I put "Straight" in quotations because the characters would say, and believe, that they are straight, it would take a suggestive moment or mistake(which may or may not happen, I'm half pantsing half outlining) to make them question. The two women are: a mans wife, and a mans favored slave/concubine. (I know this looks like it belongs in the erotica section, but the intention is to add flavor and drama, and is not a major plot point). The MC (the slave/concubine that escaped) is generally annoyed by the wife. The wife is a scheming alpha that takes advantage of weaker people, somewhere between lady Macbeth and Seska from ST:VOY. She is annoyed by the MC because the MC was prized by her husband. Since the MC left, it would just be easy for the wife to dismiss her, However she at one point commanded the gunman not to shoot her as she escaped, and showed up at her cabin one day to tell her the cost of her escape, and to give her a heads up that the husband would be coming for her. My question is, how would I show this to the reader, that there is a subconscious (or just back of conscious) sexual tension between these two women?
You're a dude, right? Yet I'm not sure if this is a gender-specific question... Just put yourself into the person's shoes. How do they (or you) feel like when they're (or you're) attracted to someone? What do they say? How do they act? It's your character. You've created their background and personality, so only you know how they'd act in that situation. Maybe they make suggestive jokes or give compliments. Maybe they seek physical closeness. Try to catch a glimpse of the other person naked. Try to sniff their hair. Find themselves enthralled by some trait in the other person (maybe it's her attitude, or something physical, like "dang those bwebs are fascinatingly huge!"). Maybe she gets a comforting hug but finds it surprisingly comfortable. Kind of depends on how subtle you want them to be. Especially if you're a straight guy, I'd imagine this is relatively easy. Just think of what you find attractive in a woman. Maybe your characters are drawn to the same things. I'm not saying there's a perfect equivalence, but that might give you some ideas.
Write it like you would any other romance. How would you have hinted at the tension had one of them been of the opposite sex? Now do the same thing but with two women.
Are you using close third POV? You can show tension through word choice, the way the POV character observes the other, etc. "She stood too close to me, just like she always did. And as always, I refused to move away. Mostly it was a power thing, an attempt by her to take my space, a refusal by me to surrender it. That's mostly what it was." etc.
Hmm. I'm not picking up sexual tension from the plot you're describing. It sounds as if one woman (the slave) dislikes the privileged wife. And the wife is jealous of the slave, because of the slave's 'relationship' with her husband. Sound like tension, but I'm not picking up sexual tension. What am I missing? How do you intend this relationship to pan out?
Without knowing your story or intimate details, I'll offer you this. Watch warehouse 13. Not all of it, just find the episodes containing Myka and H.G Wells. While wells is "openly" bisexual, Myka is alarmingly straight, and there is often flirting between her and Pete, her partner to solidify her orientation. Watch the scenes with these two women. A relationship that starts built entirely on animosity slowly evolves into a mutual understanding, and finally respect. It's a popular fan theory the two were in love. I disagree. It is totally possible for two people, of any gender, to love each other outside of family obligation or sexual interest. It's a bond that transcends physical need and nurtures emotional desire. It's born of mutual respect, trust, and admiration. It is more powerful than fleeting feelings of lust and attraction, and can withstand more emotional damages than a relationship built on hormonal passions. If the wife warned the slave her husband was coming, think of the slave's mentality. "Why would she warn me? She hated me. Why spare my life and the horrors that could await my discovery? Why seek me out when she should want nothing more than to watch me suffer?" Then explore the wife. Why DID she help this woman who she hated? Who was a source of animosity and contrition within her home? What is there to gain/lose from aiding this girl, and why would she risk it? If you answer some of these questions I think you'll find your answers. Jut my two cents.
