A Verdict for Love (14 page)

The sudden turn around sent a buzz
through the court. Judge Milton was left looking perplexed as he
was forced to dismiss the jurors. Adam Clay was too irked to remain
a moment longer and stalked out with his briefcase.

How the worm had turned. The three
victorious women had no comments for the reporters. Tamika pointed
them toward the spot where Peter Smith stood. They would let his
public admission of wrongdoing speak for them. The case would be
cited as precedent setting when in future gays had to fight for
their right to fair employment practices despite their sexual
preference.

T
hings had turned out better than Chiara ever imagined it
could. She had the money she wanted. She had her freedom. No more
kowtowing to that pathetic excuse for a firm. Now, she had to find
out if what she wanted with Grace was possible.

What had happened between them, so
unexpected and beautiful was more than either woman had dared hope
for. For Grace and Chiara, life was never going to be the
same.

When one encounters their ‘other’…the
one intended for them, there is no good reason to walk away the
chance being offered. You must embrace your other or possibly lose
forever any hope of finding true completeness.

Each of these women now had such a
chance, but they had to agree to change their lives to insure that
what they’d discovered would last.

Chiara had been a successful lawyer
for many years prior to her involvement with Grace. She had made it
all the way to the top of her profession. Grace had spent many
years studying in hopes of achieving the same level. Her passion
for Chiara had sidetracked her ambition but now she was
rediscovering a desire to accomplish things in life. Even with the
wealth and freedom to just enjoy life she was not necessarily ready
to turn her back on the law. Would Chiara stay with her if in
addition to their love…she still insisted on pursuing a
career?

It was afternoon and Chiara sat down
close to Grace in the living room. They held each other for what
seemed way longer than the few minutes it actually was. They kissed
each other gently and acceptingly. As they disengaged, Chiara
said,

“We need to talk…I’m in love with you,
Grace. I want us to be together and be happy. But away from Atlanta
and its memories. Let’s move down to Tybee Island. I had been
planning to move there for the longest time. Now that this whole
sordid business is over, we can do it together. We have a ton of
money. I want you to move down to Savannah with me.”

Grace swallowed hard. She stammered,
“But, this is not what I had planned.” Her face
reddened.

“I understand how you feel,” Chiara
continued, “but I believe what you and I share is truer than
anything either of us has ever had or might find in the
future.”

Grace wanted to say yes but she was
not sure she could just laze through life with no purpose beyond
love.

“Let’s move to Tybee,” Chiara
urged.

“But, what will we do with ourselves?
I mean…We have to work at something for satisfaction if not for our
bread and butter.” Grace asked.

“There is a small law office with
beautiful high ceilings and a picture window. It is for sale there
just off of Forsyth Square. Let’s buy it and we can build up our
own small practice. Just the two of us...except I’d have to ask
Sheila if she’d be interested. I owe her. We can make our dreams
come true there.”

Chiara allowed the information to sink
in. Grace’s face brightened as she slowly began to realize that she
wanted exactly what Chiara proposed.

“We can run it together and be
together. We can live on the beach in the house there and be free
from all the nonsense of this city and escape these bad memories.”
she enthused.

“Make our dreams come true” Chiara had
just said. It was the sort of sweet silly phase that that children
were more apt to believe in than adults. But during their getaway
to Tybee Grace had awoken from a dream in which the two of them had
been living exactly the life Chiara was now proposing.

A long look was shared and a beautiful
certainty grew in Grace’s eyes that sealed the deal. Chiara
embraced her, kissing her deeply and with love. They lay down on
the sofa and removed each others’ clothes and just held each other
naked, kissing tenderly and touching one another. As they lay
together there, holding and stroking, the lovemaking began slowly
and softly. The eroticism was beautiful and gradual. Chiara’s
fingers went inside of Grace’s open sex. She fingered her with such
gentle love, and Grace responded with sighs and soft whispers.
Their beautiful bodies the very image of sensuality in the hazy
light of afternoon.

Grace climbed on top of Chiara,
sitting on top of her sex with her legs spread. Chiara continued to
finger her madly, slowly and erotically, until finally, Grace came.
At the exact same moment, Chiara climaxed with the orgasm spreading
throughout her body, beginning between her legs and shattering her
to the core.

“I love you, Grace,” Chiara muttered
softly.

“
Oh Chiara, I love you with
all my heart.” She went on… “I have never known love like this
before.”

T
hey left Atlanta, with no further second thoughts, to start
life anew on Tybee Island. Tamika had been there to see them off
with a promise to come down for a visit after they were
settled.

By accepting destiny, they found bliss
in their love nest of a home on the beach. Their days and nights
spent laughing, cooking, working, making love, sleeping. Simple
time filled with beauty and animal happiness.

There was no regret for either of
them. They had found what they had sought their whole
lives.

~ ~ ~