by Harper Bliss
“I’ve never been very interested in the straight and narrow. It’s so boring there.” Liz’s hand stole up Jessica’s belly. “And you’re too scrumptious to keep to such a boring path.”
“I’m sure the HR department at ANBC will agree.”
“How about this as a compromise, then.” Liz turned on her side and supported her chin on an upturned palm. “Instead of working this morning, you work this afternoon. Sheer brilliance, don’t you think?”
“There’s just no end to your brilliance.” Jessica snickered.
“So, what do you say? Am I allowed to take you hostage in my bed for the morning?”
“Don’t you have a TRX class or something?”
“I can do TRX right here.” Liz maneuvered under the sheets until she hovered over Jessica. She performed a push-up, lowering herself until her entire front touched Jessica, then pushed herself back up. She repeated the process three times until she collapsed onto Jessica. “Looks like I don’t have the strength today, anyway. I’ll need to stay in bed to recuperate.”
“And the woman is a comedian as well. Where will it end, indeed?” Jessica couldn’t suppress a grin from appearing on her lips. She felt so carefree with Liz. But could she really not turn up for work? Without feeling guilty? Because that was bugging her most of all. Maybe she should take a page out of Liz’s book. And Liz was right. What was one more morning off work, when you’d had a mastectomy? What if she used cancer as an excuse, instead of the cancer using her and turning her into a fearful wallflower?
“I hope it will end with you in this bed for a long time to come,” Liz said.
“Okay, fine. I’ve been officially charmed. You’ll need to get your naked body out of bed for a moment and run into the living room to fetch my phone, though,” Jessica said.
“Oh really?” Liz, who was still lying half on top of her, slipped off. “Is this how it’s going to be?”
“Looks like it. You just told me to enjoy life and to definitely not stay on the straight and narrow. I’m just taking my first steps.”
“And I’m not even allowed to wear a robe?” Liz asked.
“Absolutely not.” Jessica stuck an arm out from under the duvet. “It’s not cold, so that can’t be the problem. I hardly think bashfulness is either.”
Liz batted her lashes. “For a woman with a naked picture of herself above her bed, I can be extremely bashful.”
“Come on.” Jessica held up the duvet, letting the warmth escape. “It’s up to you.”
“Yes, Ma’am.” Liz sprang to her feet and gave her behind a little wiggle as she exited the room. She must have sprinted because she was back in a flash, clutching Jessica’s purse in front of her chest. “Here you go, Ms. Porter.” She handed Jessica the purse and crawled back underneath the covers.
“Thanks.” Jessica kissed Liz on the cheek. “Your reward is coming shortly.” She fished her phone out of her purse and looked at the screen. “It’s not even seven thirty yet. It’s too early to call.”
“You tricked me.” Liz started tickling her. “You have to pay.”
Liz’s hands were so cold that Jessica dropped the phone. “Stop it,” she squealed. “I’ll email my assistant. She’ll take care of it.”
Liz stopped tickling her. “Go on. You have two minutes before my hands are all over you again.”
Jessica shook her head. She composed a quick email and sent it before she could change her mind.
“How does it feel?” Liz asked.
Jessica put the phone away and turned to Liz. “You make it sound as though skiving off work is the most daring thing I’ve ever done.”
Liz waggled her eyebrows. “Do tell. What is the most daring thing you’ve ever done?”
Jessica should have known Liz would call her bluff. She was that kind of person. Jessica racked her brain. She wasn’t sure she could share the most daring experience she’d had. But this was Liz. She felt she could tell her just about anything after having revealed her scar—and making love to her.
“I’ll have you know I had a foursome once.” She tried to look smug, but guessed she probably just looked ridiculous, what with words like that coming from her mouth—they didn’t quite fit.
“What? Hold the presses!” Liz sat up. “Give me all the details, please.”
Jessica chuckled. “I can’t give you all the details. That would be breaking the confidence of those involved.”
“Really? Were they women of whom one would not suspect they would be involved in such an activity? Like one Jessica Porter?”
Jessica thought about that. “No, actually not at all. It was definitely the most daring and unexpected experience for me, even though I was the one who set it up.”
Liz looked at her expectantly and Jessica told her the story of how, not long after she received her cancer diagnosis, she organized a dinner party at her home with Katherine, Caitlin, and Jo. And how one thing had led to another.
“Caitlin James?” Liz asked, after Jessica had finished her story. “You slept with Caitlin James?”
“You sound impressed.” Jessica couldn’t suppress a smile.
“Let’s just say there aren’t many Australians who are so vocal and eloquent about some very important topics. I don’t admire many people, but I definitely admire her.”
Jessica glanced at Liz, but didn’t say anything.
Liz cocked her head in response.
“I talked to Caitlin about you and… if you play your cards right, you might very well be invited to dinner at hers and Jo’s on Saturday.”
“Hm,” Liz said. “Please remind me, which card game is it again that we’re playing?” She sneaked her finger up Jessica’s thigh gently, then started tickling her again.
“Stop, stop. It’s too early for this,” Jessica groaned.
“Does that mean the invitation is now official?” Liz stared at her with hope in her eyes.
“I’d love for you to join us. Although I’ll need to tell Katherine first.” Jessica’s shoulders slumped.
“Katherine?” Liz knitted her brows together. “Wait, that dinner party you just told me about… and this upcoming one. Are they of the same kind?” She put emphasis on the last two words.
“What? No. We’re all friends now. That was a one-time thing. A goodbye-to-my-right-breast tumble in the hay. Caitlin and I have gotten way too close to repeat that. She really stood by me after I had my surgery. Everything’s different now between us.” Jessica put a hand on Liz’s wrist. “Besides, I don’t want to share you.”
“In that case I’d be very happy to join you,” Liz said.
“You’re free?” Jessica asked, unsure whether she was successfully hiding the trepidation in her voice.
“Even if I wasn’t, I’d make sure I was.” Liz smiled at her. “So what’s the deal with Katherine?”
“She gave me a speech about how utterly stupid it would be for me to develop feelings for you.”
“You told Katherine about me as well?” Liz waggled her eyebrows. They were long and very expressive. “My name has been rolling off some tongues, it seems.” She chuckled.
“I just told her that you replaced Laurel. I didn’t tell her anything. She just assumed.”
“Did she now?” Liz scooted a little closer to Jessica. “She has the sixth sense. It probably makes her very good at what she does.”
“She wasn’t very understanding about it.”
“That makes perfect sense to me.” Liz shot her an apologetic smile. “She wouldn’t be a very good friend if she encouraged you to have the hots for the likes of me.”
It was Jessica’s turn to arch up her eyebrows.
“Let’s face it. The reason Laurel left is either that she was ready for retirement or she met someone who couldn’t deal with what she was doing for a living. That’s the reality of this job,” Liz said. “Katherine knows these things. She wants to save you from getting hurt. It’s normal. She’s just trying to be a good friend to you. Something you can hardly
hold against her.”
“Yet here I am. In bed with you.” Jessica couldn’t quite believe what she was hearing. “And I don’t need saving.”
“Hey.” Liz swung an arm across Jessica’s belly and held her close. “This is going to come up. Your friends will have questions. Although, perhaps, we’re getting just a tad ahead of ourselves.”
Jessica relaxed her shoulders and let herself fall into the mattress a little deeper. She hadn’t gotten that much sleep and she was still tired—her body stiff in places she didn’t even know it could be.
“Didn’t you promise me your super-delicious scrambled eggs?” she said.
“I sure did.” Liz kissed her on the tip of the nose. “Do we need to talk about this more?”
Jessica shook her head. “Not now. It’s not even eight and someone kept me up most of the night.”
“Really? I wonder who that was?” Liz grinned at her again—that irresistible disarming grin. She wondered how many women got wet just at the sight of it?
“The same woman who promised me eggs for breakfast.”
“Ah, you mean the same woman who made you dinner?”
“And gave me a few orgasms in between.” Jessica felt herself relax again.
“Christ, what a woman.”
Jessica nodded. “The kind that truly deserves a picture of herself above her own bed.” She chuckled.
“I know all about that kind.” Liz nuzzled her neck and, instantly, Jessica was flooded with memories of last night again.
Chapter Eighteen
“All you need is patience and a generous dollop of butter,” Liz said. She cracked a couple of eggs into a bowl and started whisking. She wore a tight tank top and Jessica was entranced by the slight flex in her biceps as she spun the fork around.
Liz was the kind of woman Jessica could look at for days on end. Study the ripple of her muscles, the smoothness of her skin. She looked at least ten years younger than her age.
“What’s your secret?” Jessica motioned with her hand to cover the entire length of Liz’s body. “How come you look like this at thirty-nine?”
Liz looked up from her eggs. “I treat my body the way certain gay men treat theirs.” She winked. “I save my calories for alcohol.”
Jessica chuckled.
“I’m serious,” Liz said. “And this being Bondi, my TRX class is usually a bunch of gay guys and me.”
“Sounds like fun.”
“It’s a hoot afterward.” She poured the eggs into the pan. “Now, no more distractions, please. It’s all in the attention you give the scramble.”
“These eggs are so hyped. I hope you’re not setting me up for disappointment,” Jessica joked.
“I’ve never had one negative review of my eggs, so best brace yourself.”
Jessica watched Liz as she stirred the eggs. “Are you doing anything special to them? It doesn’t look any different than ordinary scrambled eggs.”
“Shh,” Liz said. “I need to focus and you’re very distracting.”
Jessica watched her in silence. Below the black tank top, Liz was wearing a stripy pair of pajama bottoms. She looked so scrumptious, Jessica would rather have another piece of her than those eggs she was scrambling.
She got up from her chair and stood behind Liz, wrapping her arms around her, and letting her hands slip underneath Liz’s tank top.
“What did I tell you?” Liz said, but her voice sounded mellow and she leaned into Jessica’s embrace. “Besides, if you’re going to spend the morning here, you need to eat because you’ll need your strength.” Liz pushed her behind against Jessica’s groin. She wasn’t wearing any underwear beneath her pajama bottoms and Jessica let one hand slide inside her pants to cup her ass cheek.
“Okay, that’s the eggs ruined.” Liz switched off the gas and put the pan on another hob. She turned around, removing Jessica’s arm from her trousers. “When I’m cooking, I become highly combustible, so you’d better fuck me now.” There was no smile on her face, only determination. Lust glimmered in her eyes. She reached for Jessica’s forearm and slid Jessica’s hand back into her pants. “Please finish what you started.” The words seemed to come from deep inside her throat.
“But I’m hungry,” Jessica said. Her hand swept past Liz’s pubic hair, straight for the prize.
“You should have thought of that before you got handsy with me.” Liz grinned at her. “Anyway, I’ve got just the thing to still your most acute hunger.” She pushed her pants down.
At the sight of her own hand between Liz’s legs, Jessica’s pulse picked up speed.
“Fuck me,” Liz said, and she said it in such a way that Jessica couldn’t do anything else—not that she had any other plans.
Jessica kissed Liz on the lips. Those soft, soft lips that could draw into the most gorgeous smile. What had she called it? A TV smile. The country would be a better place if Liz’s smile was broadcast to its people on a regular basis, of this Jessica was convinced.
With her finger, she stroked along Liz’s nether lips. She remembered the sight of them from last night. Everything about Liz was just so excruciatingly beautiful. No exceptions.
Liz stepped out of her pajama bottoms, then she spread her legs wider. Jessica took advantage of the better access to slip the tip of her finger a little higher up Liz’s lips, to gauge for wetness. She was surprised to be met with a copious amount.
“How is this even possible?” she whispered in Liz’s ear when they broke from their kiss.
“Must have been whisking the eggs.” Liz shot her a quick grin, then pulled her back in for a kiss.
Jessica slipped her finger higher inside of Liz. Automatically, memories of last night blasted her mind. Her hand on her scar as Liz made her come. The ultimate act of accepting that this was who she was now. A woman with one remaining breast. It felt as though Liz had given her that gift of acceptance. For that reason, as Jessica slipped another one of her fingers inside Liz, she was able to easily shove aside any worries about not being the only one to do this to Liz in the weeks, perhaps even months or years, to come.
Liz clutched Jessica’s shoulder with one hand. They broke from the kiss and Jessica scanned her face. A small smile played on her lips. Jessica moved slowly inside of her. Liz seemed to be enjoying the rhythm.
“I want you to make me come like this,” Liz whispered. “Just by fucking me with your fingers.”
Jessica smiled at her. That was a new one. Liz was still so new to her. Jessica wasn’t all that acquainted with her body yet. And she was fucking her against the stove, of which at least one hob was still hot from Liz’s attempt at making eggs.
But if Jessica had learned one thing in her forty-five years on this planet, it was to fake it until she made it. She narrowed her eyes and tried to empty her mind. Overthinking it wasn’t going to help—that would only make her feel like she was taking some sort of exam. Make the call girl come. Wait. Was that why Liz was talking to her like that? No. Stop it. Jessica had two fingers inside the most gorgeous woman she had—truly—ever seen. A woman who had just begged her to make her come. A woman who already meant so much to her.
Liz started meeting her thrusts while grinding herself onto Jessica’s fingers, giving Jessica the impression that she’d be taking care of her own climax. Jessica’s fingers were just the instrument she needed to get there. Jessica hoped something more than an instrument was needed. Perhaps the connection between them. And the look in Jessica’s eyes as she fucked Liz.
Liz kept her eyes open throughout. Her teeth sank into her bottom lip as Jessica’s fingers and Liz’s pussy seemed to melt from two separate body parts, from two different human beings, into one entity. They moved together. Jessica could feel Liz’s growing arousal shoot up through her fingers. She felt it tingle inside of her. She lost herself in the lust she saw in Liz’s eyes. Because that was what had gotten her this far along the way. The fact that Liz wanted her. It was in her every word, in her every glance. It was reflected back perfectly a
t Jessica now as she looked into Liz’s eyes. Those pools of kindness mixed with kinkiness. Jessica couldn’t get enough of them. Certainly not now when her fingers were being swallowed by the heat of Liz’s pussy.
“Oh, Jess,” Liz moaned. Her fingers dug deeper into Jessica’s shoulder muscles. So deeply, Jessica guessed they would leave a mark, but she didn’t mind a mark left by Liz. Liz stopped grinding and her eyes fell shut while she shivered and let out a few deep-throated sighs.
She breathed out heavily through her nose as her limbs relaxed and Jessica withdrew her fingers.
“You can forget about those eggs now,” Liz said. “Unless you enjoy eating rubber.” She pulled Jessica into a hug and kissed her on the mouth.
Chapter Nineteen
Jessica paced around her living room. She stopped at the window and looked out across the street. No sign of Katherine yet. She’d invited her over for two reasons. To tell her about Liz. And to get the scolding she knew she was going to get. She needed it. It was Friday evening and Liz was working and the thought of it was doing Jessica’s head in. She didn’t know what to do with herself. She didn’t know what to think. She tried to keep certain images from popping up in her head, but it didn’t work. She’d wandered around her living room unstoppably since 7 p.m.—the time Liz had gone to work.
Jessica was still standing by the window when a car pulled up. It was Katherine’s white Audi. Jessica took a deep breath and headed for the front door.
She opened it before Katherine had a chance to ring the bell.
Before she hugged Jessica, she said, “Are you okay, Jess? You haven’t had any bad news, have you?” Katherine pulled her into a tight hug.
“I’m fine. Come in.” She ushered Katherine into the living room. They sat down but Jessica immediately stood up again. “Drink?” she asked.
Katherine narrowed her eyes and regarded her. “Something’s going on. What is it?”
