Smoking Project, Part 3

Smoking Project
Part 3 of 4

They walked to the car as they got inside, Beth looked at Bree, slightly 
embarrassed.
    "Can I have one last cigarette before we get to your house ?"
    "Why one last one ?"
    "Well, I don't want to smoke in front of your daughter."
    "She won't mind smoking in front of you," Bree said, handing the pack 
over and thumbing the lighter.
    "You let your daughter smoke ?"
    "She is sixteen, Beth."
    The lighter popped and Beth lit her cigarette.
    "How long has she been smoking, Bree ?"
    "It's hard to say. We just came to an agreement recently. I let her smoke 
and she smokes."
    Beth cracked the window and exhaled.
    "Does it bother you ?'
    "No. Not at all. She's a great kid. Good grades. Outside activities. Good 
friends. She's really sweet- and she's more than that, too. Sometimes I 
forget what a good kid she is, to be honest."
    "I can understand that."
    "Well, I started to think about it," and although she fudging the details 
a bit here, what she said was true. "I get an hour with her in the morning 
and four or five more at night. Why should she been miserable when she's with 
me, because it is the only time she can't do what she wants to be doing."
    "So she was smoking outside of home ?"
    Beth tapped ash out the window, wrapped her pert lips around the 
cigarette and drew deeply.
    "People I knew were coming up to me and saying 'You know, I say your 
daughter the other day at the- fill in the blank- and do you know, she was 
smoking ?' like it was some terrible thing. Now I can just say 'Well, of 
course I know.' I'd rather it was that way."
    And that was the truth.
    "I think that's cool. I wish my parents had started out that 
understanding."
    "Well, a little honesty is a good thing, right ?"
    "We've certainly had our share today. I told you I've smoked, you told 
me you were willing to give a relationship a chance."
    "Well, let's hope both things get off to a great start."
    Beth reached out and ran her fingers along the back of Bree's neck 
beneath her long hair and she shuddered, but it was a good shudder.

    Tiffany flicked her lighter and lit Leah's cigarette and then her own. 
She watched her mom and Beth get out of the car and was waiting for them at 
the front door. She drew deeply on her cigarette just as she met her mom's 
eyes and smiled her wickedest smile, thinking that she was going to have fun 
with this.
    "Tiffany, you know Beth," she said as she walked through the door. "Leah, 
this is Bethany, a co-worker of mine- and my date tonight."
    Leah switched hands, then extended the right one to Beth, who put her own 
cigarette in her mouth before returning the gesture.
    "How's that little psychology project you girls are working on going, 
Leah ?"
    "I like it so far, Mrs. Helena."
    "I was a psychology major as an undergrad," Beth said, "so marketing was 
a natural path in grad school. What's your project on ?"
    "Uh- Teenage smoking."
    "Really ?"
    "Yes. This is my first day of hands-on research."
    "Well, it's my first day back, so we have something in common, I guess."
    "Can I ask what made you decide to start again ?" Leah asked, casting her 
voice with what Bethany thought was perfect clinical pitch.
    "Peer pressure," she said, catching Bree in an impromptu one-armed hug. 
Bree surprised her with a quick kiss in response.
    "What's for dinner, Mom ?"
    "I was thinking it was a perfect night for lobster bisque, stuffed sole, 
ad a Caesar salad. How does sound ?"
    "Like I'm glad you're cooking."
    "Can you open a bottle of white wine. The Riesling, not that California 
stuff, okay ?"
    "Do you want some help ?" Beth asked.
    "Well, it sounds like everyone wants me to get started- Leah, are you 
hungry ?"
    "I've been too busy smoking to eat," Leah said, giggling.
    "Well, Beth, why don't you get to know the girls. I've got the basic 
preparations down- the bisque is in the freezer. I'll ask you to help with 
the salad, okay ?"
    Beth nodded, and followed Leah into the living room.
    "So you and Mrs. Helena work together ?"
    "Yes, for the last two years."
    "How long have you had a- a-"
    "You have quite a future in psychology, you know that ?"
    "I'm sorry," Leah, said, tapping her ash into the ashtray, keeping it 
short and rounded the way Tiffany had shown her. "I don't mean to be forward. 
It's just so interesting."
    "Well, it's been a long time, but I just found out that Bree was 
reciprocal."
    "That's so cool."
    "Now you tell me something. Is this really your first day smoking ?"
    "Yeah," Leah answered honestly. "It is." She drew on her cigarette and 
lifted her head before exhaling.
    "Then how long have you been fantasising about smoking ?"
    "What ?"
    Leah inhaled, exhaled. It was the act of a smoker.
    "No one picks up smoking this easy. My bet is that you have been 
fantasing about smoking for some time now."
    "About a month. Don't tell Tiffany, please."
    Beth would have followed up with 'your secret is safe with me,' but just 
then Tiffany arrived with the wine.
    It was the beginning of interesting things.

    As soon as the girls had finished their after-dinner cigarettes, they 
stood up from the table.
    "Mom, Leah and I have to get back to work on the project. We're going to 
head over to her house for a few hours."
    Beth just caught the wink that Tiffany sent her mom.
    The girls left the house and walked down the street to Leah's house.
    They walked inside and Leah was nervous, because of what she was about to 
do.
    "So, how was dinner ?" Mrs. Thomas asked,
    "It was great, Mom."
    "I envy you. Brianna is the best cook."
    "Mom, you're a great cook too."
    "I'm no Brianna. But thanks."
    Tiffany watched her friend closely. She knew what she was planning to do 
and could not for the life of her imagine why the girl was so damned nervous. 
This was going to be one of the easiest things she'd ever done- although 
Tiffany had the bonus of inside information to work with that she had not 
shared with Leah because it would have tainted their fact gathering.
    "Where's Dad ?"
    "Upstairs," Janice said, her look betraying some small annoyance.
    "Well, there's something I want to tell the two of you."
    "You'll have to settle for me. He's locked away upstairs in the study
with his annual box of cigars."
    "Already ? It's January."
    "You know your father."
    "I don't understand," Tiffany said. "I didn't know your father smoked 
cigars."
    "Once a year, every year."
    Janice smiled. "He's working on our taxes. He gets a little obsessive 
about it. One audit- and that year we got more back after the audit- but he's 
never been the same. Look, it sounds like you have something serious you want 
to talk about that, so let's not stand here all night in the hallway. Go sit 
down in the living room. What do you girls want to drink ? Milk, apple juice 
?"
    "Mom, it's Friday night."
    She smiled, knowing very well what the girls wanted.
    "Two beers coming right up."
    "Why are you so calm ?" an anguished Leah asked her friend as they made 
their way to the living room.
    "First of all, I already have permission to smoke in your house." Tiffany 
sat down and lit up. "Second, I don't think you have anything to worry about."
    "Easy for you to say. I'm ready to shit my pants, I'm so nervous."
    "Adult diaper, anyone ?"
    Janice walked in, carrying two glasses each half full and a bottle for 
herself. She handed over the glasses with a smile on her face.
    "So what's this big news, Leah ? Lose your virginity."
    Leah choked on the sip of beer she'd taken and her face flushed.
    "Mom !"
    "Okay, I guess that's still safe. Now what's on your mind ?"
    "Mom, Tiffany and I are working on our psychology project and-"
    Tiffany shook her head as her friend paused, then drew on her cigarette, 
sat back, and exhaled quietly.
    "Well, we changed the topic to teenage smoking. And Tiffany made a very 
good point that I couldn't very well write about something I had no 
experience with-"
    "That is a good point, Tiffany," Janice said, teasingly. She bent 
forward, picked up a pack of Salem Lights 100s and lit one. "A very good 
point. So how are you going to deal with this obvious problem, Leah ?"
    "Well, if it's all right with you and Dad, I am going to smoke for the 
next five or six days, just until we finish the paper."
    Janice looked at Tiffany and smiled. "She doesn't get it, does she ?"
    "Not at all, Mrs. Thomas."
    "Now, Tiffany, it's Janice."
    "What do you two mean, I don't get it ?"
    "Honey, no one just smokes for five or six days. That's just silly."
    "Are you saying I can't ?"
    "No, not at all. I wouldn't very well have a case for allowing Tiffany to 
smoke in our house and deny the same pleasure to my own daughter."
    "And dad ?"
    "We've already talked about this. We have no problem with it. When did 
you start ?"
    "Today."
    "Well, let me see you smoke, then."
    "I don't know, mom-"
    "You just asked for permission and got it. Now use it, honey."
    Leah liked being called honey but this wasn't one of those times.
    "Come on, just like I showed you," Tiffany said, a shit-eating grin on 
her pleasant face."
    Somewhat reluctantly, Leah took her cigarettes from her pants pocket and 
lit one, then sat back, shoulder to shoulder with Tiffany. They showed off 
twin inhales and exhales and then both tapped ash from their cigarettes.
    "So, Miss Teenage Smoker, do you like it ?"
    "Honestly ?"
    "Yes."
    "Yeah," Leah said, inhaling again and speaking through the exhale. "I 
like it a lot, mom."
    "Good. Now that wasn't so hard, was it ?"
    "I really am just going to smoke until our project is done."
    Tiffany and Janice exchanged knowing looks.
    "Not if we have anything to say about it," Janice said.

    The phone rang once, and Beth stopped what she was doing.
    "It's midnight."
    Bree took Beth's hand and returned it to where it had been.
    "That's just Tiffany's way of letting me know she's on her way home."
    Beth started to pull away but Bree stopped her.
    "Our door is closed. Relax."
    "We don't have to-"
    "She was just making sure we weren't, say naked in front of the 
fireplace, that's all. A little courtesy between friends."
    Beth continued with what she was doing, kissed Bree, who responded. Their 
mouth mingled, smoky and complete.
    "Can I ask you something, Bree ?"
    "You can ask me anything."
    "Well, I don't want this to come out the wrong way but- well, you don't 
seem like it's been what- eighteen or nineteen years since you've been with 
another woman-"
    Bree kissed her again, brought her lips close to Beth's ear. "Can you 
hold that thought until-"
    Her breathing was ragged and uneven.
    Beth did as she was asked, and soon her orgasm was gently shaking the bed.
    When it was over, Bree sat up, lit two cigarettes, and handed one to 
Beth, who took it with a pleasure that was only slightly guilty.
    "Well, there's three things at work there. First, I am still a woman. 
Second, I remember a lot of what I learned in that year. Third, it's been a 
while since I had sex with anybody but myself."
    Bree giggled.
    "I really do like you."
    "Well, that's good, because I like you too. Well, it's the first night 
but-"
    "Too early for that other l word, right ?"
    "Definitely. But I have a good feeling we can get there. I'll be honest 
with you. I've been with people since the divorce, but when people get to my 
age- there's a lot of desperate sex or sex for sex's sake."
    "This isn't like that ?"
    "No, it's not. It's different. I really like the sex- but there's an 
emotion behind it as well."
    "Well, that makes two of us. Now let's get a little more in before we get 
too tired to go on."
    Bree was all for that.

    Leah walked outside with Tiffany.
    "Tell me something," she said. "Had you and mom talked about the 
possibility of me smoking before today ?"
    "Yes."
    "And-"
    "And what ?"
    "Tell me about it."
    "Earlier this week- the day you stayed after for the honour society 
meeting-"
    "The one that you missed."
    "Yeah- the one that I missed- well, I was walking down the street-"
    "Smoking, of course."
    "Yes, I was. Do you want me to tell the story or not ?"
    "If you can get to the point, yes."
    "Well, your mom must have seen me, because she swung open the front door 
and asked me if I'd come in for a minute."
    "She was pretty blunt. She asked me if you had started smoking yet and I 
said no. She asked if you had shown any interest in it and I said I kind of 
thought you had and she told me that maybe I wasn't trying hard enough to get 
you to try it."
    "She said that ?"
    "Yeah. And that's all I needed to know."
    "Why would Mom want me to smoke ?"
     Tiffany laughed. "I wouldn't go so far as to say she definitely wanted 
you to smoke, but I do think that she was hoping you would at least give it a 
try."
    "And now I have and you two figure it's a done deal that I'll just keep 
right on smoking, right ?"
    "Exactly."
    

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