by K T Grant
She jerked. “And tomorrow?”
“I don’t know,” Svana whispered and closed her eyes, releasing a shudder, but not one of pleasure. More like agony.
Kennedy’s eyes stung. She didn’t want to talk about tomorrow or the future. She wanted to live in the here and now, and then…she just didn’t know.
She kissed Svana’s knuckles and lifted her hand above her head, pressing it to the wall. She did the same with her other one. “Keep your hands raised and don’t move them.”
Svana’s eyes shot open, and the corner of her mouth twitched in amusement. “Now we’re bossy?”
“For what I plan to do to you. Yes.” She curled her arms around Svana’s head and claimed her mouth in a hungry kiss. She pumped her tongue over Svana’s, with deft strokes, sucking hard. Svana arched and hooked her leg around Kennedy’s waist. She broke away and dipped her head to Svana’s breast, flicking at her puckered nipple with the tip of her tongue. Svana moaned and jabbed the heel of her foot into Kennedy’s back. She then took Svana’s nipple in her mouth, dragging her teeth over the tight nub.
Svana mumbled words in her language. She huffed in satisfaction around Svana’s beaded flesh, ending with one more firm suck, then dropped to her knees. Pressing kisses along Svana’s abdomen, she reached behind the woman she couldn’t wait to pleasure and prodded her fingers in her ass, opening the fleshy cheeks and sliding her fingers in between them as her mouth made a suction on Svana’s pussy. Her tongue glided into her damp folds fast.
Svana rocked against her mouth and clenched down on her darting fingers. She yelped, crying and sputtering, begging her to stop. Kennedy ignored her pleas and continued her erotic onslaught, going one step further and circling Svana’s puckered back hole as she prodded the underside of her clit with her tongue. Then she struck with acute precision by latching her mouth on the stiff nub the moment her finger glided inside Svana’s asshole.
“Kennedy!” Svana screamed and fisted her fingers in her hair as she humped Kennedy’s face and came all over her.
She lapped away the tangy release, drowning in her essence. Something like an electric current flashed through her limbs, lodging deep in her core. She removed her mouth and rested her cheek on Svana’s hip, struggling to not fall to the ground in a soggy heap as she waited for Svana to settle down and give her pleasure.
Svana recovered quickly and lifted Kennedy up by her arm, smashing her mouth to Kennedy’s and giving her a messy, wet kiss. Messy and wet was the name of the game as she lapped and slurped every part of Kennedy’s mouth, groaning with delight.
“I’m tasty, aren’t I?” Svana raked her tongue piercing under Kennedy’s lip, leaving a stinging burn from the cut.
She jerked in surprise from the unexpected slash. “What was that for?”
“Something to remember me by.” She slammed Kennedy into the wall and twined her fingers in her hair to the root. “Now it’s your turn for me to make you beg.”
I’ll always remember you. She longed to speak the tender statement, but Svana had an evil, almost detached look in her eyes. Her pupils dilated, and her nostrils flared. Kennedy trembled with equal fear and want, panting through swollen lips and the taste of her blood from the sharp kiss.
Svana twisted her around until her front met the tiles and her legs spread open. She flattened her palms on the tiles as Svana lowered to her knees and returned the pleasures she’d given her. With her tongue and fingers, she destroyed Kennedy, licking and tasting in places that made her sob hard enough for tears to form in her eyes. They fell down her cheeks with the water from above, a combination of joy and despair, knowing she would never recreate this moment again with anyone else.
When her climax came over her, she slid to the floor, shaking and sobbing as Svana whispered words of reassurance. Then, when the water cooled, Svana helped her out of the shower. Still wet, she took Kennedy to bed to continue to destroy her with her talented tongue and fingers late into the night.
***
Kennedy pretended to sleep while Svana wrote at the desk. She watched through slitted eyes, soaking her in, before Svana left. She could say her name but she was frozen, much like her body that was still dormant and recovering from the hours of sensual delights.
Svana stopped writing—five pages worth—and set down her pen. Kennedy closed her eyes and steadied her breathing, her cheek flat on the pillow, her chest and stomach flush on the mattress. Her back was uncovered, as were her ass and legs. They had thrown the sheet and covers to the side as they rolled around on the bed while they loved one another.
Tears sprang under her eyelids at the word love. It was too soon to think in those terms. But she felt something close to that for Svana, who moved around the room, gathering her clothes that were likely still damp from the rain. Kennedy stayed still, lying on her front, her face to the side with tears under her eyelids while Svana readied to leave.
The mattress dipped, and Svana hovered over her, fingers brushing her hair gently and carefully. Kennedy jabbed her tongue under her top lip, the fleshy ridge there sore and tender. One of the many reminders Svana would leave behind when she left.
All she had to do was say her name or turn on her back and open her arms. But she froze, afraid of what might happen if she did accept the unknown.
Svana lowered her face to the side of Kennedy’s. “It’s officially tomorrow, and we have much to talk about. I wrote you a long letter explaining some things I didn’t mention last night, one of which is something very big I’ll announce to the world soon. Because you mean so much to me.” She cleared her throat and coughed. “I’m giving you this information to show I trust you. I have to go home and get changed now. I’ll see you in a few hours.” She set her mouth on Kennedy’s cheek while she stroked her hair. “If you wake up, I can tell you all.”
When a tear slipped down her cheek, she didn’t wipe it away. She did nothing.
She didn’t move or call out Svana’s name, not even when Svana left a kiss and walked to the door. She just listened as the door opened, and then silence. After a few seconds, or perhaps more, Svana left the room, the door closing with a soft click.
Finally, she rolled over and grabbed the papers Svana had left on the pillow next to her. She didn’t read them right away but held them to her chest, blinking up at the ceiling, her mind muddled and confused. She could stick to her plan and go home today or stay and see Svana in a few short hours. Perhaps the words she wrote would help her decide.
She read the long sentences explaining Svana’s future, which shocked her. Svana was leaving it all behind to make her dream a reality again. Kennedy could join her, not knowing what was to come. She couldn’t promise something stable for them. But if she was up for the challenge, Svana wanted her to join in on the fun.
Join in on the fun. It was all fun and games for Svana. The hours leading up to this moment for them had been fun, and nothing more. That was what Svana had said.
She sat up and tucked her knees to her chest, her vision blurring as she tried to focus on the words. But they vanished as she closed her eyes and cried like the idiot she was. She sat there, frozen in both body and in mind, but her heart still beat, echoing in her ears to remind her she was still alive and would carry on whichever way she decided.
Minutes later, or it could have been hours, she started moving. She made a call, the one she had always planned to make.
She went home.
CHAPTER TEN
The air conditioning in Kennedy’s office clicked on as she set down the newspaper. The late October weather in Los Angeles had been dry and hotter than usual. She lifted her hair away from her nape to give her some relief, but whenever she read an article or saw something on the internet about Svana as Marella, she ended up flushed or sweaty.
She couldn’t tell if it was from arousal or nerves. Almost eight months later, Svana still affected her like no other.
Omar’s knock on her door brought her out of her musings, and she waved him in. “
I’m just finishing my lunch.” She flipped the paper back to the front page.
He sat in front of her desk with his legs spread and hands on his lap. His shuttered expression didn’t reveal if he was upset she had forgotten their scheduled meeting.
“Liquid lunch?” He indicated her fruit smoothie and snagged the newspaper off her desk.
“Didn’t have much of an appetite, I guess.” She sucked in her breath when he turned to the entertainment section. He wouldn’t miss the review about Svana’s Los Angeles show at the Staples Center, and her interview explaining her rise to fame again as Marella, including her success as the now out SM Vick.
He removed his gaze from the paper, as she continued holding her breath, waiting for him to comment on Svana. “Ready to go back to Reykjavik?”
She blinked and relaxed. She was more than happy to talk business. “My flight leaves tomorrow night. I’ll be in Reykjavik Saturday morning.” It would be her first time back in Iceland since February, although Omar had been there twice already.
“Good.” He nodded with a pleased grin. “I’ll join you in December, and then we’ll return here to celebrate Christmas and the New Year.
“And then I go back for another six months.” She leaned forward and dropped her hands on her desk. Her nervousness overshadowed her excitement. She wanted to prove she had the confidence and judiciousness to be in charge of the construction of the new hotel, right in the heart of downtown and a stone’s throw away from the Marina and the Harpa.
Her stomach twisted as she thought of Svana playing at the Harpa Saturday night. Their paths would probably cross at some point since Svana was back in Reykjavik. Even though she had resigned as CEO, she was still involved in some decisions concerning Landvik, or so Omar had mentioned many times since his returned to Los Angeles.
“I think the trip back to Reykjavik will do you good. Maybe you’ll eat solid food again instead of liquid substitutes.” He grimaced and reached for her bottle.
She scooped it up and threw it in the plastic garbage can. “If you’re insinuating I’ve been drinking on the job, let me tell you how—”
He slashed his arm in the air, silencing her. “I’m not accusing you of drinking. You haven’t been eating. And don’t think I haven’t noticed.” He bent forward with a proud but cross spark in his eyes. “I notice everything, especially when it comes to the people I love, meaning you.”
Her face warmed, and her irritation vanished. His support and encouragement had increased, pushing her to make more decisions and act on them for the good of the company. She could use the excuse she had been too busy to find the time to eat, but it would be a lie. Her appetite for food had been nonexistent, but she did hunger. She hated how she craved Svana more each day. But it wasn’t like she would call the woman out of the blue and asked for a booty call.
“I appreciate your concern, but don’t worry. I’ve just been busy with work.” She opened her drawer and produced a bag of trail mix. “I’ll munch on this.”
He rolled his eyes in disgust. “Not good enough. I’m taking you out to dinner tonight. No refusals.”
She swallowed a sigh. When he set his mind on something, he ran with it, even if she was against it. She hid her testiness and gave him her brightest smile.
“Sounds good.” She pulled some of the paperwork together they would go over. “Now, let’s discuss—”
“I saw Svana in Las Vegas last week. Did you know she had a show there?” he inserted.
She knew very well. She had read one of the online celebrity gossip websites reporting the three-day concert at one of the casinos and almost every waking moment of Svana’s time there.
“Your trip to Vegas was successful?” She’d get him to concentrate on business.
“Vegas is always successful to me in both professional and personal ways.” A shrewd smile appeared followed by him arching an eyebrow. “I told Svana I was in town, and she invited me to her show and then dinner. Just the two of us.”
Acid filtered up her throat and attacked the inside of her nose. He couldn’t be insinuating he and Svana…? She fisted her hands together, jabbing her nails into her palms. “You didn’t mention you met with her while you were there. You must have had a lot to talk about since it’s your first time seeing her in her Marella role and not as CEO.” He’d taken the news well about Svana stepping down. Under Konrad’s direction, things continued to run smoothly for both Landvik and Segal.
“We did have a lot to talk about. Mainly you.” His smile turned smug.
“Me?” she squeaked. “I assume it’s about my role as—”
“We did talk about your trip to Reykjavik and your role there, but it was more of a personal conversation,” he said, acting as if he discussed the weather instead of dropping a bombshell.
“I guess I made a good impression on her.” She snorted, knowing how much of an impression she had made, especially when it came to their few-day sexual affair that had left a lasting mark.
“You definitely did.” He sat up straighter and moved to the edge of his seat as if about to deliver some top-secret news. “She misses you and wants to see you.”
“Why don’t you come out and ask if I fucked her while I was on official business for Segal?”
“It’s none of my business what you did and with whom. You still did the job assigned to you in a satisfactory manner.” His face softened, along with his eyes. “It wasn’t just fucking with Svana.”
She sighed and fell back in her chair. “It’s more than that.”
He rapped the table with his fist. “You’re still hung up on her, and the same goes for her. That’s why I want you to see her while you’re in Reykjavik.”
“Is that an order?” She inserted an aloof tone in her voice. “You just said it wasn’t your business who I may or may not be fucking.”
“You’re not fucking around, and neither am I.” Unruffled by her attitude, he gave her a cat-that-ate-the-canary grin. “If you’re happy in your personal life, then it benefits our company and me. Before you went to Reykjavik and met Svana, you were running on fumes, still guilty over what happened a decade ago with Candice. Now your grief is still there, but it has changed because you let Svana go—”
She jumped up from her chair. “I didn’t let her go! She left me with one of her notes saying thanks for the fun time and maybe I’ll see you around.”
He stood up and took an envelope from inside his suit jacket. “For your peace of mind and sanity, and mine, so I don’t worry you’ll have another emotional breakdown like you did with Candice, see Svana for closure.” He set the envelope on her desk. “Saturday night, you’re going to her performance at the Harpa.”
She itched to pick up the envelope, but not in front of Omar, who was annoyingly arrogant, as if he knew all the answers to her problems. “What’s in the envelope?”
“A front row ticket.” He moved around the desk to her side, set his arm on her shoulders, and tucked her near. “Meet with Svana. I have a feeling she won’t leave you with a note saying see you later this time.”
“The first time I met her was as Marella,” she said, waiting for him to prod for more information.
“Did you like her more as Marella or Svana?”
“Both, because they’re the same person,” she said, dropping her head on his shoulder.
He kissed her hair. “Then you’ll have no problem reacquainting yourself with the woman in whichever persona she shows you.”
“I’ve seen both separately and then combined. She impressed me as both.” She rubbed his back and shifted out from under his arm.
“Just like a coin, we all have two sides.” He winced, and then a rueful smile appeared. “That sounds so corny.”
“Very philosophical, but yeah, perhaps corny.” She nudged him in the side with her elbow.
His cell rang, and he drew it out of his pocket. His brow knitted and his lips tightened as he read. “Let’s have our meeting an hour from now. I have to take care o
f something first.”
A sigh of relief left her mouth. She needed some alone time to digest his advice and her change in plans regarding Svana. She pulled out her chair to show she was going to sit. “Go take care of your call. I’ll be here waiting for you.”
He nodded as he typed something on his cell. “Okay.” When he reached the doorway, he glanced back at her. “Give my regards to Svana.”
She lifted the envelope from her desk, longing to tear it open and check her ticket. “Will do.”
With a satisfied nod, he rapped his fist on the doorjamb and left her office with his concentration back on his cell.
She opened the envelope and took out the ticket then swung her chair around to stare at her ocean view. The next view she admired from a window would be very different. Perhaps from Svana’s hot springs bath outside her house?
A throb increased between her legs as memories of that hot night filtered through her head. There was no use in denying it. She wanted to experience steamier baths during the cool Icelandic nights, but only with Svana.
***
Svana handed the bouquet of flowers to her assistant for the night as she thanked people for coming to the concert. Many packed the foyer, congratulating her and the other female artists she performed with. The sold-out show had been a great success. In a week, she would have another to celebrate her fortieth birthday.
Thoughts of her upcoming birthday made her lose her smile. But when she saw Konrad and Vala approaching, she found her happy place again and waved them to her.
“You’re incredible on stage!” Konrad kissed her cheek as he embraced her.
“It’s an amazing night. I’m still high on the rush of it all,” she said, hugging her brother close. She had just returned to Reykjavik a few days ago. It was the first time she’d seen Konrad in seven months. She had missed him even though they did communicate often through emails, phone calls, and Skype.
