| Hollis |
It wasn’t until three A.M the next morning when Hollis quietly snuck through the front door, being mindful of the creaking as she entered. Nina’s cream colored Volkswagen Beetle was parked in the driveway, letting her know Dalton wasn’t alone.
Neither was she.
“Take my hand,” she whispered to the strung out freckled girl behind her. Giggling softly, Mandy complied almost immediately and allowed Hollis to lead the way through the dark living room and up a set of carpeted stairs. They’d met quite accidentally at a local rock event playing at Chelsea’s Sports Bar not far from Hollis’ house. Mandy had mistaken Hollis for a friend of hers when she jumped on her back gleefully, catching the tall blonde woman off guard. Neither girl felt disappointed once the confusion had been cleared up and they were properly introduced. After a few hours of drinking and pill popping, Hollis didn’t feel comfortable with Mandy wandering around aimlessly in that state. Since she didn’t seem to want to tell her which way home was, Hollis insisted she come back with her for the evening to sober up. After the recent romp with Asia, sex was the furthest thing from Hollis’ mind...that is, until Mandy started squeezing her jean clad thigh seductively during the drive back to her place. Resisting was futile. Once the idea had been put into her head, she couldn’t shake the urge to antagonize the situation.
Nobody would be going to bed horny tonight!
“My rooms right here.” Hollis quickly threw it open, pulling freckled Mandy along. Glancing over her shoulder, she grinned mischievously at the strange chick. She really was cute. Around 5’4 with electric blue bedroom eyes, and a chin length black bob complete with baby bangs. The tan crop top she wore left little to the imagination, making Hollis want to tear off the matching micro mini skirt she was sporting so bad, it made her fingers itch.
“I know you want me.” Mandy laughed flirtatiously, throwing herself into Hollis’ arms sloppily. Straddling her hostesses’ thigh, she began grinding her hips slowly against the denim surface. Hollis felt the dampness of the woman’s pussy seeping through the material of her jeans, and began kissing along the nape of Mandy’s neck. After reaching her multi-pierced ear, she whispered softly.
“I do, but just for tonight. Tomorrow it’ll be like nothing ever happened...you good with that?” She bit along the silver hoops, and Mandy gasped in ecstasy. Hollis knew the girl was fucked out of her mind, but she wouldn’t have felt right leading her on regardless.
“Mmmm sure baby, just show me what you can do.” The raven haired vixen quickly discarded her clothing and watched Hollis follow suit eagerly. With searching tongues intertwined, the frenzied pair tumbled to the queen sized water bed blindly.
“Ooohhhh....yes....” Mandy moaned into Hollis’ mouth as she felt fingers stroke along her swollen breasts. Despite her promiscuous nature, Hollis was an affectionate and gentle lover. She squeezed the supple tits sensually, rolling the candy pink nipples between her fingers teasingly.
“Am I going too hard?” She asked sincerely, smiling with satisfaction when Mandy bit her lip to suppress a loud groan.
“No...no, it’s perfect. Touch me, baby. Right here.” She brought Hollis’ strong hand to her pulsating womanhood and let out a cute little yelp as a finger eased smoothly inside. Hollis would’ve preferred to use her strap, but that didn’t seem to be where this was going. Mandy was surprisingly tight, and the last thing Hollis aimed to do was hurt anyone she fucked.
“Yeah? You like that, huh?” Hollis’ smile broadened as she stuffed another finger inside the other woman’s blossoming rose, and quickly covered her mouth when Mandy started to squeal in delight. She didn’t need Dalton or his girlfriend snooping around asking questions.
It wasn’t that they didn’t know she was into women; Dalton had figured that out when she came home crying in the 4th grade exclaiming Laura Southland refused to play house with her, opting for a popular male classmate instead.
Probably the first clue she wasn't relationship material.
Their parents were a little more clueless, but that could have been attributed to the nasty divorce coupled with the inability to stay away from each other once the papers had been signed. Shockingly enough, neither seemed to care too much in general. Which was fine with Hollis, considering she’d been living with Dalton since he’d gotten his first apartment almost twelve years ago. While Dalton loved their parents and thought fondly of them, Hollis detested the constant bickering. She and her brother were always being pulled in both directions, and she’d finally had enough.
It was almost entirely because of her parents that she’d never had a girlfriend. Not once in her twenty eight years of living has she known what it was like to accompany someone she cared about out on a date, take things slow, fall in love. In high school, she’d lost her virginity to sexy junior Calculus teacher Leigh Rosichelli, in exchange for an A in class. The buxom twenty four year old instructor taught her much more than complicated equations, and was the closest thing to a consistent relationship Hollis had ever experienced. When the sexual escapades stopped after moving into her senior year, she felt severed but not heartbroken. Watching all her friends go through painful breakups made Hollis feel sorry for them, just like she was for her erratic parents. Love just wasn’t in the cards for her, and that was okay.
It didn’t mean she wanted Dalton lecturing her at 4 A.M all because Mandy couldn’t use her inside voice. Especially since he was constantly on her ass about finding someone more...permanent. She enjoyed her way of doing things, and tried to stay out of confrontation. Knowing Dalton meant well always delivered some ration of guilt when they did argue, but she couldn’t be helped. Because she didn’t want to be.
“Mmmmmm MMMMMMM!” Mandy’s hips spasmed, and her eyes rolled in the back of her head as Hollis finished her off. Waves of warm cum coated the blonde’s fingers as the jerking subsided. “Wonderful...” She cupped Hollis’ jawline lightly before the arm fell back to her side like dead weight. Within seconds, Mandy had rolled over and fallen asleep. Hollis laid beside her and used that same hand to come quietly, staring at the other girl’s magnificent breasts. She’d always been a sucker for titties. Big, small. Light or dark nipples. As far as she was concerned, they were all beautiful in their own way. Taking a second to peer at Mandy’s striking features, Hollis started wondering if she’d ever feel anything after sex. This was someone she could have possibly felt a connection with. Thinking a little harder, she realized nothing was there. She hadn’t wanted to feel responsible if something happened to Mandy because she’d been using. That was the only reason she was lying in her bed right now. After racking her brain but coming up empty, she turned away from her one night stand and drifted off to sleep.
********************
| Whitney |
It’d taken Whitney almost five days to drive from Hollywood, California to the Eastern state of Maine. After dodging her mother’s panicked calls and staying in a few shady hotels along the way, she was relieved to finally be here in Auburn. It didn’t look much different from Woodland back home. Very green. She took in the historical buildings and inviting ponds with pride in herself for choosing the right location for a new start. Glancing to make sure the GPS was still going, Whitney pulled up to her new home with a mixture of fear and excitement at almost 7:30 P.M.
Kendra Neilson lived in a quaint town home, tucked behind an attractive arrangement of gently swaying willow trees. Whitney exited her Prius in wonder, breathing in the fresh crisp air and closed her eyes. Everything felt calm, and the nausea began to die down. Just then, a chipper voice startled her back into reality.
“Hey Cali, nice to see you in person. Need any help?”
Whitney’s honey brown eyes fluttered open, resting on a fairly small woman with shoulder lengthed golden dreadlocks and a wide grin. The other girl was smartly dressed in a pair of form fitting blue jeans and a leafy green off-the-shoulder long sleeved shirt- the exact same shade as her gorgeous, expressive eyes. Black combat boots took a step forward, crunching leaves underneath them as she extended her hand confidently.
“Where are my manners? I’m Kendra. We Skyped a few times.” Her warm, thick Maine accent made Whitney’s heart soar. This place was so different from California it was unreal. In the best way possible.
“Hey, Whitney. Likewise. Yeah, I’d appreciate that. Oh- before I forget, here.” She fished through her blue and white cherry stripped beach bag, and pulled out the cashier’s check, handing it to her new roommate hastily.
“Ayuh! Thanks, sweetheart.” Kendra tucked the payment into the front pocket of her jeans, and briskly strode toward the Prius with purpose. “You must be tired. Doesn’t look like you’ve got much in here, I can handle it. Your room is upstairs and to the left. I’ll start bringing your things on up.” At twenty seven years old, Kendra seemed highly responsible and sweet. Whitney watched the young woman mentally calculate where to get started and joined her.
“I’m not going to make you do it by yourself, but thanks for helping me.” She tucked back a few stray black curls that escaped her French braid, and began tugging on a couple suitcases from the hatchback.
“I’m just so excited you’re here! I was beginning to think I’d never rent that spare room out.” Kendra’s forest green eyes sparkled when she laughed, making Whitney glance back toward the powder blue town home in confusion. She couldn’t imagine why. A mere five hundred dollars per month including utilities, located in a quiet neighborhood...why wouldn’t anyone want to live here? Oh well, it didn’t really matter. She’d snatched it up and couldn’t be happier with her decision.
“I’m just grateful it was available.” Whitney flashed her all American California smile at the Mainer, and swung the black patent leather bag containing her expensive art supplies over a thin shoulder. Kendra nodded with a slight smile of her own, concentrating on the task at hand.
“I baked a peanut butter cream pie to go with dinner. To show my appreciation.” Emerging from the vehicle with Whitney’s teal Samsonite bags, Kendra started heading into their town home with a spring in her step. Before the dark haired woman could respond, she’d already slipped inside.
Whitney took another long look around, and ignored the buzzing of the phone pressed against the back pocket of her jeans. Nothing was dragging her back to California. This was exactly where she wanted to be. Taking a deep breath, Whitney exhaled with a contented smile and started carrying her belongings into the town home with a jittery but hopeful outlook.
| Hollis |The last several evenings at Ringo’s were really starting to wear on the Franchise staff’s nerves. With a multitude of Fall festivities right around the corner, not to mention the nearby strip mall advertising massive sales in almost all it’s stores, everybody and their mom began stopping in for a quick bite and a refreshing drink. When one wave of patrons left, another seemed to pack in. It was impossible to get caught up.Hollis as always kept everyone from killing each other, employees and customers alike. Although her primary responsibility was tending to the constantly packed bar, she’d duck in and out of the kitchen to run her grateful wait staff’s hot food whenever she had a spare moment.“Can you grab table fifteen’s mozzarella sticks and buffalo wings, Hollis? They’ve got a ceaser salad and personal pizza too.” Bubbly college student Morgana Dahl called over her shoulder as she watched the
| Whitney|“So what brings you to our little city, West Coast? We’re a ways out from your neck of the woods.”Whitney watched the mischievous blonde woman she’d collided with a handful of hours ago tighten the bun behind her head, and offered a half shrug as some sort of response. The conversation had been pretty light leading up to this point. After going over a basic run down of Auburn and it’s highlights, they’d skimmed through one of the art books and Hollis listened intently as Whitney explained how she usually didn’t follow guidelines, but wanted to improve her style a bit. As reserved as Hollis seemed to be, she hung off Whitney’s every word with unwavering fascination. It was for that reason especially that Whitney didn’t want to get into the specifics for why she’d driven blindly to Maine.“My family sucks. That’s the short story.&rdqu
| Whitney |“This is insanity! What are you doing out there, Whit? Come back home.” Theresa’s exasperated tone irritated her younger sister to no end. When she couldn’t ignore her family’s constant barrage of phone calls any longer, she finally gave in and answered mid ring just before hopping in the shower to begin job hunting. Auburn didn’t seem to have many prospects- but there was still one more day to go until she’d see Hollis again at Chelsea’s, and sticking around Kendra and her obscure group of drinking buddies wasn’t an option.“California was never my home.” Whitney replied without missing a beat, undoing the tie holding her long black braid together and separating the mess of wavy curls with her fingers as she spoke. “I wish you’d give me space, Theresa. Mom and dad too. I have my own money, and I’m doing alright for myself in Maine-““But WHY
| Whitney |Flip flop. Flip flop.Whitney’s heart wouldn’t stop thumping.Nervously twirling a few black curls around her forefinger, she crossed her ankles nervously and kept glancing at the front entrance of Aroma Joe’s. The quaint coffee shop should have made her feel cozy, with the enticingly warm smell of fresh brewed coffee wafting in the air and it’s cabin-esq decor, but all she’d been able to concentrate on was steadying her breathing. Thoughts of her past began trickling in from memory as she continued to wait for Hollis.Like most everything, California wasn’t all bad and had given Whitney a handful of semi serious girlfriends. Even with the exhilarating moments, it was always the same in the end. Girls with a taste for glitz and glamor, attractive studs with at least one EX girlfriend making Whitney’s life hell. The last relationship she’d had came to an abrupt halt five months ago. Crisz
| Hollis |Hollis never took anyone fishing with her, let alone to the special little spot she’d stumbled upon accidentally on her nineteenth birthday. As close as she was to Dalton, their interests couldn’t have been any more different, so she never bothered asking if he might want to come along. That afternoon, she’d slipped away from the apartment she and Dalton lived in at the time after he admitted to inviting their dysfunctional parents over for a intimate celebration, and started driving toward the lake. One wrong turn took her through a twenty minute maze that eventually lead to a scenic riverbank. A long, wide surface made of an almost polished stone made it comfortable for Hollis to enjoy sitting under it’s Juniper trees and fish for hours. Surprisingly enough, she’d never had an issue finding that spot again, but for the life of her wouldn’t know how to direct anybody else down there. Thinking about this while Whitney climbed int
| Hollis |She tried so hard to forget about the kiss, but couldn’t. It’d been playing in her mind on repeat relentlessly since it happened.Whitney’s pillowy soft lips felt like heaven against her own, and Hollis could still smell the floral body spray on the other girl’s freckled neck. It’d been a perfect opportunity to bone right there on the rocks overlooking the sparking river, but just as they were practically swallowing each other’s tongues, Whitney’s fishing rod began jerking lightly.At Ringo’s cleaning beer glasses, Hollis smiled like an idiot at the memory.********************“Oh shit! What do I do!?” Whitney giggled, fidgeting with her rod for a second.“Good going, you got one! Now bring her in, like this.” Hollis had been quick to help Whitney reel in her catch, basking in her friend’s glowing excitement. Before long, a wr
| Hollis |“One root beer and a strawberry lemonade, coming right up!” Whitney quickly jot her only table’s drink order down and glanced over her shoulder at Hollis for approval, receiving a kind nod of encouragement in response. The tenured wait staff were less than thrilled at the idea of having to share their patrons, and quickly bombarded Hollis with their claims to certain booths. Morgana in particular seemed extremely agitated, and had pulled the confused bartender aside an hour before the couple Whitney was serving now walked in.“You know it’s going to be dead as hell in here tonight, right? Tell me you’re not giving away a ton of tables to her. I need to make my money.” Morgana’s icy tone dripped with attitude as she rolled her blue eyes, which pissed Hollis off to no end. How else was Whitney supposed to get any good at her job? A sharp urge to protect the newest member of their crew made Hollis lean ag
| Hollis |“Okay! Heheheee stahahap!” Whitney continued rolling around underneath Hollis in an uncontrollable laughing fit, feeling nimble fingers massaging her sides delicately. “PLEASE! I cahahan’t breeheheheathe!” "That sounds like a personal problem." Hollis smirked, giggling with mirth when Whitney's high pitched laughter damn near shattered her bedroom window. Unable to respond, the tickled girl just howled and squealed uncontrollably. Pinned down, unable to move. The blonde liked her that way...maybe a bit too much. After a few minutes of cruel satisfaction at the poor girl’s plight, Hollis relented to watch the dark haired beauty catch her breath with a smirk. Sometimes she couldn’t stand how cute Whitney was.“I think I finally figured out the perfect punishment for your smart mouth, West Coast.”“Oh shut up!” Whitney groaned good-natur
Thank you SO MUCH for reading "Not All That Glitters." I began writing this novel July of 2019, and made it my official NaNo project. The last chapter was posted at the end of November 2019. I've completely fallen in love with my characters, and spent tons of time developing them! I hope you've enjoyed reading about Whitney and Hollis. <3 I'd really love to hear from you if you enjoyed my novel! Knowing how many people love and enjoy this book really makes a difference to me, every last reader is appreciated. I write not only for myself, but for you too! To continue Hollis and Whitney's adventure through life, be sure to check out "Not All Who Wander Are Lost", the sequel to "Not All That Glitters."
A month later, (Christmas Day)Hollis and Dalton's home was much more full this Christmas than it had ever been in the past. In addition to Nina's parents, her older brother Fabian was visiting from Madrid, Spain for the holidays. Kendra came over with her infamous sweet potato bake, and even Jake made an appearance on the way to his dad's."Are you sure you don't want to come in? We've got so much food." Hollis hitched a thumb toward the direction of her kitchen, where Nina and Whitney were busy prepping the various sides to go along with Dalton's honey baked ham. The Bogards didn't care for turkey, which was fine with everyone else. Family meals usually revolved around their somewhat picky eating habits, so they were used to it by now."Naw man, my pops is waiting for me and I promised I'd help him cook. I think he invited his old lady too, so that'll be cool. I just wanted to drop these off." Jake handed Hollis thre
| Whitney |So she actually came, but what was there left to say? Almost a year ago now, Criszette committed the ultimate offense- sleeping with Theresa. As a result, she effectively ended their year and a half long relationship and became the perfect reason to get the hell out of California. She’d dodged every text, phone call, and email for months leading up to her big move. It only took Whitney a minute to think about what her sister was proposing. Wiping the tears away, she met Theresa’s bluish green eyes with conviction.“It’s partially Zette’s fault I left in the first place. What makes you think I want to see her? She killed us the moment she touched you. We’d still be together if it weren’t for that! I wouldn’t even be here. Why is that so hard for you to grasp? You ruined my life, Theresa. From day one. Bringing Zette is just rubbing salt in my wounds at this point.”
| Whitney |"Do your parents know we work here?" Hollis asked Whitney in disbelief as she followed her girlfriend's family's rental toward a couple of free parking spaces, right next to Ringo's. The blonde hadn't seen anyone aside from their boss and Jake since she'd checked herself into Lakeside a couple months back, and seemed hesitant about just waltzing in as a customer. "I may have mentioned it in passing, but I don't remember." Whitney replied in amazement as they pulled up beside the Audi her father was driving. She yanked the visor in front of her down, peering into the lit up mirror so she could touch up her mascara. "Do you want to go somewhere else, Holly? I could ask." Things were already getting off to a fantastic start. Her father's invitation seemed sly, but she couldn't figure out what he was getting at yet. Whitney had to admit it seemed pretty weird that they wound up at Ringo's, of all places. "We
| Whitney |With December just around the corner, unforgiving Maine wind howled and whistled right outside the Munroe Inn. Hollis gruffly rose from the bed to kneel, removing her navy blue sweater and plain white tee she wore underneath as she maintained eye contact with Whitney. Their hotel room was starting to lose it’s chilly atmosphere, and the only sound that could be heard over their frantic panting was the hum of the heater. Hollis’ black bra followed and as soon as it was tossed aside, Whitney carefully cupped the blonde’s small perky tits in her trembling hands. When it came to sex, every time felt like the very first time, and it was almost always a feverish event. There was so much more to their relationship, but part of the initial connection would always stand out; Their undeniable physical attraction to one another. “God, your boobs drive me crazy...they’re so little and perfect!&
| Whitney |“Are you ever going to tell me what we're doing?” Whitney probed a half hour later, tugging on Hollis’ sweater anxiously. Her blonde lover’s smile was frozen in place as she kept driving, occasionally checking her side mirror the closer they got to heavier traffic. It seemed like wherever everyone else was going, they were heading the same way and it added to Whitney’s rapidly growing excitement. She loved surprises- as long as she didn’t have to wait for them. So maybe that meant she didn’t enjoy surprises after all? Did it qualify as a surprise if it was planned in advance, but revealed as soon as she caught on!?“Let’s play a game, okay?” Hollis finally spoke up, clearing her throat. Whitney’s light brown eyes glittered like spun gold as she bounced slightly in her seat.“What kinda game?”“I’ll give you th
| Hollis |“Am I hearing this correctly? You want Zette’s number?” Whitney asked with a mild amount of fear hidden in her voice.“Are you fucking joking, babe!? Yeah, I want your disrespectful EX GIRLFRIEND’S number. This has gone on long enough and I’m about to bring it to a screeching halt. If your sister won’t listen to you, trust me, Zette will want to hear what I have to say.” Hollis snarled, hastily shimming into a pair of light wash low rise jeans. “It’s her ass that’s getting chewed out if she still decides to come with your family to Auburn.”“I’m just so tired of the drama, Holly.” Whitney sighed curtly, but surrendered to her girlfriend’s request. “I sent it. Don’t threaten her too much, please? I don’t need my over dramatic sister running to our parents and making this a bigge
| Whitney |Getting up before noon wasn't on the top of Whitney’s favorite to do list, but after worrying about Hollis off and on all night she’d only managed to get a whopping four consecutive hours of sleep- making it six A.M by the time she finally gave up and dragged her exhausted body into a hot shower. Leaning into the steady stream, Whitney rested her forehead against the white tiled wall, listening to Hollis’ voicemail play over and over from memory.I wish you were awake right now, I just need to hear you say everything’s going to be alright. Her girlfriend sighed with dismay. The sniffling in the background made it sound like she’d been crying. Sleep well, baby. I’ll call you again as soon as I wake up. That was at one A.M. Whitney woke with a start at around two, checking her iPhone with a bad feeling and finding the voice message. Not wanting to disturb Hollis in case she’d finally pa
| Whitney | Maine's sun had already set behind the vast trees and mountains that stretched for miles just beyond Kendra and Whitney's house before the three girls finally went inside. Hollis and Kendra were suddenly fourteen years old again, covered in snow and getting lost in shoving each other. They laughed in a way Whitney hadn't heard before. It was a pretty cool thing to be around, and she felt lucky to know and love both of them. "I need to go grocery shopping tomorrow. You wanna stay for pizza, Hollis? Or did you guys eat already?" Kendra shrugged out of her fire engine red parka and hung it up on a wooden coat hanger. Hollis did the same with her jacket, and rested one of her hands on Whitney's fragile shoulder mischievously. "Wicked. Babe, you good with cheese? I don't care for the entire garden plus a few lettuce shavings on my pizza. Unlike your roommate over there." She egged Kendra on, who threw a hideous ancient decorative pillow that'd belonged