nearer, ready to give in to Gladys’s wishes. Please don’t do that to me, Jenny, or to yourself!

Sara tries to convince me with her womanly wiles, that she knows I find irresistible and she has such divine fingers and lips that I forget all about our earlier conversation – she has that effect upon me, where nothing else matters, but her – us!

She loves my breasts, tiny though they are and she marvels how wonderfully out of proportion my areolas and teats are, especially when she has kissed them to attention and they point skyward. I was always self-conscious about them until now, but Sara has me believing that even my body is desirable. Lust-able. She teases me that she is going to hand-rear my breasts until I am perfectly proportioned, and you know what? I believe her as she seems obsessed with caressing them and kneading them, which turns me on even more.

We certainly do seem to be a match made in heaven – can I risk throwing all this away?

Is Sara right, that I couldn’t cope without her now?

I keep hoping that something might force the issue and get my life back onto an even keel.

Chapter 2

Sara

More than anything, I want Jenny to move in with me, but with her guilt-trip about her parents, I fear the complete opposite is a strong possibility. It has been a wild ride in such a short, divine few weeks, and there is no way I am going to risk losing her without a fight. I guess I always knew it would come to this, that I would have to win-over Jenny’s family, alone and without her support.

My mind is set – I am going to beard the lioness in her den and somehow prove to Gladys that this isn’t just some weird fascination, that I love her daughter more than life itself, well that’s the plan in my head.

Hello Mr Parker is Gladys, I mean Mrs Parker, home? Already I feel on the backfoot for being so informal with him.

Oh, hello Sara! No Gladys is out, but you are welcome to come in, and call me Gerald – it’s my name after all. He seems warm and genuine, otherwise I might have turned-tail and run. Can I help?

I wanted to reassure you, and Gladys of my intentions toward Jenny, and assure you that we are seriously in love, but she respects you both very much. I fear that if it comes to a choice that she might go with the family who have loved and nurtured her for all her life, and that I will be cast aside. It would break my heart, but more than that, it would cause Jenny much damage too, and I want to prevent that if at all possible. Do you have an opinion about ‘us’? I just had to get it all out in one burst, otherwise I might back down.

"You must be very brave to have intended to say that to Gladys, either that or you love Jenny as much as you say you do. I just want my daughter’s happiness and I have noticed lately, a difference in her, almost as if she has suddenly become aware of her real self. I fear that Gladys isn’t going to be such a push-over, and you understand that my official position has to align with Gladys’s, but I will do my best to pave the way for a more equitable outcome. I don’t want to risk losing my daughter, as I see how it is between you two."

Is there any worth in me waiting to see Gladys, do you think, and try to put my case before her, or should I give you room to work in the background on our behalf?

Definitely the latter, I think, my dear and besides, Gladys is out all day. Can I make you some tea or coffee?

Tea would be wonderful, if it’s no trouble.

Please sit and I won’t be a minute! He indicated the sofa and I complied.

It’s easy to see why Jenny loves her father, he has a kind and gentle nature, which leads me to imagine that Gladys must have stepped up to the role of dominant parent, mis-judging his kindness for weakness, but I may be over-reaching myself. Anyway, we had a good friendly chat for a while and I left feeling that I had at least one ally, one parent whose, only consideration is his daughters true happiness. Whether he could make a difference long-term is questionable and in the lap of the gods.

Jenny has stopped verbalising her guilt when we are together and I’m unsure if that is a good thing or not – at least if we talk about it, I have the opportunity to re-iterate my point of view and re-confirm my love for her. I already know how deeply she is entrenched in my heart and soul and I can only hope that the longer we are together as one, that she might feel less likely to give in to her guilt and though weeks have passed, I see no obvious reaction to my chat with Gerald. I daresay that he gets shut-down at the merest mention of me, us and it’s not within his nature to stand against the woman he loves, however outrageous her beliefs.

Where the idea came from, I’m not sure, but it begins to formulate in my head behind the scenes, so to speak. When I suggest a holiday in Almeria, Southern Spain, for Jenny and me, I have ulterior motives and now it’s my turn to feel guilty for keeping Jenny in the dark. I have a smattering of Spanish, developed over many holidays in Menorca and the mainland. Anyway, at least Jenny has agreed and we are all set for a week in the sun.

Unbeknownst to her I have arranged a job interview in Almeria as a sales-person to hopefully sell property to predominantly English buyers – not a far stretch from my existing job in an estate agent’s here, but the benefits of a warmer climate and more laid-back lifestyle are very appealing. Of course, much depends on the outcome of my interview, and if Jenny is happy to consider coming with me – our way of ‘eloping’. I hope to make a huge impression on her while I have her to myself without outside pressures, and for her to understand how different our lives could be.

It is beautiful here, Jenny admits, still unaware of my skulduggery. This holiday let is ideal.

Can you imagine what it must be like waking to sunshine every day, even better if we had our own pool, I enthused.

Ah, it’s great to dream isn’t it?

I quantify, It doesn’t have to be a dream!

I wish! I can tell she is caught up in the idea, just as I’d hoped.

I’m serious Jenny! Actually, I have a job interview in the morning – I’ve been waiting for an opportunity to tell you.

Then what – I have to travel home alone? Her eyes bored right through me as if scolding me.

Any plans I have, include you – surely you must know that?

And what would I do for a job?

Anything you want to – you could even be a stay-at-home housewife if that’s what you want.

That’s the second time you have inferred a proposal – you should be careful. I might hold you to it the next time.

Why not this time? At least promise me you will think about it.

You’re serious, aren’t you?

When have you known me be anything but serious?

Well there was that once at that party we went to, when you let me think you were going to make me do naughty things. I had forgotten that and my colour deepens to red.

But I didn’t make good on my tease, did I?

No spoil-sport!

Are you messing with me now? She has turned the tables on me.

You don’t like your own medicine, do you Sara?

Chapter 3

Sara

So far, I have kept myself in check to a certain degree, when we make love – I don’t want to overwhelm her with too much too soon as I am her first, and hopefully only lover, but since she mentioned being naughty, maybe that’s a signal that she is ready to be a little more adventurous. However, now is not quite the right time and my pleasure doesn’t suffer in the least, sticking to what we both know and love. Maybe if all goes well at the job interview and she is prepared to help me celebrate...?

Carlo Blanco is my prospective employer and spoke English at least as well as I did when I contacted him online to set up this interview, and whilst he definitely has that swarthy Spanish look about him, it wouldn’t surprise me at all if he was actually Charles White, an ex-pat just like I am hoping to become. He certainly has the dark complexion and black hair to match his Spanish persona, but something doesn’t quite ring true about him, as if he is trying too hard. Still, he has built up a reasonably successful operation with several realtors on the mainland, so I have to respect that about him, and he has been gracious enough to give me an interview.

I had expected to be able to impress him with my local knowledge of the immediate area, but in truth it is barely recognisable as the beauty spot that I have visited several times, before the apparent development surge in new properties. All I could do is come clean and I think it impressed him that I didn’t try to over-state my credentials and give him a load of BS. Carlo certainly prefers plain speaking and whilst the salary he is offering is nowhere near what I get back in the UK, there are distinct advantages – commission on sales and the lower cost of living for example. He did mention that he is based in Almeria at the moment because he needs someone to run the business here, almost as a potential carrot for the future, I think.

Obviously, I would rely heavily upon him at first to give me a grounding in Spanish law and procedures re the buying and selling of properties, but he hasn’t even given me any hint at the moment whether he is seriously considering me. Ideally, I hoped that Sara and I would have something to celebrate and that it might even convince her to come with me – if she doesn’t, then the whole working abroad is a non-starter, but I am merely keeping my options open and thinking positively. I’m meeting her for a late lunch.

My heart still skips a beat when I see her waiting patiently for me, looking as gorgeous as ever. Jenny is the perfection of femininity and I am rather surprised that she appeals so much to me. She is dainty and the only negative comment I could possibly make is her lack of bosom, but even then, her breasts fit my hands perfectly – in another world, she should have my breasts and me hers. Mine spoil the clean lines of the boyish look I go for and I would swap them in an instant, but that is me being very picky and says more about my over generous bra size than her lack of cup alphabet-age.

How did it go – well? Jenny stands and accepts my kiss without a care in the world, nothing like the quick peck she allows me back home when we are in public.

So-so – I found him very hard to read, but he has promised to let me know by phone, by tomorrow at the latest. Have you had a pleasant hour or so?

Okay, but I was worried about you. If you really want the job, then I hope you get it.

That’s kind of you to say, but have you thought any more about whether or not I can accept it if it is offered? Her enthusiasm seems measured and I fear she has already decided.

Surely, that’s not my decision?

"It very much is your decision – if you won’t come with me then there is no point me being here in the first place." I can’t put it much plainer.

It seems to me you are posing a much bigger question than if I will accompany you? Jenny is beginning to realise that I am deadly serious. You might not even get offered the job anyway.

There will be other opportunities, even if this one falls through! Look Jenny, I know this puts you in a difficult position and I really don’t mean to make you choose between me and your mom, but I love you and I know you love me. We can’t go one like we were, with you regretting every time we make love – even though you have stopped voicing your concerns, I know you still have them.

She was silent for a good while as we ate the meal put before us – not quite what I had hoped for, to say the least. I figured that if I try to persuade her anymore, that I might push her to make an ill thought-out, hasty decision that would see us both miserable. I racked my brains trying to think of some way to get her to smile again instead of the grimace that showed through her munching, but all I could think of, is that I have ruined the holiday as well as any chance of happiness, long-term. Fortunately, I had reckoned without Jenny’s love for me.

Let’s enjoy the rest of the holiday and I’ll make a deal with you. If you get offered the job and you seriously want to accept it, then I will join you, as long as I can make Mom see reason and not forbid it. At least I see a glimmer of her smile.

Her hand snakes out and takes hold of mine and in that instant, I find her more irresistible than ever. I know Gladys will never agree, but I have the remainder of the week to work on Jenny and show her just how meaningful our relationship is to me and to her and to stack the advantages well on ‘our’ side. I am already thinking how quickly can I get her back to our apartment and begin my joyous task, when my mobile rings...

Ola! Yes Carlo, it’s Sara... I see...well thank-you for letting me know. I’ll be in touch, and thank-you again.

Well – what did he say? Jenny seems almost genuinely enthusiastic.

He was impressed with the way I presented myself to him and he wants to give me a trial while we are here.

But that’s great isn’t it and it sounds like a sensible idea. That way you can get a feeling for whether it would really suit you, before burning your bridges.

"One bridge I am not prepared