Twenty Minutes

"I was with her from about 11:30pm the night before until around 2:45pm yesterday when I left for work. She was with me all night."

The words were hard to get out considering she had no idea what kind of reaction she faced, but she would vouch for Shy. Shy didn't do it. Of that she was sure.

"Ma'am, was there a time she could have left? One of her former gang-banging friends was involved, so we feel pretty confident—"

"We were, uh, awake most of that time. She didn't leave. I'm sure."

They looked at one another than then nodded. "Okay ma'am, we'll need you to come down to the station to make a statement—"

"Which gang-banging friend?" She wasn't sure why she asked.

"A woman by the name of Terese Cleveland. Bad news. Used to be a good friend of your, er, girlfriend."

"She's not my girlfriend." The words were out before she could catch herself. The officers looked at one another again and then moved in the direction of the door.

"If you could come down and speak to the desk sergeant some time today or tomorrow, we would appreciate it."

"Sure, of course. No problem."

One of the officers handed her a business card, "thanks for your time."

She closed and locked the door behind them, sighing as she leaned against it for a moment. Her pulse was racing from the fear of having police show up at her door. It was certainly nothing to write home about. And why had Shy given them her name considering they weren't on speaking terms? She could have sunk Shy if she'd wanted to. Landed her back in prison with just one "no." She sighed, but she'd never do that. Would she? No. She had no desire to hurt Shy.

Her entire frame was shaking as she sank down onto one of the overstuffed sofas. A myriad of thoughts swam through her head, but there was only one clear focus...Shy. Was she okay? Had they taken her in? Was she being held? She rushed to her bedroom, changing clothes quickly and hurrying from the apartment.

*

Thirty minutes later she was banging on the door of Apartment H in Shy's dilapidated walkup. It was 5:45pm, most likely Shy was sleeping if she had to work that night. She kept banging, wanting to make sure Shy wasn't home before she headed down to the police station. She wasn't sure what she would do down there since she didn't really have any money for bail. She wasn't even sure Shy would let her put up bail. She sighed, banging once more.

"Shy, it's me! It's Robbie!"

Suddenly she heard the locks click open, but the door to the apartment remained closed. She turned the knob, pushing the door open and stepping inside. She wasn't sure what happened next. The door slammed shut and then someone forced her, face first, against it. Something cold and metallic was pressed against her temple.

"Who the fuck are you?" A woman's raspy voice demanded.

She didn't recognize the voice. It certainly didn't belong to Shy. Nor did the frame pressing her against the door.

"I'm a friend of Shy's. I came by to make sure she was okay."

"Why wouldn't she be?"

She wasn't sure how much she should say, but it's not like she had much of a choice.

"The police came to my apartment looking for her."

That was met with silence. For a moment or two they simply stood there, one the aggressor, the other a victim, silence between them. Then the woman holding her against the door took a step back and spun her around.

She was attractive. That was the word that sprang to Robbie's mind. She wasn't really like Shy at all. She was tall, probably as tall as Shy, but slim, with dark hair that brushed her shoulders, hazel-green eyes, and soft, enticing lips. She wore a wife beater without a bra and the shirt allowed the onlooker to see her full breasts and a hint of dark nipple. Her long legs were encased in black, skin tight jeans and she wore the latest brand of sneakers. Quite an attractive package. She realized the woman was also looking her over and a blush rose to her cheeks as she met the woman's look of approval.

"Well, Shy's tastes have improved, that's for sure. You're a sexy little bitch."

Robbie wanted to step away from the woman, put some distance between them, but she didn't really have the space to do so. The tattoo on the woman's arm caught her attention and she made the connection.

"You're Terese, right?"

If she thought that would put the woman at ease, she was wrong.

"You know me?" The woman asked in a dangerously cold voice.

Robbie quickly shook her head and decided a lie was better than the truth in this situation. It certainly wouldn't make the woman any happier if she knew the police was looking for her.

"Shy mentioned you the other night."

The woman watched Robbie with suspicious eyes.

"Shy told you about me, huh? She doesn't usually name names."

Robbie took a step to the left, but the woman followed her, still close enough to press her back against the door. She swallowed, not sure where this was going.

"So, how did you get her to tell you, huh?" The woman asked in a husky voice, "wanna show me?"

Her lips covered Robbie's before Robbie could process what was happening. It wasn't an unpleasant kiss, just rough, demanding and a little intimidating. When she felt the woman's hand on the slight round of her belly, she tensed. She didn't want this. The hand caressed her slowly, casually, making its way up to her breast and manipulating the soft flesh. Robbie inhaled sharply, trying to fight the fear she felt crawling across her skin.

"Please don't," she pleaded softly.

But the woman ignored her, her hand making its way beneath Robbie's top and pushing her bra aside. She pinched Robbie's slightly hardened nipple between thumb and forefinger, ignoring Robbie's whimper as her mouth closed over Robbie's again.

Robbie tried not to struggle, tried not to fight, considering she could feel the cold of the gun, still clutched in the woman's other hand, against her side. But she could also feel the panic that seized her just weeks ago start to work its way through her body.

"P-please—"

The front door suddenly pushed open, startling them both, forcing Terese away from Robbie's frightened form. Robbie took advantage of the disturbance and moved away quickly. When she gathered her thoughts a moment later, she looked toward the front door to see who had interrupted them. She could not even describe the relief she felt as she watched Shy close the door behind her.

Shy looked them both over, her eyes quickly registering Robbie's slightly swollen, wet lips and her disheveled clothes. Usually she didn't care when Terese helped herself. After all, they'd shared blood and more than one prison cell. But for some reason, seeing what she was about to do with Robbie pissed her off. She turned to the friend she hadn't seen in awhile.

"What the fuck are you doing here? That fucking guard you did was an off-duty cop."

Terese had recovered much more quickly than Robbie. She pulled a pack of cigarettes from her back pocket and lit one.

"Yea, we didn't know that shit 'til after. I didn't pull the trigger. I need a place to crash."

"They had my ass back in lock up. Just assumed I was running with you again." Shy bit out.

"Yea, I know. Sorry 'bout that."

Shy snatched the cigarette from between her friend's lips, dragging on it deeply before handing it back to her.

"I already risked my ass holding that package for your girl the other day. Leave me out of this shit."

Robbie tried to keep up, her heart still slamming against her chest as she watched them like a tennis match. Terese had committed a robbery, that much she knew from the police. But she hadn't known a guard was killed, clearly one that was also a police officer.

Terese looked over at Robbie and winked, a wicked smile pulling at her lips as the color rose to Robbie's cheeks.

"Nice piece of ass you got there. Why don't you go away and give us a few?"

Shy swallowed the urge to punch her friend, her sister for the most part, in the face. Her fingers clenched, a sign of the anger coursing through her.

"I'll make some phone calls," Shy stated, her voice dangerously calm. She opted to ignore the question her friend had posed. "Find you a place for a few days."

All three women stood silently, waiting for Terese's reaction. The woman smiled, winked at Robbie again, and then made her way to the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

Alone for the moment, Shy finally turned to Robbie.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" She snapped.

Robbie blinked, "I was worried about you. The cops came to my place—"

Shy nodded, making her way across the small space to stand before Robbie. She reached out and wiped the wet of Terese's kiss from Robbie's lower lip, unconsciously caressing Robbie's cheek before she caught herself, forcing herself to stop and lower her hand.

"Sorry for giving the cops your name."

Robbie nodded, "it wasn't a problem. You're not in any trouble, are you?"

Shy found herself shaking her head no before she stopped, angry that she felt compelled to assure this woman her hands were clean. She clenched her fingers into fists again, this time trying to resist the urge to pull Robbie into her arms.

"Look, why don't you go home?"

Robbie nodded, torn between wanting to stay by Shy's side and wanting to flee from the overly aggressive woman in the bathroom.

"I didn't want to kiss her, she—"

"Hey," Shy silenced her, not comfortable with Robbie's wish to explain herself. "Just go, okay?"

"I'm off tomorrow. Will I see you?"

"Maybe. Go."

Robbie found herself ushered out of the tiny apartment. She paused for a moment in the corridor, listening to the sounds of the locks clicking into place, before hurrying down the stairs and hailing a cab.

***

Shy stood in front of one of her tiny windows, her eyes moving back and forth between the woman sleeping on her sofa and the darkened street. She was remembering what if felt like that first day in juvie, no friends, no one to talk to, bullies already eyeing her as their next conquest. She was smaller then, but still large for a 12 year old. She knew she could fight them off for a while, but she didn't know what would happen over the long haul.

Terese had already been in juvie for 2 years. At 11, she'd run away from home for the fifth time and was pregnant. Her mother called the cops. She never did tell that her mother's new boyfriend was the father of the baby.

Somehow they'd found each other, protected one another, helped each other through school, and formed a bond Shy had never experienced before. A bond of true friendship...true sisterhood.

And for years, that was enough. Even when Terese became an addict, it was enough. The guns, the drugs, the gang, the women...it was enough. And then, for some reason, after doing hard time, Shy realized she wanted a different life. Maybe her mother wasn't right about her. Maybe she didn't just take up space. And because her 'sister' was hooked on a drug she simply had no control over, she'd had to leave her behind.

She'd taken her share of shit for leaving the gang. Simply waking away wasn't an option. So, she'd faced harassment, beat downs, and other intimidation tactics until they realized she was serious and would keep her mouth shut. Then Terese visited, promising she was off the shit. But after crashing at her place overnight, Shy found her rent money gone along with a few other items that could be fenced easily. She wasn't angry, realizing Terese couldn't help herself. But that had been the last time she'd seen her...until today.

And now? Shy sighed with frustration as she continued to stare out of the window. Now her friend had brought murder, a cop's murder, to her door. And she had involved a woman that didn't belong in their world. A woman...a womanshehad no business bothering with herself. What did she have to offer Robbie? Nothing. She had absolutely nothing to offer anyone. So, what had she been thinking, finding herself attracted to Roberta Peterson? Shehadn'tbeen thinking.

*

Robbie finally managed to sleep, although she'd taken a sleeping pill to do so. But she was awake by 2am, staring off into space, much like Shy was doing a few miles away. She worried about Shy, wondering what she was doing, whether or not the cops had tracked Terese down, frightened Shy would be implicated. Then she chastised herself for worrying about a woman who had treated her like shit just hours ago. Yet, she couldn't erase the look of concern she'd seen on Shy's face, that caress against her cheek, Shy's desire to get her away from that situation as soon as possible.

She hadn't imagined those feelings. Just as she hadn't imagined the night they'd spent together. Shy was used to pushing people away. She couldn't trust because of the many times she'd been hurt. But even with all that baggage, she cared. She demonstrated kindness and consideration, protected her, and even went against a long time friend to make sure she was safe. That kind of person didn't come along every day. No, she had to trust her instincts. Even though she was scared, she had to believe she'd been thrust into this woman's life for a reason. Part of that reason was to ease the loneliness she herself felt inside when she was alone in her nicely decorated apartment. And part of that reason was to save Shy from herself, from that wall she'd built around herself, preventing anyone from getting in.

She didn't have all the answers, but she was going to trust her gut, trust Janet's vibe, and simply trust the Universe. All of this was happening for a reason. She would stick it out until given a sign that she should do otherwise.

*

She tried to keep herself busy, trying not to worry about, or rush, Shy. She wanted to see her, almost needed to see her, but she also had a dozen things to do herself. She was behind on her chores, the bathroom needed attention in particular, and she needed to run a few errands, especially one to the bank to deposit a check. So she managed to keep herself pretty occupied until that evening. And then she began to worry. Shy had to work at eleven. If she didn't arrive soon, they wouldn't be able to see one another. And then she was working the next four days straight. Considering she slept while Shy worked and Shy slept while she worked...if Shy didn't stop by now, they wouldn't be able to really "see" one another for a while. But perhaps she was the only one worried about that? Perhaps.

She prepared a chicken and pasta dish for herself around 4pm, called her sister and a few friends to gossip, and then sat down in front of the television, flipping through the channels. At 6pm, she realized Shy probably wasn't coming. She hadn't promised to, after all. She sighed, cleaning up the mess she'd made in the kitchen and dumping a load of laundry in the machine. She chatted with Janet online for a few minutes before giving up the pretense that she wasn't disappointed. The only reason she was sitting in her apartment, instead of knocking on Shy's door, was because she wasn't certain Terese had left yet. And that was one woman she had no intention of bumping into again if she could help it.

She was folding laundry when she heard the knock on the door...and her heart slipped into overdrive immediately. She glanced at her watch, they still had about three hours before Shy had to leave for work. They could cover a lot of ground in three hours, right? If nothing else, she'd ask Shy to answer some of the questions brewing in the back of her overactive mind.

But those thoughts disappeared when she opened the door and the real thing was standing on the other side of it. Familiar combat boots, fatigue bottoms tucked into them, and a white tank adorned her broad frame. She carried a denim jacket over her shoulder. There was no smile on her beautifully bronzed colored face, just one raised thick eyebrow and a bit of a smirk on those full, lush lips. But there was something in those sexy, smoky gray eyes...eyes that seemed bottomless...eyes that held her captive. So, the lack of smile on her guest's face didn't stop one from appearing on hers.

"Hi. It was getting late and I knew you had to work, so I wasn't sure—"

In one movement Shy tossed her jacket onto a sofa, kicked the door shut, and silenced Robbie with a kiss. She was reluctant to admit she hungered for this woman, had thought about her all day, longed to lie beside her last night. Even as she drove her friend to a secure spot just an hour ago, it was this curvaceous little troublemaker, with her sexy full lips and deliciously soft body, that filled her thoughts. She pulled the band from Robbie's hair, combing her fingers through the silken strands, shifting to cup Robbie's full bottom and pull her closer, so much closer.

Robbie moaned as Shy kissed her, enjoying the feel of this woman's strong arms around her, the taste of her, the feel of her thick, oversized body pressed against her. She smiled against those hungry lips as Shy quickly undid her jeans, unbuttoned her shirt, unhooked her bra. She was as anxious to shed this woman's clothing as well, yanking the tank top from the waistband of her fatigues.

They were on their knees suddenly, tossing aside their clothing until Robbie felt the plush carpet beneath the heated flesh of her back. Shy was over her, looking down at her, that smirk still toying with her lips, before Robbie reached up to pull her down, crushing her lips to Shy's. Her fingers hungrily explored the expanse of Shy's back, caressing, teasing, scratching as the hunger grew. Her breath caught when Shy captured a hardened nipple between her teeth, lashing at it with her tongue while her knee impatiently parted Robbie's thighs. Robbie wasted no time, riding that muscular thigh, her center wet, her breathing labored as Shy continued to feast on her nipple. She felt excitement sweep through her, heating her blood, not sure how this woman could create such a state within her. And then, suddenly, she slammed into a wave of bliss that wreaked havoc with her senses. The high pitched whine she released did nothing to reveal the intensity of the feelings coursing through her as the orgasm annihilated her every thought.

Shy shifted onto her side, quickly removing her pants as Robbie tried to regroup. Robbie watched her, enjoying the sight of well-developed thighs. It took a moment for the leather bands around her waist to register and she licked her lips as her eyes feasted on the thick dildo. She smiled again, the aftermath of her first orgasm still singing through her veins as she pushed Shy onto her back, straddling those amazing thighs and slowly sinking down onto the stout dick. She closed her eyes, her head thrown back, enjoying the sensation of fullness, the ripples of pleasure it sent through her. And when she felt herself relax just a bit, felt the rest of the thick package settle inside, she opened her eyes, leaned over and hungrily kissed the woman beneath her. It was then Shy began to move her hips, slowly, allowing Robbie to adjust to the size and feel of it. Robbie felt the moan begin in the back of her throat as sensations rushed through her. She cupped her own breasts, pinching the nipples enjoying the feel of Shy's fingers digging into her hips in a way that would leave bruises.

Shy watched her, sitting astride, riding her, playing with herself, her eyes closed, her hair wild, her body responding deliciously. Her own nipples were hard, a sheen of perspiration covered her flesh, and she could feel her heart beating riotously as she enjoyed the intoxicating vision of the beauty before her. She winced, trying to fight off an impending orgasm as the base of the dildo collided with her hardened nub over and over again. Every upward movement this woman above her invited ended in an almost agonizing attempt to stave off imminent pleasure. Finally, unable to fight against it in this position, she shifted their positions, rolling Robbie onto her back, trying to be mindful of the rug burns she was about to create as she settled herself between this stimulating woman's thighs.