by Rachel Lacey
“Everything okay over here?” Eve asked.
Josie nodded enthusiastically, waving a hand toward the woman Eve had hoped to ignore. “Actually, I wanted to introduce you to Jules.”
Reluctantly, Eve turned toward her with a polite smile, extending a hand. “Eve Marlow.”
Jules’s eyes widened as she took it and shook. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I love your show.”
“Thank you.”
“Jules named our kittens,” Josie told her. “And now she’s thinking of adopting a couple of them.”
“Oh?” Eve had to think for a moment to figure out what she was talking about. She’d forgotten all about Josie’s fundraiser to name the kittens. “That’s great.”
“Eve’s the one who found them in a trash can,” Josie told Jules. “And she raised them for the first week or so until I was able to take them in.”
“Wow,” Jules said. “I had no idea you’d found them. That’s so horrible. I can’t imagine how someone could throw them out like that.”
Eve nodded.
“Anyway, I hope you put up a new video of them soon,” Jules told Josie. “I’ll give you my number before I leave.” With a friendly wave, she picked up her drink and went to join several other women at one of the high-top tables along the wall.
“Isn’t that cool?” Josie said, pulling out a cloth to wipe down the bar. “I hope it works out for her to adopt them.”
“Yes.” Eve drummed her fingers against the smooth wood, not particularly thrilled by the idea of the kittens going home with Jules or about Jules giving Josie her number, however petty that was of her.
“Want something to drink?”
“Just water,” Eve said. “I’m working.”
“Gotcha.” Josie grabbed a glass and filled it, plunking it down in front of her. “How do you think things are going so far?”
“Really well.” She swallowed some water and set down the glass. “Turnout has been good, and your guests all seem to be enjoying themselves.”
“Are you?” Josie asked, leaning closer. “Enjoying yourself?”
“I’m working.”
Josie rolled her eyes playfully. “Yes, I can tell. Are you guys going to be filming all night?”
“No. When the crew gets back from their break, I want to get some footage on the rooftop, and then I’ll interview you if you’re not too busy. That should pretty much do it. We’ll get out of your hair.”
“Or,” Josie said, eyes narrowing. “You could stick around, drink something stronger than water, and have some fun.”
“I could,” Eve agreed, meeting her eyes. “We’ll see how the evening goes.”
Josie leaned even closer. “Anything I can do to help sway your decision?”
Don’t take that woman’s number. But she’d never say it out loud, because it was a ridiculous request. A ridiculous thought, even. She wasn’t interested in more than a night with Josie, if they even made it that far. Which meant Josie was free to get anyone’s number that she wanted to. Eve darted a glance toward the far wall to see Jules deep in conversation with her friends.
“Oh my God,” Josie whispered. “Are you jealous?”
“What?” Eve picked up her glass and took another swallow. “Of course not. I don’t care if you take her number.”
“It’s so I can contact her about adopting the kittens,” Josie said, grinning. “Not for me to ask her out.”
“I don’t care what you do with it,” Eve insisted.
“Yes, you do.” Josie looked delighted. “You’re jealous.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
“If you only knew,” Josie said quietly, biting her lip as her gaze raked over Eve’s body. She felt it like a physical touch, heat blazing everywhere Josie looked, burning her beneath her dress.
“I’ll come back in a little while with the camera crew for your interview,” Eve said, turning away before things got any more out of hand. “Thanks for the water.”
“Oh my God, I’m so tired.” Josie resisted the urge to rub at her stinging eyes.
“No kidding,” Adam agreed, resting his elbows on the bar. “I feel like I just ran a marathon, or at least what I imagine that feels like.”
She laughed quietly. It was past three, and the crowd had finally thinned. The Do Over crew had gone home hours ago, except for Eve, who lingered at the end of the bar, sipping whiskey and talking with a couple of men Josie didn’t recognize. The camera seekers were long gone, as well as her Aunt Cecily, leaving behind a crowd that felt more like the one Josie hoped to attract after tonight.
“Can you hold down the fort for me for a few minutes while I go upstairs and feed the kittens?” she asked Adam.
“You bet.” He waved her off, turning his attention to their remaining customers.
Josie went upstairs and let herself into her apartment. Working a long shift was nothing new, but she hadn’t served a packed house in a long time. And it was even more draining, having the camera crew around. Her cheeks hurt from so much smiling. A few minutes alone with her theater kittens was exactly what she needed.
She stopped in the kitchen to prepare their bottles before settling herself on the floor beside their playpen. Eve had done their last feeding while Josie was busy downstairs, and there was her neat handwriting on the feeding chart, indicating how much each kitten had eaten. Kaia’s swirly script was above Eve’s, and Josie was so grateful to them both for stepping in to help her tonight. It took a village to raise these tiny creatures.
“I met someone tonight who wants to adopt you,” Josie said as she lifted Phantom into her lap, stroking him gently until he woke, stretching, blue eyes blinking up at her from his fluffy black face.
Nigel stalked by, giving her a haughty look for checking on the kittens without greeting him first. He was always great with her foster babies, though, once they were old enough to leave their playpen and romp around the apartment with him. He was like the cool older brother, showing them all the best playground hacks while he feigned annoyance when they tackled him and batted at his tail.
“Get over here, you,” she said, extending a hand in his direction, and he walked over, purring as she gave him a neck rub. “You know you’re my boy. The little ones are only temporary.”
It was a tough but necessary rule for any animal rescuer. If she kept the kittens she saved, she wouldn’t have room to save more. But she loved helping them find perfect homes. She still had to vet Jules as an adopter, but her gut said whichever kitten or kittens she adopted would be lucky to have her.
Josie fed the remaining kittens as quickly as she could without rushing them. Then, she hurried downstairs to rejoin Adam behind the bar. They poured more drinks, and for the first time in weeks—maybe months—she had enough customers to warrant last call.
She walked over to Eve, who was sitting by herself now, still sipping whiskey as she looked at something on her phone. “You’re still here.”
Eve looked up. Something in her had softened over the course of the evening as her camera-ready makeup wore off, exposing the woman Josie had gotten to know over the last two weeks. “Thought I should stick around in case anything went wrong.”
“Is that so?” Josie cocked a hip against the bar.
“Who’s going to help you break up the next bar fight?” she said, lips curving into a sardonic smile.
“Somehow, I don’t think this group is the fighting type.” Josie swept her gaze around the bar. Two women were kissing in the back, while a couple of men slow danced together on an imaginary dance floor in the center of the room. She never would have imagined turning this place into a gay bar. She’d balked at the idea when Eve first presented it to her. But now that she was standing here looking at the results? “Thank you for pushing me on this and for having the vision to see it in the first place.”
“You’re welcome.”
“We’re closing in a few minutes.”
“I know,” Eve said, draining the last of her whiskey.
“I won’t.”
Josie cleaned up behind the bar, a ritual she’d completed a thousand times. Tonight, she had Adam at her side, watching and helping, learning what needed to be done. She wished her last customers good night as they headed out into the night.
“We’ll be back,” one of the men told her, pulling her in for an impulsive hug. “This is exactly the kind of place I’ve always wanted to see in this neighborhood.”
“I’m so glad,” she told him, feeling the prick of tears behind her eyes.
Elizabeth came down from the rooftop. They finished closing up together, and more hugs were exchanged before she sent Elizabeth and Adam home. And then she was standing in the middle of her empty bar, this brand-new space that already felt like home in a way Swanson’s never had.
And she wasn’t alone. Eve rose quietly from her barstool, walking over to join Josie in the center of the room. Music still played over the sound system, an instrumental version of one of Josie’s favorite pop tunes. In the sudden absence of conversation, the music seemed much louder.
“Okay?” Eve asked quietly, reaching out to brush the tears from Josie’s cheeks. She hadn’t even realized they were there until Eve’s fingers were rubbing them away.
She nodded, blinking as more tears fell. “Really okay. Better than okay.”
“Good.”
Josie wrapped her arms around Eve, hugging her tightly. Cheek to cheek, they held on to each other, swaying to the rhythm of the music. Josie hadn’t had any alcohol tonight except for that one shot Adam had given her twelve hours ago, but her head was spinning, drunk off the euphoria of a successful night, the aftereffects of the adrenaline that had fueled her through her shift, and the woman in her arms.
Eve sighed, and Josie felt the tension go out of her spine as she settled closer against her, relaxing into their embrace. She felt so small in Josie’s arms. So petite. So…mortal. She’d been this larger-than-life presence all night, effortlessly and tirelessly managing the Do Over crew while she mingled with customers, interviewing them and answering their questions about the bar. Eve Marlow, business mogul, television host, all-around badass.
Right now, she was just Eve. Josie trailed her fingers up and down her spine, rewarded by a shiver and a hitch in her breath. Eve turned her face, lips pressed to Josie’s cheek.
“Eve,” she whispered, arms tightening around her. “You’re fired.”
“What?” Eve drew back to meet her eyes, confusion etched between her brows.
“The Do Over contract is complete, right?”
Eve nodded.
“So I’m firing you from that consultation period you mentioned. I’ll hire you again on Monday, which leaves us free to do whatever the fuck we want to this weekend. Deal?”
“That’s warped logic if ever I heard it,” Eve said, but her pupils were blown with lust, chest heaving against Josie’s.
“Come upstairs with me.” She brushed her lips against Eve’s. “Spend the night in my bed.”
“It’s almost five a.m.,” Eve whispered, eyes sliding shut.
“Then spend the morning with me.” She kissed her again, more urgently this time, tasting the whiskey on Eve’s lips. “Please.”
Her hands fisted in the back of Josie’s T-shirt as she yanked their bodies together. “Yes.”
17
They were surprisingly civilized as they climbed the stairs to Josie’s apartment, Eve’s heels echoing through the building with each step. Josie opened the door, gesturing Eve in ahead of her. She stepped into Josie’s living room, eyes tracking automatically to the kittens in the playpen by the couch. They were—thankfully—asleep.
She turned toward Josie, and for a moment, they just stared at each other. Eve searched her lust-drunk mind for a reason not to do this, a glimmer of sanity to remind herself that—no matter what Josie had said downstairs—Eve would still be advising her over the next few weeks and ought to keep her hands to herself.
But she didn’t want to keep her hands to herself. She wanted them all over Josie’s beautiful body. She wanted to kiss her until her lungs screamed for oxygen, fuck her until she couldn’t walk, drink her in until her thirst for all things Josie had been quenched.
“Get over here and kiss me,” Josie said, licking her lips so that they glistened in the muted light from the lamp in the living room.
Eve stepped forward, hands sliding into the purple depths of Josie’s hair as she brought their lips together. Josie opened to her, mouths meeting messily as they dove headlong into the kind of kiss there was no pulling back from, the kind of kiss that had Eve’s blood pumping hot and fast, need throbbing between her legs, her body screaming to be touched.
In her heels, she and Josie were about the same height, and she leveraged it to her advantage as she wedged a thigh between Josie’s, fitting their bodies together. Josie rolled her hips, gasping into Eve’s mouth, palms against Eve’s back as she pressed them closer together.
Yes. Eve tilted her hips, thrilled by the scrape of Josie’s jeans against her bare thighs. They kissed, bodies moving, hands groping, hips rocking, until Eve’s breath came in ragged gasps, knees shaking from the energy building inside her.
“This dress,” Josie whispered, fingers toying with the clasp at the top of the zipper.
“You like it?” Eve arched her back, pressing her breasts into Josie’s hands.
“I’ve been dying to touch it all night.” She moved the zipper down a few inches and back up, the hiss of metal on metal the only sound in the room. “Wondering if this was a real zipper, if I could just pull it down and…unzip you.”
Eve’s pulse skyrocketed as she watched. “It’s real.”
“So I see.” Josie inched it down until Eve’s breasts spilled from the bodice of the dress, revealing the top edge of her bra. Behind them, a kitten mewled, and Josie smiled, tugging the zipper back up. “Come on.”
She took Eve’s hand, leading her into the bedroom. As soon as they stepped into the darkened room, they were on each other again, kissing and groping, bodies pressed together. “Eve,” Josie gasped, head lolling back as Eve sucked at a sensitive spot below her ear.
She pressed her tongue against Josie’s racing pulse as her hands slid beneath the hem of her T-shirt, skimming over her hot skin before lifting the shirt. Josie pulled back long enough to tug it over her head, tossing it to the floor.
Eve blinked, but it was too dark in Josie’s bedroom to see a damn thing. And she wanted to. She wanted to see and remember every detail. She fumbled behind her for the lamp on the dresser and switched it on, illuminating the bedroom in its soft glow.
Josie blinked at her owlishly. “You like to watch, hm?”
She gazed appreciatively at Josie’s black satin bra. “I want to see every inch of you.”
“And it would be a shame for me not to see what’s underneath this dress.” She tugged at the zipper again, drawing it down a few inches.
Eve went for the button of her jeans, popping it open and lowering her zipper, a much shorter journey than the one on her dress. She pushed at the denim, and Josie helped her out, wiggling the jeans over her hips and down her legs so she could step out of them, leaving her in matching black boy-shorts.
Eve cupped Josie’s breasts over her bra, so much fuller and heavier than her own. Josie bit her lip as she watched, nipples pebbling through the satin. Then Josie was reaching for her again, one hand going to the zipper of her dress. She lowered it at a maddening pace, so slow Eve thought she could hear each individual metal tooth slide through the mechanism that released it.
The dress gaped open, revealing her black lace bra. Josie sucked in a breath, cheeks flushed as her gaze followed the zipper’s journey. Eve focused on her own breathing, pulling air in and out of her lungs as Josie’s knuckles grazed her skin, shooting sparks through her body.
>
“Fuck me,” Josie whispered as the zipper purred past Eve’s hips and kept going, releasing the bottom of the dress with a gasp and a metallic clink. Cool air kissed her newly bare skin, and she shivered, letting the dress slip from her shoulders like a cape. It puddled at her feet, leaving her standing before Josie in nothing but black lace.
“That is the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen,” Josie said reverently.
Eve reached for her, bringing their bodies together as she stepped out of her heels, relinquishing the height advantage to Josie. Her hands slid over Eve’s bare skin, fingers teasing the edge of her thong. Eve squeezed her eyes shut, silently urging her on. Josie’s fingers skimmed over her, stroking her through the lace, and Eve couldn’t contain the needy gasp that escaped her lips, although she was able to restrain herself from grinding against Josie’s hand.
And then, Josie’s fingers were gone. Apparently, she was a woman who liked to take things slow, liked to touch and tease for as long as either of them could stand it, but Eve couldn’t wait, not tonight. She’d let herself go too long without this, and now that she was in Josie’s bedroom, her patience was running short. Their chemistry was stronger than anything she’d felt in years, and she was so turned on right now, she could hardly stand it.
She pushed Josie onto the bed, straddling her. Their hips rocked together, and she gasped in relief to finally have some friction against her clit. Below her, Josie flung her head against the pillow, lavender hair everywhere, so beautiful, she took Eve’s breath away. So beautiful, she stilled her hips, stopping before she’d found release. Not like this. Not with Josie.
Eve didn’t always undress all the way for sex, preferring to keep things as impersonal as possible, but that wasn’t an option tonight. This was personal. Deeply personal. And Josie deserved more than Eve grinding against her until they’d found release, and then heading for the door. Josie deserved everything, so much more than Eve could give her. But she could give her this night.
She ignored the desperate throbbing in her core, pressing her thighs together as she helped Josie slide out of her bra and panties. “So worth turning the light on for,” Eve murmured as she dipped her head to take one of Josie’s perfect rosy nipples into her mouth.
