Did I ever tell you blondes are my weakness?
I don’t think you mentioned it, Sam replied.
Blondes make me weak. So be nice to me. I’m fragile.
I’ll be gentle with you, promise.
Alex grinned. Sam and her promises. How’s next Wednesday for dinner?
Done! Send me the address and tell me what to bring.
I can only tell you what not to bring.
Very funny. Hey, Jade and Emma are coming over to swim tomorrow. Why don’t you stop by?
Sounds titillating. What kind of bathing suit do you wear?
LOL. Bikini.
Alex didn’t hesitate after getting this intel. What time?
One, and bring my boy.
Okay. Alex put the phone down and groaned. Sam in a bikini. Now how was she supposed to sleep tonight?
* * *
On Sunday morning, Sam met the girls at the trailhead to Brush Canyon. Weather-wise, it was a perfect day for a hike.
“I have news,” Jade said. “Zach is gonna hire me as an agent.”
“That’s great!” Emma high-fived her.
“Yep, I’m ready to spread my wings. Don’t worry, Sam, you’ll still be my main squeeze. I can manage you and maybe represent a few more clients.”
Sam stared down at her phone, at the picture Alex had sent last night of her with Yogi. She couldn’t stop drooling over it, wanting to make it her wallpaper, her background…
“Sam!”
“Sorry. That’s wonderful! Congrats.” Sam hugged her.
“I have news too.” Emma proudly extended her left hand.
“When did that happen?” Jade asked.
“Last night.”
“A ring!” Sam hugged Emma. “I am so happy for you. You guys are great together. Tell Logan congrats too.”
“So. Look at us, all with big news.” Jade directed a questioning stare at Sam.
“What?”
“How’s the wooing?”
“What wooing?” Emma asked.
“Sam’s wooing Alex.”
“She’s not gonna bang her?”
“No. She’s wooing it, friendship style.”
“When did this happen?” Emma demanded.
“After the hug.”
“There was a hug?”
“Yes, and the earth moved,” Jade teased.
“And the angels sang?”
“Something like that. Sam has a plan.”
Sam groaned in frustration. “Shut up. We’re becoming friends and getting to know each other, because—”
“Sam wants Alex to be her girlfriend,” Jade said.
Emma’s forehead puckered. “But I thought this chick wasn’t girlfriend material.”
“Well, the hug changed everything.”
“Wow. Must’ve been some hug,” Emma said. “When was all this?”
“She came over for dinner the other night,” Sam said. “I cooked.”
Jade stopped short. “Jesus Christ. You didn’t say you cooked!”
“You cooked?” Emma asked. “I thought you liked her?”
Sam playfully shoved her. “Stop it.”
“What did you make?” Emma asked.
Sam peered up at the cloudless sky, pretending not to hear the question.
Jade groaned. “Oh no, not the chicken.”
Sam’s hackles rose. She always had to defend her signature dish. “Yes, I made the chicken.”
“The purple chicken?” Emma asked.
“Yes. My chicken—that sometimes turns purple.”
Jade’s lip curled in disgust. “It always turns purple.”
“You made it for me once,” Emma said. “I thought I was eating Donald Duck. Wasn’t he purple?”
“Okay, number one, Donald Duck is a fucking duck,” Jade said. “And number two, there’s a control on your TV called color tint. You should try it sometime.”
“Maybe I’m thinking of Foghorn Leghorn. Wasn’t he some sort of chicken?”
“Well, you’re getting warmer. He was a rooster. Who fucked chickens. And I say all this in the past tense because he’s no longer on TV. For like fifty years. Jesus Christ, we need to update your cable package.”
“Did you eat the purple chicken?” Emma asked.
“No, we ordered pizza and chatted for a while. It was a nice, friendly get-together.”
“You call it a friendly get-together, the rest of us call it dating,” Jade said.
“We’re not dating. Dating would involve kissing good night. We’re not at that stage yet. Although she did give me a kiss right here when we said goodbye.” Sam stroked her cheek.
“Have we not washed that spot yet?” Jade asked.
“Shut up.”
“Does Alex know you want her to be your girlfriend?” Emma asked.
Sam’s brows drew together. “No! You just can’t blurt that out. I don’t want to scare her off.”
Emma nodded. “Gotcha. You’re gonna woo her and make her love you. Cool.”
“Love? It’s too soon for that. And I’m not gonna make her do anything.”
Emma started singing, “I’m gonna make you love me…yes I will…yes I will.”
“Jesus Christ, first The Brady Bunch and now the Supremes? What’s next, Leave It to Beaver?” Jade asked.
“Maybe you should let the Supremes sing that,” Sam suggested.
Emma stopped singing and cocked her head. “Does one have sex while wooing? Or does that come after wooing?”
“Sex? We just became friends!”
“Emma, these things take time,” Jade said. “Sam and Alex will have sex around the summer of 2022.”
“I’m supposed to go to her house next week to have dinner and meet her sister and her wife. And, I invited her over to the house today to hang with us. I wanted you guys to get to know her.”
Emma clapped. “Finally. I get to meet this woman.”
“Yes!” Jade pumped a fist in the air. “I haven’t seen her in so long I forget what she looks like. I need to put a face to my vibrator.”
Sam glowered. “Shit, Jade. You’re picturing my possible future wife while you use your vibrator?”
“I’m kidding. My God, just kidding.”
Sam pursed her lips and looked away.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jade mouth to Emma, “I’m not kidding.”
Emma laughed and put an arm around Sam. “Well, I can’t wait to meet her.”
Sam pulled them to a stop. “Now, we have to set some ground rules. Under no circumstances are either one of you to undermine Wooing Sam.”
“I thought you were Wooing Sam,” Jade said.
“Wooing Sam has been pretty cool, she has her act together, and I’m proud of her. I will lose my shit if you make me look like a moronic dork in front of her. Am I clear?”
“I’ll behave,” Emma said.
Jade made a face. “Okay. But where’s the fun in that?”
“And I did not mention being fuck buddies, so mum’s the word.”
Jade’s face fell. “Shit, we have nothing to talk about now.”
Sam slipped an arm around her. “Don’t worry, we’ll have plenty to talk about. You can tell Alex how you’ve named your vibrator after her.”
Emma raised her voice an octave. “Oh, Alex, oh, Alex, OH, ALEX!”
Sam and Emma enjoyed a rare laugh at Jade’s expense.
“I hate you both.”
* * *
Jade, Sam, and Emma sat around the pool, eagerly awaiting Alex’s arrival. When they heard the truck, Sam put everyone on notice to be on their best behavior. Yogi was the first one to charge around the side of the house and run to the pool.
“Yogi!” Sam laughed when he jumped on her chair and began licking her face.
Alex appeared soon after, wearing her signature hat, board shorts, and a skimpy, barely-there white tank top.
“Hi.” Sam popped up from the chaise and adjusted the bottoms of her floral-print bikini.
Alex w
rapped her in a hug, and strong hands caressed her naked back, causing goose bumps to dance along her arms. Soft lips brushed the side of Sam’s neck, and she almost keeled over. She held on for dear life. When Alex released her, she nearly teetered into the pool.
“How you doing?” Alex asked.
Sam held a hand to her chest, still flustered. “I’m good. You remember Jade?”
Jade stood. “Hey, give me a hug, girl.” She pulled Alex in and ran a hand under her skimpy tank top.
Sam scowled.
Jade wiggled her eyebrows in response.
Sam would deal with her later. “And this is Emma.”
“Yeah, from the show! How are you?”
Emma hugged her. “So good to meet you finally.”
“Alex, what would you like to drink?” Jade asked.
“Water’s fine for now.”
Jade linked arms with Alex and began walking toward the battered fridge. “What have you two been up to?”
“Not much. I’ve been working every day. Sam and I have been hanging out, getting to know each other.” She smiled back at Sam.
“Welcome to Sam’s plan,” Jade said to no one in particular.
“Plan? What plan?” Alex stopped walking and turned around.
Sam’s stomach dropped. “Nothing, there’s no plan.”
Alex turned back to Jade, who handed her a bottle of water.
Sam flipped both middle fingers at Jade, bending at the knees for emphasis.
Jade just winked at her.
Alex turned around just as Sam was coming up from the double-bird flip-off. So she did what anyone who was caught in an unflattering position would do. She pretended she was dancing. Because who doesn’t dance to the rhythmic stylings of a pool filter? When Alex turned her attention back to Jade, she flopped down next to Emma, muttering, “I’m gonna kill her.”
“I’m going in,” Jade announced. “Who’s coming in with me. Alex?”
The motive was clear. To get Alex undressed. Now, this particular action had Sam’s stamp of approval.
Alex tugged the tank over her head, revealing a black string bikini that covered…nothing.
Sam gawked as she dove into the pool.
Emma whispered, “Close your mouth.”
Sam did as she was told. Sometime soon, she needed to lay hands on that body.
“You two coming in?” Jade asked.
Alex swam up and put her arms over the side of the pool. “Come in, Sam.”
There was the smile, and those eyes, unabashedly staring at Sam’s ample cleavage. Sam was quite satisfied with her choice of bathing suits. “Okay.”
Holding on to her top, she hopped in.
“Let’s play some pool basketball,” Jade said. “Me and Sam against Emma and Alex.” Jade swam by Sam. “You can thank me later,” she mumbled.
“Thank you? I’m gonna kill you.” She was still sore from Jade’s loose lips.
As Jade swam over to guard Emma, the genius of the game plan came home to roost. Sam would guard Alex, and there could be all sorts of random touching in pool basketball. Okay, she could forgive Jade.
Emma tossed the ball to Alex, who caught it and taunted Sam. “Whatcha got, Blondie?”
“Oh, big talker, huh?” Sam bum-rushed Alex and jumped, but not before Alex displayed perfect shooting form and hit nothing but net. Sam groaned. “Great. She’s a ringer.”
Alex smiled, pulling her into a playful headlock. “Maybe next time, beautiful.”
Sam made a half-hearted attempt to throw off Alex’s arm by wrapping a hand around her bicep. And since her other hand was unoccupied, why not rest it on Alex’s rock-hard abs? Sam got the bicep and the abs all in one sober grope.
“Okay, you two, this isn’t Dancing with the Stars.” Jade tossed the ball at Sam, who somehow managed to catch it before it smacked her in the face.
Now that she had possession of the ball, Sam mocked Alex by extending the ball, then pulling it back. “You want this? You want this?”
“Yeah, I want it.”
Sam was knocked off kilter by the innuendo in Alex’s eyes, and her slight hesitation enabled Alex to slap the ball away.
Emma grabbed the ball and Jade jumped her, pushing her underwater. She sputtered to the surface crying, “Foul! That’s a goddamn foul.”
“Bite me, Jan.” Jade threw the ball to Sam, but Alex was too quick, and she intercepted it, successfully dunking another shot.
“How about a little defense?” Jade said.
Sam flipped her the bird.
“Maybe I wasn’t clear on the teams.”
Sam flipped the finger on the other hand. The ole middle finger was getting quite the workout today.
Alex swam up to Sam and winked. “Nice try.”
Sam wanted to yank her underwater and plant one on those luscious lips. “I guess you’re good at everything.”
“Well, some things I’m better at than others.” Alex grabbed Sam’s stomach.
“Yo, grope a dopes. Let’s go,” Jade said, calling their attention back to the game.
After fifteen minutes, Jade and Sam surrendered and headed for the lounge chairs while Alex and Emma continued shooting at the hoop.
Jade plopped down next to Sam. “Goddamn she’s hot. I’m gonna have to wear a panty liner around her. Are you looking at that bod? Do you see it?”
“Oh, I see it. I see it real good.” Truth be told, Sam’s eyes hadn’t left Alex all afternoon. She reached for her newly acquired Ray-Bans.
“Your willpower is admirable.”
“I’m hungry,” Emma called from the pool.
Sam was eager to flex her cooking skills. Or lack thereof. “I can make us something to eat.”
“No!” said all three at the same time.
“You guys suck.”
They ordered pizza and enjoyed a couple more hours of fun in the sun before Alex stood to leave.
“Ladies, it’s been a pleasure hanging with you today, but I have to work tomorrow, and the client is a real pain in the ass.”
“Yeah, but I hear she’s a great cook,” Sam said.
“I dunno about that.” Alex grinned. “Yogi, are you coming with me, or are you gonna slobber over Sam all night?”
Sam laughed. “He likes your pain in the ass client.”
Emma stood and hugged Alex. “Good job, partner.”
Jade was next, and she kissed her smack on the lips. “See you soon.”
Alex took a quick peek at Sam. “Yeah, see you soon.”
“I’ll walk you out.” Sam looked none-too-kindly at Jade.
They walked in silence through the house, with Yogi dutifully following.
“Thanks for inviting me. Your friends are a blast.”
“They’re assholes, but I love them.”
“Funny assholes.”
“Yeah, definitely funny.” Sam felt jittery standing in the doorway. They were on the cusp of another goodbye, and she was hoping for a lip-to-lip kiss. No tongue, of course. Not yet.
Alex pulled her in for a hug. “Night.”
Sam melted into Alex’s arms for a long hug. She nestled her chin into the base of Alex’s neck, where they remained still, both content in the moment.
Finally, Alex pulled away and cupped Sam’s cheek.
Sam’s breath hitched in anticipation. This was it. This was finally it. But when Alex just kissed her softly on the cheek again, she wanted to drop to the ground like a three-year-old and kick her legs in disappointment.
After saying goodbye, Sam practically skipped to the backyard.
“Well, did you lock lips?” Emma asked.
“No. She hit the cheek again.” Sam sat and directed a steely gaze at her bestie. “And don’t think I didn’t notice that kiss on the lips.”
Jade’s eyes widened. “What? It was an accident.”
“Accident my ass. I haven’t even kissed her on the lips yet.” Sam crossed her arms, perturbed.
“Guess you have some catching up to do.�
�
She stewed for a few moments, but then curiosity got the better of her. “How was it?”
“You don’t wanna know. Let’s just leave it at that.”
Sam silently agreed. Best not to learn this torturous information. Better to discover it on her own.
“Those lips were soft. That’s all I’m gonna say. Especially that bottom one, but I’ve already said too much. I almost slipped her the tongue—”
“Jade, enough!” Sam pouted.
“You guys are cute together,” Emma said. “Alex is a ten. Well, maybe a twelve, if that’s possible.”
Sam perked up. “Thanks, E.”
Resting her head back on the lounge chair, she let herself daydream about her perfect twelve.
Chapter Eleven
Sam pulled into the driveway at Alex’s house, and shifted the car into park. The special tiles for the spa had been backordered, so Alex and her crew had been elsewhere for almost ten days. The longest ten days of Sam’s life. She shot off a text to Zach. If you have news on the book, let me know. I’m with Alex now.
Last week, she’d sent the manuscript to Zach, and he, in turn, had sent it to the literary department at his agency. She rarely used her clout to receive preferential treatment, or to force people to go above and beyond, but if Alex needed an agent, then by God, Sam would get her one.
The object of her attraction sat barefoot on the front porch step with Yogi by her side. Even dressed casually in jeans, Alex was stunning.
Grabbing the bottle of wine she’d bought this morning, Sam got out of the car.
Yogi bounded up to greet her. “Hello my handsome man.” When she finished scratching Yogi’s back, she pouted at Alex. “What? No hug?”
“I’m not sure of the protocol. Is public hugging allowed?”
“Yes. Get up here.” Nestling into Alex’s warm embrace, Sam wondered if she would ever get over the thrill of being wrapped in these strong arms.
With much reluctance, she pulled away, and they both sat on the stairs. “Why are we on the porch?” Sam asked.
“Sophia wants this to be a surprise for Lenna. We’ll wait for her to come downstairs, and then we’ll go in.”
“Cool.”
“I’m hoping she doesn’t act like a big dork around you.”
#CassiNova Page 10
