Gaydar (1.5k words)

Jade was probably my favourite person to work bar with, which was funny, because the two of us couldn't have been more different. She was loud and boisterous while I was more reserved, slim and blonde while I was black and a little chubby, and she was always coming up with some silly new game when I was trying to work. 

“Oh my god, that girl who just left,” Jade gushed, turning to me with a gleam in her eye the very instant the door swung closed, “Wasn't she gorgeous?”

That was the other thing. I was straight, and Jade was very, very gay. 

“I guess so,” I giggled. You didn't have to be gay to recognise an attractive woman, after all. Jade herself was definitely very pretty, with her all-American cheerleader looks given a spicy edge thanks to a generous sprinkle of piercings around her ears, nose, and lips. 

“Seriously, Cece,” Jade said, “Those arms? That butt? She was almost as gorgeous as you. And that's saying something.”

“Oh, please,” I smiled. I knew better than to take her compliments too seriously. Jade was just a naturally flirty person, and I was under no illusions that I was actually her type. Still, it was very flattering. “You should have asked her out.” 

Jade sighed dramatically as she got back to work cleaning glasses, “I wish. Sadly, she’s definitely straight.”

“You asked her?”

“Nope,” Jade grinned cheekily, “I can just tell. Honestly, Cece, I think I might have the best gaydar in the world.” 

I giggled again. Jade was extremely prone to hyperbole. She was the “best in the world” at lots of things: making cocktails, cleaning glasses, just about everything we ever did together. Except for emptying the trash, which she insisted was the stinkiest trash that had ever existed. 

“I don't know,” I teased, “Have you tested it?”

Jade waggled her eyebrows suggestively, “Trust me, I've tested it.”

“How about…” I scanned the bar, which was as busy as usual for a Tuesday night. Which is to say, practically empty. I pointed to an older lady eating roast veggies in the corner, “...her?”

“Hmm,” Jade tapped her lip thoughtfully, “Gay.”

“You can tell from here?”

“Look at the way she eats those carrots,” she said with a conspiratorial whisper, “She's practically drooling. But the asparagus goes untouched.”

“Asparagus are boys and carrots are girls?”

“Duh,” she shrugged, “Haven't you seen Veggie Tales?”

I shook my head ruefully and scanned the room again, “How about him?”

“Straight. Obviously.”

“And her?” 

“Hmm. Gay. The shoes.”

“What about that couple over there?”

“Aw. Lavender couple. That's sweet.”

“You are ridiculous,” I giggled. 

Jade grinned at me proudly, “Ridiculously talented, maybe. I'm pretty sure I'm batting a thousand right now.”

“What about…” I glanced around the room again, but it really was dead. “Oh. That's everyone.”

“Not quite everyone,” Jade said, in a silly little sing-song voice.

I turned back to her, confused, and she gestured to me like it was obvious. I laughed, “That's cheating. You already know I'm straight.”

“I’ll be the judge of that,” she smirked. 

“Okay then, queen of gaydar,” I said, spreading my arms to present myself, “What's your verdict?”

“Hmm,” she mused, setting down her latest glass and wiping her hands clean, “Sometimes it's hard to tell from far away. Mind if I get a bit closer?”

I laughed. She was really milking this, especially since we already knew the answer. But Jade didn't laugh back, instead keeping her gaze on me, cool and calm and intense. I felt a little flushed. God, it was easy to see why Jade was so successful with women. Those sparkling blue eyes, fixating on you so intently, seeking, testing, penetrating… it was enough to make me shiver, and I didn't even like girls. 

“Okay,” I breathed. 

Jade approached me, slowly, deliberately, hips swaying. Her skin-tight jeans clung tightly to her toned body, dark and distressed and cut low enough that I could see the curve of her hip bones and a few petals from her flower tattoo peeking up over her waistband. Her hand drifted casually to her chest, and I realised with a start that I had seen this move before, this exaggerated, sensual prowl. It was the way she approached women she was trying to seduce, and I had only ever seen it be successful. The fact that she was using it on me was so ridiculous that I should've burst out laughing, but for some reason my breath caught in my throat. 

“Hey Cece,” Jade purred, stepping in close to me and placing a soft, confident hand on my upper arm, “Can I get a closer look at those beautiful eyes? I think it would really help me be certain.”

“Okay,” I whispered again, and Jade’s lush lips curled with satisfaction. Her hand slipped down from my arm to my hip, and she pulled me tight against her. I gasped at her boldness, and at the shocking feeling of her hand, cool and soft and strong, against the hot flushed skin where my shirt had ridden up. Oh god, was I sweating? Everything felt so warm, my breath, my racing heart, my trembling body… everything except Jade and her cool, confident blue eyes piercing into my soul. 

“You really do have beautiful eyes,” she breathed, “The most beautiful eyes in the world.”

I did laugh that time, a high, breathy giggle, but it only made Jade’s smile grow wider. 

“So…” she mused, her other hand rising up to caress my cheek. I gulped. “...sweet little Cece… what does my gaydar say about you…” 

She pulled me tighter against her, my soft breasts pressing against her perky little ones, and I realised to my horror that my nipples were rock hard. That alone would have been enough to keep me up at night – Could she feel it? Was she judging me? What did this mean? – but an instant later I had forgotten entirely, because Jade’s thigh pressed in between my legs, and I felt a stiff point against my hip, and I realised that my pussy was burning hot and absolutely soaking wet.

“Oh!” I squeaked, clasping a hand to my mouth in horror. No, no, no! I was straight, why was I reacting like this? This was just meant to be a joke, this was just–

“Shh,” Jade said softly, gently moving my hand away from my mouth. I whimpered in shame and arousal. “It's okay, Cece. It's okay.” 

I nodded shakily, grateful for her approval, and she smiled and leaned towards me. I shivered and parted my lips, surrendering to my burning lust, leaning in to meet her for–

There was a polite cough from across the bar and we broke apart in a panic. It was the roast veggies lady, the one that Jade had so confidently pronounced as gay, and she gave us a knowing smile as she asked for a refill on her gin and tonic. God, Jade really was good. 

Jade swung into action and I fled to the walk-in freezer to try and cool off. Cool off, and figure out what the hell any of that just meant.  

I was straight, truly. I was almost certain of it. I loved men, although it had admittedly been a while, and I had genuinely never fantasized about women at all. But my reaction to Jade’s advances was undeniable.. It wasn’t because she was trans, either. I wasn’t an idiot. I was very aware that Jade was just as much a woman as I was. A gorgeous, confident, lustful woman. Another shiver ran through me, and I rubbed my thighs together unconsciously, squirming against the wet heat between my legs. God, the way I felt when Jade looked at me like that… It was new and different and a little scary, but it was also kind of amazing. Had she awoken something in me? Or was it just that I had been pent up for a while, and my body just reacted to being pursued?

I genuinely didn't know. I had never really had to think about my sexuality before, and I wasn't sure I had the knowledge and insight to figure it out. 

But I knew somebody who did.

Jade and I kept things professional for the rest of our shift, only the occasional quick glances at each other betraying our inner feelings. She looked a little anxious, maybe worried that she had messed things up. I tried to reassure her with my eyes, but we were both nervous about being caught by a customer again, so I waited until we were locking up before I finally said something.  

“So…” I said, “What did your gaydar say about me, in the end?”

Jade bit her lip, relieved, crystal blue eyes flashing with desire. 

“Results inconclusive,” she said with a sly grin, “I think you might have to come back to my place to find out for sure.”

I smiled back, “Well, you're the expert.”

When we were finished that night, Jade cuddled up close to me, gently stroking my flushed, trembling body as I struggled to catch my breath. Her touch felt electric. How was it possible she could leave me so satisfied, and yet so desperate for more?

“I’m picking up hints that you might be bisexual,” Jade murmured, “But…”

“We should probably test it more,” I panted, “Maybe every day. Probably a couple of times a day.”

Jade grinned, “Best idea I’ve ever heard.”