Fortitude

"May I?" She asked rhetorically. Kristin said nothing though the buttons on her blouse were already coming apart. Her copper tresses tumbled around her shoulders as her blouse came open.

"Beautiful girl..." Jude muttered lustfully. "Pretty as a June rose..." Jude pressed her lips against Kristin's exposed shoulder, planting several little kisses. The girl's skin prickled with goosebumps and she shuddered as another audible sigh escaped her lips. "So beautiful..." Jude whispered again.

"Oh God...Jude..." Kristin whimpered.

"Goodness, I know it's pretty chilly outside tonight, but I'm starting to get a little warm!"

Jude untucked her shirt from the waistband of her jeans, and slowly she began to unbutton it. Kristin sucked in another ragged breath, but otherwise said nothing. The girl stared as Jude slipped the shirt off and tossed it on the floor. Next, the old dyke kicked her shoes off and stood up. For a few seconds, she drunkenly fumbled with her belt and Kristin giggled softly at the sight. In seconds, Jude's jeans were off, and she returned to her young lover's side, wearing only her panties and plain white bra.

"Hope you don't mind me slipping into something more comfortable." Jude whispered.

Now the old dyke took Kristin in her arms once again. Her eyes zeroed in on the girl's shoulder. She slipped her finger under the girl's bra strap and slowly pushed it aside, clearing a path for her lips to explore further. For a minute or so, Jude alternated between gentle kisses and licking, and in no time, Kristin is gasping and whimpering in pleasure.

"God that feels so good!"

Jude pulled away and took the young beauty's face in her hands and kissed her deeply. As they kissed, she slid the other strap off Kristin's shoulder. She glanced down, and for a split second she could see the girl's breasts straining to be released. A soft moan escaped Jude's lips and she shivered at the sight.

The butch woman lowered her head and began to press her lips against the lacy bra cups. "Mmm...I like that..." Kristin breathed in her ear. Jude liked it too; she liked it a lot. She was delighted that her young protégé was so receptive. She wanted to tear the rest of her clothes off. She wanted to ravage the girl, but she didn't want to scare her. She wanted this to last, to savor the experience.

Jude continued to exercise patience, and for that she was rewarded. She slowly dragged her lips against the top of Kristin's bra cup. With the straps pushed down, the lacy undergarment was already sagging. The old dyke carefully pulled it down, fully exposing the girl's breasts. They were lovely and full; perfect firm little swells of flesh. "God you're so beautiful, honey." Jude whispered. She gently cupped the girl's breasts, massaging the flesh while Kristin squirmed. The girl's delicate pink areolas were puffy and small. They instantly became fiercely erect the moment they made contact with the older woman's hand. "I'm so glad you invited me over...definitely Robert's loss."

"It's Roger." Kristin whispered. "Whatever." The old dyke whispered dismissively. She was kissing the girl's right breast now, taking the nipple in her mouth before alternating to the other nipple. Jude was certainly no stranger to experiences like this, but somehow this was different...better. She couldn't deny the fact that she was getting quite a rush from the possibility of taking this young beauty away from that boyfriend of hers—of turning her.

Kristin was whimpering constantly now, and Jude felt the skin on her neck tingling as the girl began to press her lips against it, showering her with kisses of encouragement. "Do you like what I'm doing, honey?" She asked, and then suddenly she felt Kristin touching her hair; burying her fingers in those short graying pin curl waves.

Jude paused for a moment to take in the sight of her beautiful young lover. Kristin's chest was flushed and feverish, rising and falling with each shallow, ragged breath she drew. The faintest hint of a smile crossed the butch woman's lips as she admired the intoxicating view.

"Please don't stop, Jude." Kristin whined.

The old dyke replied with a whispered "Never."

The gorgeous redhead buried her fingers in the old dyke's hair, and once more, they shared another deep lingering kiss. A small part of Jude wanted to scold her young protégé for that. As butch as she is, she was fussy about her hair. After all, she was a professional, and in her mind, neatness counts. She wanted to tease the girl and tell her to be patient, but she decided that the teasing could wait. She wanted to show Kristin just what pleasures she could experience with another woman—her in particular.

Jude slowly reached around the girl's back to unfasten her bra. In seconds, the lacy undergarment was off, and Kristin's breasts fell free. "Beautiful little breasts..." Jude seethed. She took the girl in her arms once more and kissed her. "That boyfriend of yours is such a fool to let you slip away!"

Now the old dyke playfully wrestled the girl down onto the sofa, kissing and caressing her as she pinned her against the cushions. She began kissing the girl's breasts, taking the nipple in her mouth. Kristin's soft womanly sighs were music to Jude's ears. "Mmm-hmm..." She moaned.

The girl had already kicked her shoes off, and now Jude was tugging on the waistband of her skirt. "Okay if we get this off?" She asked. Kristin was lost in the moment. She seemed to be having trouble forming a coherent reply as another whimper escaped her lips. The butch woman took this as her cue to continue. She struggled for a minute to unfasten the waistband of her young lover's skirt. It took a little coaxing to get Kristin to raise her hips up, but once she did, the skirt came off quite easily. Next Jude tugged the girl's tights and panties off. She bunched these up and tossed them aside.

A sudden sharp gasp escaped Jude's lips. "This must be the luckiest night of my life!"

Truer words were never spoken. Kristin was sprawled on the sofa, fully nude, and from Jude Horst's perspective, it was the loveliest sight in the world. The girl's body was shapely and slim, and some of her abundant tresses tumbled over the side of the sofa cushions like a sunset waterfall. Jude was on top of the girl, and in seconds she was back to showering her with tender kisses as her hands cupped those lovely young breasts.

Jude began to slowly work her way lower, across the girl's ribcage and stomach before pausing just above her pubic mound. She pulled away, admiring the youthful beauty in front of her. The girl's pussy was modestly covered in a soft thicket of strawberry blond pubic hair. Barely peeking from the swollen folds of her outer labia was the raw pink flesh, slick and glistening with wetness. The old dyke pursed her lips and gently blew a soft steady stream of air across her lover's mound, and almost instantly Kristin shuddered.

"Ohh, Jude..." It sounded like the girl was pleading for her butch lover to continue.

"Patience is the gateway to bliss." Jude softly replied.

Jude pressed her lips against that soft bush of pubic hair. In seconds, her tongue emerged, tracing along the cleft, parting the girl's swollen outer folds. She parted easily and a sudden burst of wetness rushed over the old dyke's tongue. "Mmm...my innocent little girl!" She moaned as she buried her tongue deeper. The taste, slightly salty and sharp lingered as Jude began licking the girl's pussy.

Kristin wasn't much for words anymore. She was moaning and grinding her hips against the butch woman's face. After a minute, Jude pulled away. "Patience, honey." She whispered. Now the old dyke softly stroked her young lover's pussy, applying a little pressure and exposing the sensitive bud of her clitoris.

With a flurry of fluttering licks, the tip of Jude's tongue caused Kristin to shriek and nearly jump off the sofa. The old dyke backed off and buried her tongue in the girl's vagina, penetrating her before licking upwards. Kristin was sopping wet and parted easily when Jude applied her finger, slipping it inside. After a second or two, she slowly introduced a second finger, and Kristin responded with a low wavering moan.

Jude slowly began to thrust her fingers in and out, emulating the natural thrusts of intercourse as she continued feasting on her beautiful young protégé. Poor Kristin! The girl reached down and pressed the butch woman's head deeper, bearing down on her fingers and tongue. The girl's breath caught in her throat as her release became imminent.

"Ohhh...ohhh God...mmm...Miss Horst—ahhh!"

Kristin was moaning loudly, nearly screaming. Her little body was spasming as Jude clutched her hips, riding the intense shockwaves with her. Moments later, the girl was a wreck. Jude rose up to lie with her on the sofa. She took Kristin in her arms and pulled the girl on top of her. The butch woman brought her hand up to her young lover's face. The girl's gorgeous red hair was a mess! Jude tenderly brushed away the dampened tresses plastered to the sides of her face and kissed her once more.

"Oh my God, Jude. That was wonderful. Thank you."

"My pleasure, sweetheart." Jude whispered.

Their lips came together once more, kissing deeply. After a few minutes of snuggling, Jude and Kristin pulled away from each other and shifted positions. They sat side by side, and then Jude put her arms around the gorgeous redhead, pulling her onto her lap. They shared another passionate kiss. After a minute or so, Jude began to feel that wonderful tingling hum between her legs. Her skin prickled with goosebumps.

"God I want you so bad, Kristin." She muttered as she took the girl's hand in hers. "You have no idea how long I've wanted this..."

Jude brought the girl's hand to her breast, pressing the palm against it. Suddenly she felt Kristin's body go rigid again. A sharp gasp escaped the girl's lips and she struggled to pull her hand away.

"Something wrong, Kristin?" The girl pushed Jude away and scrambled off her lap. She looked shocked and a little disoriented; like she suddenly woke up from a bad dream.

"It's just—I...didn't realize that you wanted me to..." Her voice trailed off and she averted her gaze. "I—I'm not uh...into women. At least...I don't think I am..."

Jude was thunderstruck and her breath suddenly caught in her throat. The butch woman was fighting back tears. "Kristin, honey...everything's okay. I said that we should take things slow and I meant it." She leaned in to kiss the gorgeous redhead and was quickly thwarted.

"I like you a lot, Miss Horst." Kristin said softly. "You're patient and helpful and you mean a lot to your students, but...I—I need some time—to think...my parents would probably kill me if they ever found out..."

"Time...you're probably right." Jude conceded. She knew that arguing the point would do no good. Besides, she knew she was falling for the girl fast and she didn't want to scare her. With a heavy heart, Jude Horst slowly stood up, got dressed, and headed home.

As she drove through the empty streets, the old dyke fought back the urge to sob. What's gotten into me? She wondered. Jude enjoyed the occasional drink. Usually when she drank, it was during parties and small get-togethers held by her Bible study group; in the church basement or at a fellow member's house. She liked to think she wasn't the type to take advantage of anyone—especially an intoxicated girl who she presumed was on the rebound from her ex.

"Silly me, that's what it is." Jude grumbled as she pulled into her driveway. "Kristin's upset with her boyfriend; probably just wanted to use me to get her mind off him. She's confused, that's all..."

Jude went through the back door and into the kitchen where she poured herself a drink. Once the glass was emptied, Jude poured herself another one and propped herself against the kitchen counter. Her head hung as low as her self-esteem. She never figured she was the crying type either, but...

She scolded herself. "Jude you dummy! What on earth did you get yourself into?"

*****

The ringing of the alarm clock rattled Jude Horst out of an otherwise deep and dreamless sleep. She glanced over and saw that it was almost 9:30AM. It was Saturday morning. The veteran teacher in her knew it was a sin to sleep past 8:30 even on a day off, and so she reluctantly crawled out of bed and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She could feel the golden ribbons of sunlight warming her rather hollow cheeks when the sound of another ringing grabbed her attention. It was the telephone downstairs.

"Ugh, I've only been awake for a few minutes, and already with the ringing phone!" Jude grumbled as she ran downstairs. She managed to snatch up the receiver on the 10th ring. "Hello?"

"Oh good, you're still home!" It was Miss Dowd. "Thought maybe you'd be at church around this time."

"No, not until this afternoon, Janie. What's up?" Jude was intrigued. It wasn't unheard of for her colleague to call on a day off like this, but it was a bit unusual since she's had all this "free time" on her schedule due to Kristin's student teaching. If Miss Dowd wanted to speak to her about anything school related, she could have done so yesterday.

Miss Dowd sounded a little breathless. "It's about your student teacher, Kristin." Jude's breath caught in her throat. Oh dear, she thought. "Hal called me into his office right after lunch; said he wanted to discuss Miss Bishoff's progress." She was referring to Mr. Lindstrom, the PE department head. "He already discussed things with Dr. Dahlgren—that's Kristin's professor, correct?"

Jude's eyelids fluttered and she swallowed hard. "Yes," She said tentatively. "Is there a problem?" God, she sincerely hoped not! In spite of everything that happened last night, Kristin was doing so well with her solo teaching block...at least she thought she was doing well. "Um...Janie...if there's a problem..."

"NO! There's no problem at all, Jude—that's why I'm calling! Hal is interested in offering Kristin a position in our department. She'd start next fall if she's interested. I guess he meant to discuss that with you after school yesterday, but you were in a hurry to leave."

On hearing this, Jude froze. A large part of her wanted to jump for joy. She was so happy for Kristin; happy that the beautiful college senior has done so well, and that success reflected on her too. But another part of her was consumed by guilt over what transpired between them just a few hours before. It was obvious that Kristin regretted what they'd done, and from now on, things between them would be awkward. Jude bit her lip.

"That—that's wonderful, Janie." She said softly. "Look...I wonder if you'd do me a tremendous favor."

Miss Dowd sounded confused. "Sure, Jude. Is there something wrong?"

Jude heaved a gusty sigh. "Kristin seems to be...having a bit of an emotional crisis, nothing major." She assured her colleague. "I agree that Kristin is doing very well so far, and I don't want anything to stand in the way of her progress..." She spent the next few minutes explaining what happened last night, careful to leave out any incriminating details that might embarrass her or her student teacher. Thankfully, Miss Dowd sounded very sympathetic when Jude told her about Kristin's boyfriend troubles.

"Yes, she's told me all about Roger Barber." Miss Dowd said. "Nice kid; his family used to live next door. Frankly, I think he's wrong for her." The woman chuckled softly. "She seems an awful lot like you if you ask me; cut from the same cloth..."

"Well, in light of her recent—uh—troubles...would you mind switching schedules?" Jude pleaded. "Her file is in the top drawer of our desk, and I don't think Dr. Dahlgren would mind it too much if Kristin had a fresh pair of eyes observing her. I understand Hal needs to observe her at least once before the end of her solo block."

There was silence on the other end of the line for a second or two, and then: "Sure, why not? You sure you don't mind taking on my 7th graders?" Jude said "No, of course not!" They said their goodbyes now, and Jude hung up the phone. She was relieved that things were settled for now.

Later that afternoon, Jude still felt uneasy over what happened between her and Kristin. When bible study was over, she approached Reverend Kling and asked if she could speak to her. She sat there in the church basement, in the classroom they used every week for study with the Reverend and Birgitta Larsson. She'd been friends with Birgitta for years, so she asked if she'd mind staying after to hear what was on her mind.

They sat across from one another; the Reverend Kling was seated next to Miss Larsson. The slender blond gym teacher favored Jude with a look of sympathy mixed with concern.

"You seemed a little distracted during our discussion today." Reverend Kling observed. "What's on your mind, Jude?"

The words tumbled out of the butch woman's mouth as if she was trying to shove away the doubt that crowded her mind. She spoke of Kristin's boyfriend; of the drama brought on with their on-again-off-again relationship. And she wondered out loud if the girl ever had any interest in her or if it was all just a game; a means towards getting an "A" in student teaching and a good reference.

And the expression on Birgitta's face was sympathetic. Jude knew that she and the Reverend have heard it all before. As a matter of fact, most of the women in the bible study group have experienced similar heartache and disappointment dozens of times before. It seemed to go along with the territory. It was an unspoken sort of understanding that they all shared; none of them could ever live openly as it would be the ruin of them all both socially and professionally.

"This morning, Janie Dowd called me. She said that our department head is considering Kristin for an opening in our department. But after what happened last night, I'm afraid I've ruined everything." Jude sighed. "It's been quite a while since someone's touched me, kissed me back like that. I felt loved and wanted..."

"It sounds as though you're infatuated." Birgitta said.

That's when a gush of anger pushed at the back of Jude's throat and she almost gagged. "But that's just it—I'm not!" She snapped. "It's deeper than that. Kristin's a wonderful young lady. She's so full of life and energetic—she's gorgeous! But she had this boyfriend and last night she told me she broke up with him. She deserves better...and I think I'm falling for her..."

For a moment or two the Reverend and Miss Larsson said nothing. Both women exchanged glances, and then the Reverend put her hand out to Jude. The butch woman took it, but their fingers touched rather than clasped.

"Godly love is powerful and very sacred. It is a conscious choice, not an accident. This requires patience. Are you up to it, Jude?"

"Janie said that she thinks Kristin is a lot like me." Jude said. "She told me once that love is love and she asked how God could ever be against that. I wanted to show her love—true love, but I'm afraid I might push her away. I don't know what I should do!"

"Love is patient and bears all things, Jude." Reverend Kling said. "Give her space and time to think things over...she will see your self-control and commitment."

Birgitta interjected: "It might be best then if you distanced yourself from this young lady for a while. Have you considered switching your schedule with one of your co-workers?"

"I've already thought of that." Jude replied. "I'll be taking over Janie Dowd's classes Monday morning—just until Kristin finishes out the semester."

*****

Later that evening, Jude was in bed, trying her hardest to get her mind off Kristin and fall asleep, but she knew she couldn't. She knew what she wanted...release. She knew deep down that her friends were right. She needed to back off; give Kristin some space and time to think things over and sort out her emotions. Just the same, she figured if she couldn't have Kristin Bishoff in real life, perhaps she could have her in the confines of her mind.