Carry on.

Nice start.

Compliments of the season, dear friends.

I was too surprised to say a thing. I still kept away, staring at her. She stared back at me. 'But something tells me you are just like me too,' she burst out.

I looked scandalized.

'That I'm what?'

'That you are not straight; that you are a lesbian.'

'Oh, come on. Don't say what you don't know!'

'Don't deny it, Queen. I've known and worked with you for days. I've seen how you look at men impassively; and I've seen how you look at beautiful ladies with interest. I’ve seen the fascination look in your eyes when you look at me.'

My mouth felt dry. 'You are just making this up,' I said.

She chuckled. 'I'm not, and you know it.'

I was breathing hard, but did not say anything.

She looked at me and grinned. 'I saw you staring at my unclothedness when I wanted to change clothes,' she went on. ‘Specifically, you were staring at my boobs.’

I gently opened my mouth in surprise.

'Oh, stop it. That doesn't mean a thing.'

‘But it does. You were not just looking at my boobs, you were ogling at them’.

She grinned kindly. 'I know it's not an easy thing to accept, but you can't keep on denying it. Okay, I'll cite myself as example. This is my sexual orientation and I can't deny it. This is what is natural to me and I've got to live with it. How long will you keep living in self-denial?'

I did not say a word. I could not think of a word to say. She sighed.

'Well, if you are really 'straight' as you claim to be, and my sight is so repulsive to you, tell me to leave this place.

I can still go back to the hotel and sleep in my office. So, if I'm wrong in saying you are what I said you are, Queen, tell me to get out of your sight.'

I looked at her briefly and shook my head. How I wished I could tell her she was preposterous, that her claims were absurd. Unfortunately, I could not. Some floods of memory came.

'At eighteen and a fresher in the university, I was a very beautiful one that boys would not stop pestering for a relationship. I found some of them amusing, but was never sexually attracted to them. I found it amazing that the sexual arousal came when I saw other beautiful female. No, I could not be a lesbian, I told myself. How could I be? I denied this essence in my life and tried to talk and act as a normal female.

'No single soul knew that my sexual orientation was different from what it seemed to be; not my mother, not my sister. It was my guarded secret. Certain things I did might however have given people some hints. For example, I hardly had boyfriends and the relationships hardly lasted.

'Even then, the guys complained that I behaved in a 'frigid' way. I did not mind them and I did not give a hoot if they left or stayed. But Barbara seemed to have read me perfectly. She had seen These ones things I did that gave me out. Was it because she was not 'straight' herself? I sighed again.

I moaned and squirmed happily.

"I'm so sweaty from the ride ... do you feel like a shower ... together, I mean?" This time it was him suggesting it, I thought with a feeling of satisfaction.

"Yes, OK."

"I can look for the other camera..." he said.

Yes, OK."

We went upstairs and I stripped my shirt off as I walked up the stairs. He unsnapped my bra and it popped loose. At the top of the stairs I turned around and grinned as I let my brassiere slide down my arms ... I pulled his head toward me and made him nuzzle between my breasts. He turned a little and took one nipple between his lips and then put his hands under my skirt and fondled my ass.

"Mmmmm..." He moaned.

"MMmmmeeee too," I sighed.

He squeezed my bottom through the thin cotton panties. All the time, he sucked on my nipple and I tingled all over. Finally, he slipped his hand between my legs I stripped off his shirt, then pulled his lips back to my nipple. He pushed his shorts down and his cock snapped to attention against my thighs. We stood balanced on the top of the stairs and finally basked in the thrill of unclothedness and having the house all to ourselves ... together. We fondled and groped for more pleasure.

"Your panties are wet ... you know?"

"Yes." I groaned.

We walked down the hall locked in each other's arms and he snapped the light on in the bathroom. As he turned on the shower and stood waiting for it to warm, I took off my sodden panties and looked into the mirror. Two bodies, one with erect, jutting nipples, the other with a stiff jutting prick. It looked like a Grecian sculpture scene.

"Aphrodite Awaiting Penetration," I giggled, as I realized that my brother was staring into the mirror too.

The steam drifted out to cover the mirror and obscure the scene. He took my hand and led me into the shower. The water was hot, the way he liked it. I got used to it. He began scrubbing over my breasts with a soapy cloth and I tried to relax and enjoy his handling. There was an electric cord between my nipples and my pussy! I just shivered with pleasure as he knelt in front of me and washed my entire body as I watched his serious face.

I parted my legs and he very tenderly slipped the soapy cloth between my legs and washed my pussy.

I gasped. He stopped moving and just left his hand there, staring up at me. I smiled at last and he washed me a little more.

It was his turn and I soaped his chest and his back. I knelt and slipped the cloth between his legs. He gasped a little, just as I had. We laughed and the sound echoed in the tiled bathroom. I tapped his leg and he turned. His cock was long and firm at eye level. I looked up at him and put the cloth under his balls and began to soap his genitals. Then his cock filled my hand inside the cloth. I felt him tense up and I pressed its length against my cheek. I grasped his balls and nuzzled the firm staff.

"Ohhhhh," he moaned.

By mutual consent, we stopped playing. He held me in his arms and we let the spray chase the soap bubbles all down my breasts and dribble off our prominent features.

As he toweled my body, and just as he came to my nipples and examined them with curiosity, I said: "Akin ... on the tape I saw ... they were having sex ... they were fucking ... annnnnd sucking..."

I wanted him to know so he could decide if he wanted to watch the remaining tapes or not.

He nodded. "Yeah, I imagine."

He still hadn't agreed with my plan.

"Can I show you something?" I said, leading him to his room and then to the computer.

I waited for it to boot and then opened it to a web page I had booked.

The page opened and he frowned at the type and then at the thumbnails of some photos at the side of the page. when I clicked on it we were looking at several photos of female Instruments with varying degrees of hymen. They ran from one in which the hymen covered he opening completely and made penetration impossible.

It was a good thing that she lived at Ojodu, not far away. On Friday, Customer Relation was so good there was no lull until about eleven. It was our first weekend.

Barbara decided she would sleep in her office. I usually stayed around till about that time before going to my one-room apartment in the adjunct building. 'You can sleep in my room, Barbara,' I offered. She looked at me briefly. 'Are you sure about that?' 'Of course.

The bed is quite small, but we can manage it.' She grinned and brightened up. 'Well, thanks a lot, Queen.' After ensuring that everything was in order, we left for my place. As usual, I had a shower and changed into a night wear.

Barbara too went for a shower. I gave her one of my shorts and t-shirts to wear. It was few minutes to midnight when we lay on the bed to sleep. 'Tell me about your boyfriend,' Barbara said. I grinned and told her about Dave. I also added how Dave threatened to give me the red card if I should come to Lagos.

'He's just like so many other guys - self-opinionated and selfish. From what you said he said, he has given you the red card already. Start looking for another lover.' I grinned sadly. 'Well, I believe there's always another opportunity.

' 'Don't waste your time on him,' she said in a tone that looked like she was counseling. 'What're about you? You've not told me about your lover,' I pressed. She laughed shortly.

'I have boyfriends,' she said. 'Boyfriends? You keep more than a lover at a time?' Again she laughed shortly.

'They're boyfriends, not lovers. I allowed them to be friends because of what I can get from them.' 'What?'

She was so down-to-earth, and I was taken aback by her candor. 'It's not safe to have multiple partners.' 'Yeah, I know. I can take care of myself.' I went back to the issue of having a boyfriend. 'A boyfriend is supposed to be a lover,' I pointed out. 'Not in my case,' she answered. I wondered what she meant, but I kept quiet on that.

'The weave-on you are wearing is fine,' she said. 'It's amazing they could fix something as beautiful as this in Benin.' I chuckled. 'Come on,' I said. 'Benin is neither a village nor a town.'

She laughed too and touched the hair. 'It's so good and looks so beautiful on you.' I grinned. 'Thanks for the compliments.' Her right hand went to my neck. 'You are beautiful, Queen.'

I would have said another 'thank you' to her, but there was something in her tone that made me catch my breath. I lay still. To confirm my suspicion, her hand went to my shoulder and my chest. I quickly sat up.

'Barbara, what're you doing?' She sat up too and grinned. 'Alright, let me confess.'

I looked at her curiously. 'Confess what?' She grinned again and sighed. 'I have a crush on you, Queen.' 'What!?' 'Ever since I first saw you, I've had the crush.' I stood up from the bed and moved away.

'You can't be serious, Barbara.' She looked at me solemnly. 'I'm serious, Queen. By now, you should know what my sexual orientation is.' I was too surprised to say a thing. I still kept away, staring at her.

She stared back at me. 'But something tells me you are just like me too,' she burst out. I looked scandalized. 'That I'm what?'

She nodded in affirmation and grinned too. ‘Good. That will make this our job much easier. This hotel will be gently opened to the public and business after its commissioning on Wednesday. Now, let me tell you how the place will operate.’

I nodded. ‘Okay, Barbara.’ She told me how she had and Madam Rose had mapped out how to make things work. I listened to her carefully. I must say Barbara was brilliant.

She combined beauty with brain and it was not difficult to see why Madam Rose had picked her for the job. I definitely had a lot to learn from her, but I would learn fast. After the talks, she took me round the hotel. From the offices, we went to the lobby, the club, the restaurant and the rooms.

We also went to the kitchen and the store house. As expected, the staffers would all start work on Wednesday. She also took me to the special rooms upstairs regarded as suites. I was impressed with everything. Madam Rose had done well. Within such a short time, Barbara and I were chatting as if we had been friends for years.

After taking me round the hotel complex, I was shown (last, but not the least) the small office I would be using. It was the next room to hers, except that it was smaller and had only a chair for visitor. It was cozy, sort of, and i liked the place as it was. She sat on the visitor's seat while I sat on my leather, swivel chair. 'It means you can only receive a visitor at a time,' Barbara said and grinned. Later, towards evening, I decided to call Dave. 'Hello, Dave,' I said. 'You did not even call to ask after me or about my trip.' 'What trip?' he asked, almost in a snappy tone. 'My trip to Lagos, of course.' 'Wait a minute. Are you saying you left Benin, despite asking you not to do so?' I breathed in deeply. 'Dave, since yesterday evening, I've been in Lagos.' 'So, you decided to please yourself, right?' 'It's not about pleasing myself,' I told him. 'It's about doing something that is very right.' There was no response from him again. Seconds later he disconnected the line. I sighed in exasperation. Going by the sign he had been giving me in the last few weeks, he was most likely fed up with the relationship. We did not do much at the hotel the next day other than to prepare for the commissioning.

On Wednesday, by nine in the morning, guests had started arriving for the occasion which was billed to commence by ten o'clock. The Chairman of the occasion, a serving female senator, was there. There were short speeches and the place was declared open. Work started in earnest.

My work was not just to sit in the office. I had to always go round and see that things were working the ways they should. I soon got to understand the pattern of patronage from customers. There was usually a lull in Customer Relation in the morning till late afternoon. Apart from taking care of the needs of lodgers, much was not done in the morning time.

But by early evening, Customer Relation boomed. The bar was usually filled to capacity by seven-thirty p.m., till it closed at ten o'clock. Barbara would stay late before she would leave for her. It was a good thing that she lived at Ojodu, not far away.

We quickly caught up on each other’s lives, not that I had much to tell. He told me that he was having a huge party on New Year’s Eve at his club. A sort of grand opening, he explained. He invited me to come, adding that, I would be his VIP Guest and everything would be on the house. I’m not much of a drinker and I definitely am not the club type. I started to make my excuses but Tee would hear none of it.

“You know you have absolutely nothing to do but sit home and be miserable," he said, “You will be here or I will come and get you, period, "

I knew Tee, he never bluffed. He would come and get me. I agreed to go for a while and he gave me the address to the new club. He told me the party would start at about 9 p.m. and last till who knew when. He told me to bring anyone I wanted as a guest and he would VIP them as well.

Thursday morning at work, I went online and typed in the address for the club and saw it was only a block off Bourbon Street. In fact there was a website for the club. I clicked on the link, it took a while to load. When it did, it began apparent, this was just not a club. It was a very high end Diamond’s Club. I had never been to strip club before so I had no idea of what to expect. All that day, I really wanted to call him back and give him some excuse for not going. But knowing Tee, that would not fly. Soon it was time to leave and head home.

I arrived home a bit later and saw the recorder light flashing, I had a message. I clicked on the machine and heard Tinu’s voice. She asked if I would call her at home when I got in. I picked up the phone and dialed her number. She answered the phone quickly.

“Hey Mike," she said, “I want to invite you out with us tomorrow night. We are going to a huge party at one of Jimi’s friends house.”

“Thanks Tinu, but I already have plans, "I replied.

I told her about my invite to Tee’s new club for the Grand Opening. I was now glad I had accepted the invite. A night of Jimi getting drunk and hanging all over Tinu was nothing I wanted to see. The only time he paid her any attention is when he was drinking. And after a few drinks, he usually became rude and obnoxious to her.

“You’re going where?" she exclaimed, “You know what kind of club that is?”

“Yes," I told her, “But I really have to go, I have known Tee forever.”

“OK, I understand, but if you change your mind let me know," she added.

We hung up and I made dinner and sat down to eat. The phone soon rang again. I answered and this time, it was Jimi. He told me Tinu had just informed him of where I was going tomorrow night. He was very excited.

“You know that is the hottest new club in the city?" he asked.

“Not really," I responded, “I grew up with the guy who owns it, he invited me.”

“Can you bring us with you?" he quickly asked.

Great, now I am back to square one. I get to spend the evening watching him get plastered and Tinu get abused. What a great way to usher in another year.