“Never?”

“Never!” She responded.

“Let me get this straight. You went to college, right?”

“And grad school!” She added.

“You were athletic and played on any number of teams?”

“Oh yea, field hockey, softball, track, even sailing.” She listed.

“These were all women groups, often coached by other women, right?”

“Yes, nearly 100% female.” She confirmed to me.

“And you have never even kissed a girl, let alone did more?”

She replied, “Nope, never. Never had the urge. Even when some of the girls did, it was never my thing.”

I sat there for a moment letting it sink in. Sitting across from me on the hotel room couch was one of my favorite people. Bets and I worked together for the past several years. We got along great but never had much of a personal relationship. She happened to see me kiss my wife at the airport before this trip and realized I was a lesbian. I didn’t hide it, but I also didn’t advertise it. Some people get weirded out by it.

I realized she saw it when she made a small mention of my wife after dinner. She didn’t make it a big deal, but it did take our conversation in directions it had never gone before.

I wasn’t sure what to say. She wasn’t acting like someone interested or what we like to call ‘bi-curious’. She was being so matter-of-fact about it. As I said, she was one of my favorite people in so many ways. Which also means I have always had a slight crush on her. If, a few years ago, I thought she had the slightest interest in walking on my side of the street, I would have been happy to be her crossing guard.

I slid closer to her on the couch. Bets looked at me, more curiously that nervously. I leaned in close and stopped a couple of inches away from her face.

“What are you doing?” Now she sounded a little nervous. But I knew she trusted me.

“I’m going to kiss you.”

“But, you are married?”

“It’s only a kiss. This way if the topic comes up, you can honestly say you have kissed a girl.”

She didn’t reply, but she also didn’t pull away. I just stayed right there and touched her face gently, stroking her cheek. She just looked me right in the eye, no sign of a problem, any embarrassment, or nervousness. She just waited.

I studied her face, her lovely face. She had an oval face, a slight tilt to her eyes, a small nose, and wide, sensuous lips. She had a face made to appreciate and enjoy. Her skin was nearly flawless, but there was a small bump under her make-up. I knew she had a little scattering of freckles across the bridge of her nose, but her concealer covered them. I always like that little spray and thought they looked cute the few times I had seen her without the make-up.

She had a touch of color over her eyes and a light lipstick. She looked amazing to me. Her dark hair was pulled back. After our meetings for the day, she let it down and then put it in a light ponytail to keep it out of her way.

I stroked her cheek very lightly. I was hoping she might close her eyes, but she didn’t react in any way. I wondered if I was stepping too far over the line, but I got nothing from her at all. Then she said, “I thought you were going to kiss me?”

“Oh, I am. I’m just taking my time and enjoying this. I might never have this chance again and want to make the most of it. Besides, I hope you weren’t expecting a peck on the cheek?”

“I didn’t expect anything at all.” She colored slightly at that point. Her eyes dropped to my lips for a moment and then went back to my eyes. I really wanted to see those eyes close!

I went closer, our lips just a fraction of an inch apart. I took a gentle inhale and got her scent. Slightly fruity, with a touch of something warm. Her eyes were still open, yet she hadn’t moved an inch. Her lips were slightly apart. I was glad she hadn’t pursed her lips. If this was the only kiss I ever share with her, it was going to be a real kiss!

Our lips touched and time seemed to slow. Her head tilted slightly and our lips seemed to fit together well. We were still just barely touching. I laid my hand against the side of her face. I wanted so much to pull her to me, but I also didn’t want to push her too hard.

I sharpened the tip of my tongue and I ran it around the inside of her lips and pressed a tiny bit harder. With one moment, any nervousness I felt disappeared because I felt her tongue move against mine. It was so slow and gentle, I thought I imagined it at first. But there is was again, a tentative touch.

That’s when I saw her eyes close. My hand went around her neck and I didn’t have to pull her closer, she pressed against me and her mouth opened wider. Her tongue pushed into my mouth and tangled with mine. I wanted so much to just get lost in it, but there still felt like some reserve I hadn’t touched yet. I sucked at her tongue a little and felt her respond as well. She put her arms around me as well. Just holding me there.

Part of me wanted to push her down on the couch but I didn’t think that would be well received. She also didn’t push me down, so we just kissed. I don’t know how long it lasted, but when we separated slightly, we each took a deep breath. Her eyes were still closed, but she hadn’t closed that sexy mouth. I kissed her again, just lightly this time, right on the corner of her mouth and with that, she opened her eyes. There was a look I didn’t recognize and she didn’t say anything at all.

We disengaged. I wasn’t sure what to do or what to say, so I decided to put the ball in her court.

“Before we talk about this, you have to kiss me the next time.” She looked a little confused. “Now you can say you have kissed a girl. If you want to talk or anything else, you have to kiss me, and not just a quick touch of the lips. Think about it and decide for yourself.”

With that, I beat a hasty exit. Maybe I missed an opportunity, but I really liked this woman and I was not going to play one-night-stand on a business trip. Besides, my wife was going to want to meet her if she kissed me back!  Looking forward to that, made my retreat more strategic than tactical!