by L L Shelton
“Thanks for a fantastic night. I enjoyed it.” With a quick kiss on the cheek, she rounded Jewel and headed out. Getting into her car was the only thing on her mind. The faster, the better.
Jewel watched as Lily Ann lowered her head, slipped between women, then pushed on the exit door with both hands. “Stay put. I’ll be back to talk to you,” whispered inches from Carly’s ear.
Carly grabbed the material of her jacket and stopped her in her tracks. “Tell Lily Ann I said it’s okay to tell the truth. All of it.”
Jewel scrunched her forehead in question, but there was no time. The woman she had enjoyed the night with was leaving, and she needed to stop her. The hand that held her slipped loose. She eyed Avery, who seemed just a lost as she was, ran to the exit and plunged herself out the door, nearly taking out two women entering. She twisted her head side to side in search of her. A glimpse of her long hair was three rows over. She screamed her name while taking off across the parking lot.
Lily Ann looked up then twisted to lean on her car. “Jewel, I can’t,” she said just as Jewel reached her.
“Why do you keep saying that?” Jewel inhaled profoundly. Her lungs struggled to find air. “Carly told me to tell you to tell me the truth. All of it.” Another long inhale. “So, please tell me what that means because I just busted a lung running across that parking lot?”
“Does it matter? Really? Maybe to Avery, but you and I are . . .” Her words trailed off. She felt like she was in high school all over again. “I appreciate all that you do for Bobby, the dance, tonight, but coming here was all a mistake.”
“Is that what you think?” Jewel’s heart pounded in her throat. Not from running, but from knowing this woman thought the night was a mistake.”
“Jewel, my job makes it hard for me to date.”
“What? Are you a CIA agent?” Jewel questioned.
Lily Ann couldn’t hold it in any longer. She needed to say it and but all this to an end. “I’m an escort. There were three women in that club that hired me for my services. A fourth, if you count Carly.”
Jewel took a step back. Her mouth opened a little as she took in what her ears heard. Her eyes went wide. “You’re Ms. X.”
“Ms. X?” Lily Ann looked confused before she realized Carly must have named her that. It sounded sexy. “I guess. We never . . . I mean, we didn’t have—”
Jewel cut her words short. “I know you didn’t.”
“I need to leave.” Fumbling hands searched for the matching key and lock. She scolded herself for not replacing the battery months ago on the remote. A simple click would put her in the car and away from this — whatever this was. Warmth covered her hand, and Lily Ann looked down as Jewel’s fingers wrapped over hers. She felt her body pulled around with everything slowing down. The world stopped spinning on its axis. The air paused in her lungs, and the noise inside her head ceased.
“Go on a date with me,” Jewel whispered before intertwining their fingers.
“A date? Did you hear what I just said?” Lily Ann asked with a snarky tone.
Jewel smiled. “Yes, I did. You’re an escort, and you didn’t sleep with my best friend. But what I didn’t hear was you saying yes to my date request.” Jewel stuck her bottom lip out. “You pick the day, time, and place. But there is one stipulation.”
“And what’s that, Ms. Roberts?”
Jewel pulled her in closer, her arms wrapped around the tiny waist. She nearly lost her breath when Lily Ann laid both hands just above her breast. “This attraction between us.” Jewel announced. Jewel received a raised eyebrow at the statement. “Oh, you feel it. Don’t give me that look. You have to promise me our first date will be nonsexual. Now, that means you have to control yourself around me. I know that’ll be hard.”
Lily Ann pursed her lips together while she shook her head. This was crazy. Her hands patted Jewel’s chest. “That won’t be a problem considering where we will be going. Next Saturday at noon, meet me at the gym on Taylor Street. Wear comfortable clothes.” Lily Ann slipped from her grasp and retreated to the safety of her car. She waved at Jewel, who stood watching her pull away. “What the fuck am I doing?” she asked herself.
Meanwhile, back inside Luna’s Lounge, Carly spun the beer bottle around in her hands. She would not lie to Avery. She sat there, the fear of Avery’s response ravishing her thoughts. Avery was the best thing that had happened to her in a long time. The idea of losing her was terrifying. “Lily Ann and I . . . well, it’s complicated.” Her words paused. Avery patiently waited. “I hired her as an escort, but we never had sex. I promise.” Carly nearly spun the beer bottle out of her hands.
“She isn’t lying,” Jewel said as she sat down at the table. “They never had sex. I know. I can tell when Carly has sex; she has this stupid look on her face afterward. Lily Ann told me the same. It involved no sex. Even if it had, it was before she met you. But what I need you to tell me is why did you hire an escort?” Jewel sat back.
Carly took a deep breath. “I hired her to sit and talk with me.”
“I have been your best friend since high school. You couldn’t talk to me?”
Carly knew if Jewel ever found out about the need to talk to someone else, it would hurt her. She was right; they were best friends. She had always been her ride or die.
Avery sat quietly listening. Carly wished she could see her expression. It was killing her, not knowing how she was taking this. She found comfort in holding her hand. A pull away would be a dead giveaway.
“Jewel, I needed a stranger — someone who didn’t know me before I went blind. Lily Ann agreed to be blind during our sessions. I wanted someone like me to talk to.” Carly lowered her head.
Avery squeezed Carly’s hand. “It’s okay. You did nothing wrong.”
“She’s right,” Jewel agreed. She went over and hugged her best friend. “I love you.”
“I’m sorry it got messed up with you and Lily Ann,” Carly said.
“It didn’t. I got a date for next Saturday.” Jewel kissed Carly’s forehead. “I’m heading home. Get that grin off your face,” Jewel answered in regards to the smirk blanketing Carly’s face. “See you later.”
Carly turned toward Avery. “I’m sorry.” A breath teased her ear before a soft nibble of her earlobe had Carly’s breath catching. A surge hit her clit with a thunderous bolt.
Avery got rewarded with a soft moan. “Take me to your boat,” she breathed. “The number is three. The third date.”
19
It was the longest ride. The sexual tension built up inside the Malibu so thick, a breath was hard to catch. Touches seared with heat: a finger lingered over the skin, a tuck of hair behind the ear, slow licks over lips teased, and breaths hitched in anticipation. The smell of sex stacked like blocks. The need would rise, then fall, only to rise again. Very few words were spoken, lost in lust.
Avery’s eyes squinted as she concentrated on the road with intensity. Her eyes captured glimpses of the woman next to her. So sexy. The sight of her in jeans and a white tee with the sleeves cut off, her muscles sculpted in waves of flesh, sent swells of need straight to Avery’s center. She squirmed in her seat as wetness arrived between her legs.
Carly listened to the sounds and inhaled the fragrances of the outdoors. She allowed them to take her over the hills and around the curves of the coast. The sweet smells of the chocolate factory teased her nostrils as she circled her finger over Avery’s inner thighs. Goosebumps peppered the skin with every touch, and the response fired Carly’s excitement. Her imagination fueled her desires to a boiling point.
The ladies wasted no time boarding Feeling Desire. Carly took Avery’s hand and led her down the hallway. Stopping short of the bedroom door, she turned. “Do you want a drink?”
“All I want is you,” Avery responded.
Carly wrapped her arm around Avery’s waist and yanked her into the bedroom. The strength behind the pull caused a squeal of excitement to escape. Carly closed the door behind th
em, and with one movement, pressed Avery against the back of the door. Her hands touched the side of her face. “Can I?” She felt the nod from Avery. Fingers moved and searched, streamed over curves and dips, studied, and memorized every inch. Her fingers traveled her arms, then feathered over her ribs. Carly felt as the woman sucked in her stomach. She pulled on full hips, and they met in a clash. Her fingers stopped at a ragged edge of the skin. She traced it a few times.
Avery watched the journey over her body. Her breaths ragged, she wanted to get taken. Sex? She couldn’t remember the last time. Maybe a stranger in Ohio. “That scar came by courtesy of a foster brother,” she explained. “He was mental. He got taken away after he cut me.”
“Jesus.” Carly’s tone lingered between shock and anger.
“It was a long time ago,” Avery whispered. She took Carly’s hand and placed it on her breast. Her nipples hardened under pressure. “Kiss me,” Avery breathed.
As lips crashed together, Carly released a moan. She kneaded the breast. Her palm was full with the excess spilling over. Roaming hands released Avery’s bra with a twist and slid to the front, on the hunt for flesh. When Carly’s ass got grabbed, she knew they would not make it to the bed. Her knee found Avery’s center, and the woman straddled for fulfillment. She grinded. Carly twisted the dark brown strands in her fingers and tugged. Avery’s neck jerked back, and her breasts pushed forward. Carly popped the button and pulled the zipper down on Avery’s jeans. This woman wasn’t going anywhere until she screamed with an orgasm. Carly found the inside of her panties wet with want. She explored her folds and flicked her clit until Avery trembled.
“Oh my . . . oh.” Avery thrust into the hand. “I need you inside me.” Her words replaced with gasps of breaths as she climbed closer to a climax.
Carly slipped one finger inside, and the walls tightened. Her thumb ran over her clit, and Avery started to buckle under the pleasure.
“Oh, fuck!” she screamed when she fell over the edge. Her eyes closed with bursts of light exploding. She withered into Carly’s hold after the last wave of her climax rolled out of her.
Their mouths found each other in a tender kiss as aftershocks lingered and breaths gathered. Carly pulled away. “Over my shoulder, see my bed?” Carly whispered the question. She received a soft yes in response. “Go on the other side and stand, then wait for me to stand on this side of the bed.”
As both women moved to their position, they stood a bed apart. “Undress,” Carly said. She imagined Avery slipping her shirt and pants off, then her bra and panties. Her clit tingled in anticipation. She pulled her clothes off with thoughts of Avery watching. A yank of the covers and Carly slipped in the sheets. The cooling material teased her. “Join me?”
Carly took her time, allowing Avery to recover from the heated sex on the door. Her hands roamed and discovered every real estate of the beautiful woman. Her mouth sucked in a nipple. It was hard. So erect. Carly kissed her way back up to lips that absorbed her moans.
Avery rolled Carly over, kissing over the woman’s neck, inching lower. A nipple grew between her teeth. Carly gasped. Gentle kisses feathered over her stomach. Carly gasped again. Avery looked up as she slipped a finger deep inside. Carly’s head twisted into the pillow as she bit her lower lip and moans gave way to pleasure. Avery mouth lowered, and she sucked in the hard, pulsating bud between her legs. Hips lifted into her mouth, and a hand fell to the back of her head. A second finger slipped.
“You’re going to make me come,” Carly screamed out, the warning short as she yelled her explosion. Breaths hard, she allowed Avery to swirl her tongue in juices until she became so sensitive, she had to pull her away. “Oh my god, woman.”
They laid together talking in the afterglow. Avery reached over and kissed her. “I better head home.” She could tell Carly was sleepy, and her body was giving in to the activities.
Carly pulled her closer. “Stay here tonight. It’s late.”
“Are you sure?” Avery asked.
“More than sure. Be with me in the morning. I must warn you, though, I sleep with earphones playing audiobooks or music.”
Avery gave a kiss on the side of Carly’s lips. “Good, you won’t hear my snoring. Now spoon me, sexy.”
Carly started the music streaming into her ears and wrapped Avery up in her arms. Exhausted from their lovemaking, Carly laid there in the dark and smiled as sleep started to overtake.
Avery rolled over to face Carly and pulled one earphone out. “I want to ask you something.”
“Is something the matter?” Carly asked.
“No, everything is fine. I want to know why you don’t put this boat back to work. Why don’t you do what you love? I saw you at the fish market. Your face lit up.” Avery rubbed Carly’s arm in the dark as she waited for an answer.
“How can I do that? I would have to hire people. The start-up cost alone would be high. On top of that, who can I trust?”
“You can trust me,” Avery said. “Tony told me he was taking a year off before college. He can help us. I can learn how to use a fishing rod.”
Carly laughed. “You use nets and pots.”
“See, you already taught me something.”
“Avery, it’s too expensive. Roll back over and let me spoon you. I appreciate the thought, but it’s impossible.” Carly reached out and found Avery’s face. “For the record, you would make one sexy first mate. Now rest.”
Avery rolled over. “Tell me how you lost your sight.” She listened to Carly’s story while spooned in her arms.
20
It was five-thirty in the morning, and darkness camouflaged her entrance as Brittney creeped onto the boat. She craned her neck and looked up at the giant mast. The moon was bright and cast a shadow off the netting with an eerie atmosphere that engulfed the morning. Knowing Carly always slept with earphones, getting in and out of the closet should be easy if that nasty bird and mouse stayed away. Brittney could only hope they were as asleep as their pathetic master.
When the floor creaked at the bottom of the steps, she froze and listened, before she continued. She would not be in this predicament if her dumb ass would have taken the box when she left. For years, she hid the money inside of an old cash metal box at the top of the closet. When enough got saved, she had plans to leave Carly, this boat, and the city. She hated living on the boat, but Carly was a cash cow. A few rolls in the bed, some I love yous, and the cash cow supplied her with what she needed. The day they broke up, Brittney stole twenty-five thousand from the bank account, knowing Carly was too good-hearted to come after it; after all, she left half in the bank account for her to keep, a nice gesture on her part. Brittney had figured it would be enough to get her away, but that was wrong. Years later, she was broke. Leaving so fast, she forgot to grab the box of money from the closet. Brittney stepped in front of the bedroom door and turned the knob. The door cracked open with ease. Carly laid on her back with the earphones in her ears, mouth ajar. Pushing the door open wider without care, she didn’t notice her until a woman’s scream filled the room.
“Carly!” She shook Carly’s arm. “Who are you?” she screamed at the stranger standing at the end of the bed. Naked and startled, Avery jumped to a stand. “Carly, there’s someone in the bedroom!” With no hesitation, her sleep-fogged brain picked up a metal statue off the nightstand and tossed it across the room. It hit the wall — barely missing Brittney.
Carly yanked her earphones out. She stood, confused and disorientated. “What the hell is going on?”
“You stupid bitch,” Brittney yelled out with the near-miss.
Carly turned her face to the voice. “Brittney? What the hell are you doing in my bedroom?”
“Having some idiot toss a statue at me. Fuck. I’m here to get that box I left in the closet.
Avery tossed on her shirt and pants. “Brittney?” she said as she zipped her pants up. “The snake Brittney?”
“One and only,” Carly said. She tossed on a shirt and briefs, th
en found her way around to the front of the bed. “It’s the crack ass of dawn?” Carly didn’t know what time it was, but by the way her body succumbed to the tiredness that overwhelmed her, she had slept only a few hours.
“I’m not here to fight. I just want the box.” She opened the door to the closet, but it got slammed shut by Avery. They stared as their faces lit with a red glow from the rising sun. Brittney’s arm pushed Avery in the shoulder, and she tumbled back. Brittney opened the closet and grabbed the metal box that sat in the same spot for years.
The sound of Avery tumbling released a rage festering inside Carly. She reached out in search of any piece of Brittney’s body, her fist swung only to find air. Then pain blasted through her temple, and Carly’s head jerked sideways. Warm liquid streamed down her face. She rocked on her feet back and forth a few times before landing on her knees with a thump.
“Carly!” Avery screamed as the metal box slammed against the side of her head. Avery grasped at anything to get herself off the floor. As she struggled to her knees, a loud noise erupted from behind her. Her head ducked just as a blast of wind whisked around the room, as if a small tornado entered.
The outstretched wings guided the large body into the window. Legs stretched in front with claws pointed in sharp razors. Sully arrived in hunting form. He landed in the middle of Brittney’s chest. Claws sharp enough to gut a fish, they split the woman’s skin like a tin can.
Brittney screamed as her flesh tore. She dropped the box and tripped backward. Sully followed her, flapping his wings. Her arms swatted wildly at the bird in any attempt to get away from him. Blood seeped from her chest, staining the white shirt the color of scarlet.
Everything was happening so fast. Just as Avery reached Carly, she saw Cheddar run across the floor. She watched as he ran up the mad woman’s body and bit down on her bare arm, but she tossed him like a feather, his tiny body smacking the wall. Cheddar fell limp to the floor. With his friend hurt, Sully went crazy. He flapped harder as jaws snapped. Brittney ran out of the room with her arms flailing. Sully followed. Screams weakened in the night.
