Grace - Part I

Grace knew it was wrong, somehow. What she was doing must be wrong. In the fury of the moment, however, she could not find a reason to stop. Indeed, Sandra was giving her every reason in the world to continue.

It had been ten months, eight days, and some few hours since she had last had sex. She couldn't reasonably be expected to turn down the opportunity when it presented itself. Especially when presented in such a nice package.

Sandra was a bit older that Grace. Sexy. Full of power and style. Age had brought wisdom and nothing else to Sandra's life. Two husbands and three children behind her and Sandra still looked ready to take on the world.

For now, Grace, would be enough for her to conquer. Grace was not one to go down easily. Even when she wanted someone, she reveled in making them chase her. She could make even the proudest lion give chase.

This one was different. Sandra was different. She had not even tried to entreat Sandra. Sandra came as a surprise, an ambush almost.

It was a formal occasion of some sort or another. Some socialite party or debutante ball. Grace didn't keep close track. She merely showed up when asked. She attended many of these things, primarily out of habit. Years of waspish upbringing and a short marriage to an oil heir had trained her well for social events.

She didn't mind it so much. Beyond the grand facades, shallow ambitions and materialistic beliefs were people she had grown up with. People who were, in fact, her friends. They had a sort of comradery. A sort of, "we're all in this together" feeling. Familiar surroundings were always conforting surroundings, once you got beyond the abhorration of all things rich and spoiled.

Grace had spent many years trying to change herself. She knew though, even at the age of 28, that she could not change or deny where she came from. She could only try to make a difference in her present life.

This  was a fairly recent realization for Grace. When her husband asked to separate four years ago, it was devastating. When the divorce was finalized six months later, she swore she would never love again. Never would another person come before her on her own list of priorities.

She was 24 years old. She packed her bags and some of her husbands money a became a nomad. A wanderer. She needed to know herself.

She settled for a while in Boston. Met an old friend from her early early childhood. Went home with her that night.

She spent some time in Albany. Not too long, but long enough to confuse the hearts of three young girls and make one college senior a very ahppy boy for just one night.

She did the NYC thing. Tried more combinations than were probably decent. She had an affair with her father's chef, James. Had another with her father's personal assistant, Miranda. In her spare time she picked up women at Henrietta's. Business women in town for a week, baby-dykes, a butch or two, lots of femmes, even a male lesbian.

She spent some time in Indiana with some friends from college. There it was more about sex, then individual relationships. A commune type community of friends who shared everything. Everything.

She may have broken a few hearts along the way, but she had tried to warn them.

There was Susan the college undergrad in Albany who was convinced that Grace was the one. She was convinced that if she just loved hard enough for both of them, she could hold onto Grace.

There was a friend, Callie, in Indiana where things were always left unspoken. Until one night, after a drunken evening of debauchery, Callie leaned forward to Grace and whispered the words "I love you." Grace loved her, too. But now was not the time for letting love govern her life.

When a girl tells you she's not going to fall in love....take my advice....she's not gonna fall in love.

One has to be complete unto themselves before they can ever attempt to complete another.

Oddly, though, her life as a nomad had brought her home to California to live with her mother. Life is weird. If you let it....it will always take you where you need to go.

And here grace was, once again at the ball. Only without a Prince Charming. And perfectly content to be sans Prince. She certainly wasn't on the prowl at an event like this. And she didn't really expect anyone else to be.

That's why Sandra had come as such a surprise.

"I know of a room upstairs, completely secluded." was all Sandra had said.

Sandra was, of course, no stranger. She was the socialite of all socialites. And this was in fact a house that Grace had been in many times before.

As Grace climbed the rear stair way she knew she was headed for trouble, but curiosity kept her going.

She knew of this room. She had spent many nights in this house in high school searching for the entrance with her best friend, Molly.