The Artist and the Muse

"Yes. A thousand times Yes. I want to be your lover, for you to be my lover. Please, take my clothes off....."

"And what happens when your time here is up? What happens to us? To me? I have been left before, by both of my lovers."

"Nothing happens. I stay."

"And what will you do with your time if you stay? I can't paint you nude in the winter."

"You can, and if you're my lover I'll tell you how. But I can't risk influencing your desire for me by telling you how until later. We each have to commit to being lovers for it to work. We have to be lovers, because lovers are equals; true lovers are, anyway."

Mary started to undo the buttons on Jane's blouse and pull it out of her skirt. It soon joined Mary's clothes on the floor. The waist band to Jane's skirt was unhooked and the zipper on her hip pulled down. The skirt fell to the floor and Jane stepped out of it and kicked it away. Mary looked at Jane, wearing bra and panties that were so flimsy and transparent, they hid nothing. Her nipples, dark and now erect. Her trimmed pubic hair, a dark blond color. Nothing was hidden by the lingerie.

Mary knew every inch of Jane's body, had examined it for weeks from a distance for shape, shading, muscle structure - the things artists look at when studying bodies, painting bodies. But this body still had clothes on, even if they hid nothing. There was something about being fully exposed while still wearing clothes.

"Next week, I am going to paint you dressed like this. It's erotic, expectant, pure sex and sensuality."

She turned Jane around and undid her bra from behind, and dropped it on the floor. Then, still from behind, she pulled down Jane's panties.

"Now is you last chance. You are facing the door. You can walk out to your room. But if you turn around, you're mine..."

Jane took one step forward, towards the door, out of the panties. She stopped. She stood still for what seemed an age but was only about 10 seconds.

Then she turned around and stretched out her hands. "Please, take me and make love to me," she pleaded.

Mary took Jane's hands and walked backwards to the bed. When she felt the edge of the bed against her legs, she sat down, and pulled Jane on to her lap, like a little girl. Jane snuggled up to Mary and laid her head on Mary's shoulder.

"Gran used to hug me like this."

"But not naked."

"No, but it always felt this intimate as a young girl. After my parents died when my sister and I were young, we only had Gran. She always made a point of being Gran, even though her role was being Mum's replacement to an extent. But she gave out lots of hugs. We were never short of those."

Mary put her hand on Jane's shoulder and let it slide down her arm, on to her hip. She ran it along the outside of Jane's thigh of the leg furthest away, till she could cup the knee with the palm of her hand.

Jane's face was turned towards her. Their noses were almost touching, Their eyes could each only see the other's eyes.

"Last last last chance. If we are to be lovers, kiss me," said Mary. "I don't want you saying I seduced you against your will."

"But I want to be seduced, by you, right now."

Jane stuck out her tongue and licked the end of Mary's nose, then rubbed her nose gently against Mary's, then tilted her head and gave Mary the lightest, gentlest but longest kiss. They were there, lips touching, totally still, barely breathing, expectant for something to happen to seal everything....

Jane felt Mary's hand travel along the groove made by her thighs being together. The hand travelled very slowly, touching her skin but not applying any pressure. It went further and further from her knees, nearer and nearer to where Jane now felt the center of her being to be.

As the hand got nearer to her womanhood, Jane opened her thighs. Just enough to allow her to be touched where she wanted to be touched like she had never wanted anything in her whole life.

She felt a single finger in her trimmed, small bush. It moved gently through the small bush until it found the top of her outer lips. She felt it wriggle gently between her outer lips, and then lift slightly and suddenly the finger was on her clitoris.

The gentle kiss formed by the touching of their lips changed. They both pushed their tongues into the other, and then the finger started to rub Jane's clit. It felt so different to when she touched herself, mainly because, as it wasn't her finger, she couldn't tell it what she wanted it to do.

The finger rubbed so gently. A small bit of moisture started to form between her lips, and the finger used it to slowly enter her most sacred place. No-one other than her had ever touched her there with the intent to arouse her sexually. It was amazing how one finger could take control of every muscle, every part of her body, and every emotion she was feeling.

Then the finger was inside her. Her thighs parted further. Soon after, another finger joined it, and the tips of the fingers dipped in deeper, and curled up her vaginal wall. And then they touched her right where she wanted to be touched. She felt herself take a sharp, audible inhale of breath. Her right arm, curled around Mary's shoulder, clung on to Mary for dear life. Her left leg slid off Mary's thighs and braced her by pressing on the floor, her left leg locked to make her stable. Her left arm bent and her left hand grabbed her own left breast and gripped it tight.

Jane wasn't sure how many fingers were inside her, but she sure knew what they were doing. Finally, she had to break the kiss and tilt her head back, and give in to the electric shocks inside her vagina. And then came her climax.

Masturbation had never, ever, produced a result like this. Jane literally screamed in pure pleasure. The scream was even louder than when she had felt the weightless drop of a diving roller coaster. She was weightless now, held in place by Mary's arm around her shoulder, and her hand inside her.

The fingers kept rubbing that same spot. As the first climax subsided, she felt a second building. She felt herself gushing on to Mary's hand. And then the internal movement stopped. The fingers were still inside her but they were still. They were still right on that magic place, but totally motionless.

There were tears of pleasure running down her face. Liquid was still seeping out of her vagina. Her hardened nipples were so aroused they almost hurt. Mary withdrew her right hand from inside Jane, slid it under her thighs, and tilted her so that Jane could lay back on to the bed. They moved so as to be more in the center of the bed, Jane on her back and Mary laying on her own left side looking at her.

"Oh, my God," said Jane, offering Mary a weak smile.

Mary said "I'm not your God, just your lover."

"'Just your lover' doesn't begin to describe it. That was the most incredible sensation I have ever had."

"You and me both."

They kissed a light chaste kiss.

The fresh air from being out for the day. The tiredness and weakness left over from Mary's illness and Jane's nursing of it, the relief of Mary's recovery, and the two bottles of wine; all of it caught up with them, and within minutes, both were asleep.

Both had smiles on their faces as they slept and dreamed of more acts of love.

******************************

Jane woke up on Sunday morning with Mary curled up behind her, a hand on Jane's breast. Jane lifted the hand to her face and could smell and taste her own juices on Mary's hand. So it had all been real, not a dream.

Outside the sun was shining already. She put Mary's hand back on her breast and waited for Mary to wake up. Last evening had been the first time Jane had touched Mary's breast in an intimate way. She had previously mopped it gently with a cloth to cool and cleanse her when she was ill, but not with the intent of arousing her. Jane remembered rubbing Mary's nipples last night while begging Mary to undress her.

Mary stirred and rolled on to her back. Jane rolled over to face Mary and stretched up to kiss her lips. Mary smiled.

"Good morning, lover," said Jane.

"Morning," mumbled Mary, still not completely awake.

Jane sucked Mary's nipple into her mouth and bit it gently to hold it, while her tongue teased the tip of the nipple.

That elicited a groan of contentment from Mary.

Jane pulled Mary toward her and repeated the process on the other nipple. Another groan. Jane pulled the bedclothes off them. She started to kiss down Mary's body, slowly, featherlight kisses and featherlight licks. The merest touch. Slowly working towards the target. With her mouth just off Mary's bush, Jane used her left leg to push Mary's legs apart, then knelt between them. Her kiss ventured into Mary's thick, wiry, unruly, unshaped, dark-grey hair. Her thumbs found Mary's pussy and started to rub the outer lips. They moved to the top of Mary's pussy and pulled the lips back to expose her clit, and then Jane's mouth sank on to the clit and sucked it in.

Jane had never eaten another woman's pussy before, but she was an avid reader of Cosmopolitan, and read all the "Health and Relationship" and "Satisfying Sex" articles. Two fingers were soon reaching inwards and upwards inside Mary, and there was the slightly rough spot, and Jane was rubbing it.

Mary was groaning, in pleasure. Her body was humping up off the bed. Her breasts were rocking and bouncing all over her chest - not that Jane could see. Jane could taste Mary's juices emerging from deep within her. She add a third finger inside Mary and could hear the squelchy sounds of Mary's juices as her fingers cranked up Mary's bodily response.

Mary screamed in pure pleasure. If they had been near a cemetery, there would have been dozens of zombies liberated by the awakening of the dead. Thirty years of enforced chastity had been suddenly released from Mary's body, and the pleasure grew as Jane continued to tease and sensually torment Mary's clit, pussy and g-spot. A second climax followed in short order, but with groans of pleasure, not a scream.

When Jane did not stop what she was doing, Mary reached down and grabbed Jane's upper arms and pulled her upwards. Their lips met, and Mary's arms hugged Jane, squeezing their breasts into each other. As they broke the kiss, Jane could see the tears running down Mary's cheeks, and started to lick them up, tasting the saltiness of them.

Leaning on her elbows and resting her chin on her hands, Jane looked down at Mary and said "I wish you could see your face. You smile is so contented you look like a young girl, almost like an angel. Your inner glow is incredible. I wish I could paint it."

"I have not felt that since that woman did it to me before she dumped me and ran back to the States. Just think, thirty years of not remembering how hungry good sex can make you feel...."

"Well, how about we shower together and then make breakfast?"

"Okay," said Mary, "But just those two - no getting dressed. I owe you a few hours of looking at my body. It may change your mind about staying."

They both laughed. In the shower, they soaped and rinsed each other, washed each other's hair, cleansed every nook and cranny with gentle intimate touches. After the shower, they dried each other, combed out each other's hair and blow-dried it. Then they went downstairs to the kitchen naked.

They settled on toast with scrambled eggs with crème fraiche in them, and coffee, followed by more toast with marmalade that Mary had bought from a lady in Harlech at some Craft Sale.

As it was Sunday, it was a no work day, at least as far painting. Jane ordered it to be completely no work - no gardening or maintenance. Rest, eat and sex was her recipe for the day. Feeling very brave, in the afternoon they walked to the edge of the farm property, from where they could see if there were any cars in the beach parking lot. There were not, so, still naked, they paraded down to the beach and went skinny dipping. After, they lay side-by-side on a rock to dry, and were totally ignored by regular residents of the beach - the sea lions and the seals.

They walked back up to the cottage, not seeing the car parked behind on the east side, and were surprised when they walked out on to the patio with wine and glasses to find Sister Helen sitting there. For her part, Sister Helen acted as if visiting people who were stark naked was something she did every day of the week.

"Hope you don't mind me inviting myself for a glass of wine. I knew you wouldn't know I was here so I took the liberty of getting a glass out of the cupboard, so no need for you to dash in to get one."

Mary said, "Maybe you should give us a minute to put some clothes on?"

"Why" said Sister Helen, with a smile, "We're all women here, aren't we. Seen it all, especially before I took holy orders. Before becoming a nun, I was a mid-wife. You've got nothing on or in your body to show me right now that I haven't seen many times. Now, for God's sake, pour the wine!"

As they drank the wine in the warmth of the late afternoon sun, Sister Helen looked at Mary and said, "I guess you are both a little more advanced than 'bosom buddies' now, are you?"

Mary said, "I guess you could say that," while Jane was more explicit. "Yes. I have made love to someone for the first time in my life, and been made love to."

Jane reached for Mary's hand and held it, while Sister Helen tilted her head to one side and asked "Was it what you expected?"

"Yes. Definitely. To feel myself surrender to another person because I wanted it to be my gift. To feel them surrender back. Not submission, but to expose all your vulnerabilities. to give holding nothing back, to receive with nothing held back. It was magical, exhilarating, satisfying and extremely pleasurable."

"Ah," said Sister Helen, "then it sounds very much like 'making love' and a lot more than just 'having sex'. But now what? Are you still leaving in September?"

"I asked her that too," said Mary, "It's the only reason I allowed myself to love her is because she said 'No'".

"Next year," began Jane, "I get my trust. It will provide me with a guaranteed income for life of about what a high school teacher makes. I do not actually need to work. I may, perhaps by doing some contract teaching at local Adult Education Centers or High Schools, to augment the trust income further. I got an email the other day on my finals. I got a first with honors, so getting a teaching position would not be difficult.

This way, Mary and I can spend the winter in Portugal or anywhere else warm that appeals to us, and she can paint all year, including nudes if she wants. She can still get other models if she tires of painting just me. And I may write - short stories.

The point is, I can contribute to our joint income, more or less to the same extent as Mary. I will not be living off her."

"I see," said Sister Helen, "and how do you feel about this, Mary?"

"Well, it is the first I have heard of the details. On the face of it, it seems a fair way to set up living together. It would be nice to be living with someone I love, that's for certain. I just have to get over the age difference...."

"One of you already has," said Sister Helen quietly, smiling. "We're soon going into July, so you have two months before September is upon you. I suggest you do not discuss it again until then. Just live as if Jane's plan is going ahead, live as this is the first two months of the rest of your life, and in September see how you feel."

"Seems a plan to me," said Jane. "Are you staying for supper, Sister Helen?"

"Not today. It would be a shame to disrupt your day of mutual surrender by requiring you to get dressed, and I don't want to be the only dressed person at the table."

Mary laughed. "Strip off then, and go for it. Get a tan where the sun don't shine!"

Sister Helen laughed back. "I could easily get naked with the pair of you, as long as Mother Superior doesn't hear about it, but today is your day for shedding all your inhibitions and secrets and learning facts about each other that cannot and should not be hidden by clothes. That should be just the two of you. Thanks for the drink, congratulations on the first, Jane, and maybe I'll strip off next time...."

And with that, she gathered her robes, stood up, and walked off to her car. Jane and Mary stood and put their arms around each other as they waved her off.

"Come," said Mary, "there's something I want you to do for me. Trim my pubic hair like yours, so it's nicer for love making."

Jane got her Lady Shaver, and had Mary lay on a towel on the bed. She cut her hair back much shorter and then trimmed it so the bush was much smaller and a nice but natural shape. She carefully extracted the towel from under Mary and tipped the hair off into the toilet She put the towel back on the bed and got Mary face down on it and shaved off the hair around Mary's pussy and backwards, between her legs, until the area was clean-shaven. Getting Mary to stand up with her legs apart, she rubbed moisturizer on to the freshly shaved areas to sooth them. Mary took her hand mirror and inspected the results. "Much better," she declared.

They had a nice salad for supper, with ham off the bone, and white wine. Mary got the LPs out again and they danced, naked and hugging, for quite a while. 'Red Sails' came on and Mary looked at Jane. "No tears tonight," said Jane. "Dancing naked means I am dancing with you, not Gran, so no tears."

They kissed and at bedtime, went upstairs. Jane kissed her way down Mary's body to her restyled pubic bush and used her tongue and fingers to send Mary into a realm of pleasure, at the climax of which they cuddled up and slept.

******************************

When they awoke, Mary announced they were going to try something different for today's painting. She went and brought her painting tackle in from the studio and set it up in Jane's room. She had, last winter, painted the bed in Jane's room with the intention of adding a sleeping model on it later. She put the part-done painting on her easel.

"Beauty of oils," she said, "is that you can build up a picture from back to front. Now, put that bra and panties set of yours on and get on the bed."

Mary had Jane sit on the bed, with her left leg pointing straight down the middle of the bed, and her right leg such that the knee was flexed over the edge of the bed, exposing the crotch of her panties, the toes just reaching the floor. "Now take your arms, and reach behind you and lean back, arms straight, propping you up. That's it, Now show the world you are waiting for your lover."

Jane smiled at Mary, and stuck her tongue out of her mouth just a little, and tilted her head. The whole pose screamed "Come and get me."

Mary stripped naked herself. "To make it easier to want your lover," she said.

By the end of the day, the painting was taking shape. There were still lots of details to attend to, but the painting was clearly a woman awaiting her lover with seductive sex on her mind. And as soon as Mary cleaned her brushes, that's exactly what happened. As she cleaned her brushes, Mary ordered Jane to remove the lingerie and resume the pose.

Mary knelt on the bed, pulled Jane's legs apart and plunged in on her belly with kisses and licks that gradually focused more and more on Jane's womanhood. Mary's fingers opened Jane's vagina and plunged in and found her g-spot and began to tease and arouse it. Jane's body was quick to respond, and she held nothing back. Mary drove Jane to a rolling climax that seemed to last for a while. After the climax, Mary crawled up Jane's body and kissed her and Jane could taste herself on Mary's lips and tongue.

"Stay there, don't move," said Mary, and literally she jumped off the bed. Jane heard Mary rummaging through drawers, then heard "Ahhh," as what ever was being searched for was found. A short time later, Mary returned and knelt over Jane's body. Jane had her eyes closed in expectation, but of what, she had no idea.