My Neighbor Taught Me What My Boyfriend Never Could

My name is Renata and I’m twenty-two years old. I’m not going to pretend to be modest: I take very good care of my body, I spend hours at the gym, and I know the effect I have when I walk down the apartment stairs in tight clothes. Men look at me; they always have. But the only person who truly unraveled me with a look was a woman, and that’s why I want to tell you what happened between Mariela and me that afternoon at her place.

Mariela had moved into the apartment across from mine a few months earlier. She must have been about thirty-three, married, and had a little boy. She was tall, full-bodied, with short dark hair and a mouth that seemed made for biting her lip whenever she thought something she wasn’t saying out loud. The first time we crossed paths I was on my way to the gym, wearing short leggings and a sports top, and I felt her eyes travel over me from head to toe without the slightest attempt to hide it. We barely said hello, but something was left vibrating in the hallway air.

I have to confess something. Ever since I was a teenager I’ve fantasized about being with another woman. I’ve only had boyfriends, but sometimes, when one of them touches me, I close my eyes and imagine it’s a woman’s hands moving over my skin. I had never dared take the step. And then Mariela appeared, with that way she had of looking at me, and the desire that had been asleep for years suddenly flared awake.

As time went by, we became friends. She’d invite me over for coffee when her husband was traveling for work, and I’d help her with the boy while she tidied the house. I liked being there. I liked the way her hand brushed mine when she passed me the cup, the way she laughed with her head thrown back.

One afternoon, after putting the little one to bed, we went out onto her balcony for a drink. The sun was slowly falling over the buildings opposite and a comfortable silence settled between us. Then she looked at me over the rim of her cup.

—Have you ever been with a woman, Renata? —she asked, as if she were asking the time.

I felt the heat rise to my face.

—No —I answered too quickly, defensively—. Why are you asking?

—I don’t know. You give me that feeling. —She paused and her eyes locked on mine—. And I like you.

As she said it, her hand came to rest on my bare knee. I was wearing a short skirt and a strappy blouse, with nothing underneath. The touch of her fingers on my skin was enough to make my nipples harden instantly, so much that it almost hurt. I tried to hide it, but she noticed and gave a crooked smile.

—Well, well. Look at you getting all worked up, and I haven’t even done anything yet.

I’m done for, I thought. My legs were trembling as if I had completely lost control over them.

Her finger started to travel up my thigh, slowly, drawing circles that raised goosebumps over my skin. She leaned toward me and brought her full lips close to mine. A current shot through my whole body when her mouth opened and her tongue found mine. For a second I didn’t know what to do. Then I let myself be carried away by that fantasy that was finally becoming real: I was kissing a woman, and I had to make the most of it, because I didn’t know if it would ever happen again.

I brought my hands to her breasts and played with her nipples over her clothes. I loved the way she responded, the way her breathing broke against my mouth. Our tongues searched for each other, caressed each other, and her hand kept climbing up my thigh until it brushed the edge of my underwear. I spread my legs without thinking, giving her permission, silently asking her to keep going.

—Take off your blouse —she whispered in my ear, just as her fingers moved the fabric aside and touched me for the first time.

I obeyed. I took off my top and she buried her face between my breasts. She licked them, sucked them, gently bit my nipples while her fingers traced slow circles between my legs. I threw my head back, unable to hold back my sighs.

—You’re soaking wet for me, pretty thing —she said, taking her wet fingers to her mouth and tasting them without taking her eyes off me.

She knelt in front of the chair and spread my legs open. I felt her warm breath drawing closer and a shiver of anticipation ran down my back. For a moment I looked around, toward the neighboring balconies, afraid someone might see us. She lifted her gaze and noticed my unease.

—Let them watch —she murmured against my skin—. It’s more fun that way. Let them see how delicious you are right here, all for me.

And to hell with the neighbors. I buried my fingers in her short hair and guided her. Her tongue began to move over me, slow and firm, stopping exactly where I needed her most. She sucked my clit with a tenderness that drove me crazy. Then she slid two fingers inside me, setting a measured rhythm, never letting go of my clit between her lips. She licked me and fingered me at the same time, and I could no longer keep quiet.

—Like that, don’t stop —I moaned, moving my hips in search of more.

I didn’t care who might hear me. Pleasure rose like a tide until it burst through me in tremors, my legs shaking uncontrollably and a long moan escaping my chest.

—You’re such a treat —she said, climbing up to kiss me so I could taste myself in her mouth.

Over her shoulder I saw a man leaning out on the balcony across from us, watching us without moving. Instead of covering myself, something inside me burned even hotter. Fine, then let’s give him something worth seeing.

Mariela was only wearing a thin robe. I pulled her up from where she was and asked her to put one leg on the balcony railing.

—Turn to face me —I told her in her ear—. I want you to look at the neighbor while I eat you out.

She smiled, amused.

—I like the way you think, little devil.

She got rid of the robe completely and arched her back, pushing her hips backward. I knelt between her legs and there she was, open and shining for me. I couldn’t resist. I brought my mouth to her and worked her with my tongue from bottom to top, slowly, in circles. Her taste was addictive from the very first second; I knew I wouldn’t be able to stop even if I wanted to.

Mariela was moaning and stroking her breasts, her gaze fixed on the man who watched us without blinking. The idea that we were being seen had me at the edge. I felt her whole body tense and, when she came, I took it all in, savoring every shudder.

***

We let ourselves fall onto the balcony floor, still panting, and settled in tangled over each other. I ended up on top, with my hips right at her mouth and my face between her legs. From where I was, my neighbor had a direct view, and that only pushed me to give myself over even more.

I started fingering her while I sucked her clit, and she did exactly the same to me. Feeling her tongue inside me while mine moved over her was something without a name. We were both moaning, lost, no longer knowing where my pleasure ended and hers began.

We reached the edge almost at the same time. Then she made me turn, spread my legs, and pressed herself against me, her sex pressing to mine. She began to move in a slow back-and-forth that steadily grew more intense. The friction stole my breath; each thrust brought me closer to a place from which I knew I would never come back the same. I leaned in to lick her breasts without stopping the movement of my hips, and she kissed me, caressing me, whispering how good it felt.

I felt a different pressure building inside me, something I had never felt before. I tried to hold it back and couldn’t. I came with such force it left me emptied out, and for the first time in my life my body overflowed completely. She took it over herself, laughing in wonder, spreading it across her skin until that same gesture made her explode too, with a muffled cry against my neck.

We ended up lying on the balcony floor, weak, with not even enough strength to talk. I had never experienced anything like it. Years of fantasizing, and reality had surpassed every image my mind had dared invent.

Sometimes Mariela comes up to my place when my parents are visiting. She looks at me with that mischievous smile and, in the most innocent voice in the world, says: “When are you coming home? The neighbor misses you.” My mother has no idea what she means. I do, and every time I hear it I feel that current run down my back. I love what happens between us, and I have no intention of giving it up.