Don't Cry for Me

by Rachel Lacey

  Josie lifted her head, a giddy smile on her face. And then she was leading Eve back to the dance floor. With the added fuel of the mojitos driving them, they danced and danced, sometimes kissing, sometimes twirling and dipping each other, until Eve was smiling and laughing almost as much as Josie. Her heart felt light, which was mostly due to the flame-haired pixie in her arms, but also partly attributable to the alcohol swimming in her veins. Combined, she didn’t stand a chance.

  Josie checked the time on her phone. “About an hour until the kittens need to be fed,” she said, loudly enough for Eve to hear her over the music.

  Kittens. Right. Over the past week, Eve had finally gotten them out of her system, had quit thinking about feedings and schedules and weight gain. That was Josie’s responsibility now, one she’d never shirk, no matter how much fun she was having.

  “One more dance,” Josie said, hands going to Eve’s hips.

  “Two if we take an Uber.”

  “You’re on,” she said happily, hips already moving to the beat.

  They grooved together, bodies swaying in unison, mouths meeting in a never-ending kiss as one song became two and then three, before Josie finally pulled back, a kaleidoscope of disco lights dancing in her eyes. “Come back to my place?”

  As if there had been any doubt. “Yes.”

  Josie smiled as she led the way outside. Eve pulled up the app on her phone and requested a car, which would be there in two minutes. Night air washed over her skin, refreshing and cool. The city felt strangely quiet after the noise of the club. She and Josie stood close, just enjoying each other’s presence as they waited for the Uber to arrive. Eve’s ears were ringing from the music, her head swimming slightly from too much to drink.

  “Thank you for tonight,” Josie said quietly. “I really needed that.”

  Eve nodded. She’d had fun tonight too. Their car arrived, and they slipped into the backseat together, mostly quiet on the ride home. Josie asked their driver to let them out behind her building. She unlocked the back door and ushered Eve in ahead of her.

  It had been a full week since she’d been up these stairs, a week since she’d been inside Josie’s apartment, and it felt as foreign as it did familiar, like a comforting habit she’d been denied in the interim.

  Inside, Josie pressed her against the wall, kissing her with an intensity that put the rest of the evening to shame, tongue delving into Eve’s mouth as the desire that had been simmering between them all evening went up in flames.

  “They’re still asleep,” Josie whispered against her lips. “We’ve got at least fifteen minutes, could probably make it thirty if we don’t wake them.”

  “I like a good challenge,” Eve whispered back.

  Then they were stumbling into the bedroom, fumbling with clothes, shoving down zippers and pushing up shirts. Finally, they were naked, bodies pressed together and hands groping as they kissed desperately. Eve could feel that she was already drenched in her own desire.

  She pushed a hand between Josie’s thighs, finding her just as wet, making her gasp at the contact. Her hips began to rock, meeting the movements of Eve’s fingers, and then she was touching Eve back, completely scrambling her lust and alcohol-riddled brain. They moved together messily, hips rocking in a rhythm not unlike the one they’d shared on the dance floor as they drove each other toward release.

  “Fuck,” Josie gasped, head falling against Eve’s neck, hips jerking as she sought more.

  Eve moved her fingers harder and faster, giving Josie what she needed. She squeezed her eyes shut to keep the room from spinning, concentrating on keeping her shaky knees upright. Josie broke first, her cry muffled against Eve’s shoulder as she came, her pussy fluttering around Eve’s fingers. It was almost enough to send Eve over the edge with her…almost. She teetered on the precipice of release, her body coiled tight, every cell supercharged with energy, all centered in the throbbing need between her legs.

  Josie lifted her head, a wicked smile dancing in her eyes as she moved her hands to Eve’s hips. And she could hardly breathe as her body begged, screamed for Josie’s touch. Josie dropped to her knees, still gripping Eve’s hips firmly, holding her where she wanted her as she covered her with her mouth, and oh God, Eve couldn’t contain the needy cry that escaped her lips. Josie’s tongue swirled around her clit, so hot, so wet…

  Eve saw stars behind her eyelids, her whole world distilled to the magic of Josie’s perfect mouth. She felt herself swaying, and then she was flat on her back on Josie’s bed, hips still moving, hands threaded deeply in Josie’s hair.

  Oh God. Yes.

  She gasped, so exquisitely aroused, the world could have been ending, and she wouldn’t have noticed. Her body ignited as Josie increased the suction of her mouth, pushing two fingers inside her. She curved them forward, hitting Eve’s G-spot, and that did it. She tumbled headfirst into one of the most intense orgasms of her life, release rushing through her in sizzling waves.

  Josie sat back, wiping her mouth against the back of her hand as she met Eve’s gaze. Wow. Eve just lay there, panting as aftershocks of pleasure fizzed in her blood.

  Josie slid in beside her as they caught their breath. Then she sat up, tugging at Eve’s hand, dragging her toward the bathroom. She turned on the shower, drawing Eve’s attention to the fact they were a sticky, sweaty mess. They stepped into a quick shower, rinsing the sweat and sex from their bodies.

  Afterward, Eve accepted a T-shirt from Josie and followed her to the kitchen. She filled a much-needed glass of water as Josie began heating formula. Eve drained her glass and glanced into the living room, where four small faces stared back.

  “Holy shit.” She set her glass down so hard, it almost shattered against the counter.

  Josie followed her gaze with a laugh. “They’ve grown since the last time you saw them, haven’t they?”

  These…did not look like the same kittens. They were alert in a way Eve had never seen. She walked into the living room as four pairs of eyes tracked her, tiny bodies jumping around inside the playpen. Crouching, she lifted Blanche, hardly able to believe how big she’d gotten in the week since Eve saw her last. She rubbed the kitten behind her ears, and Blanche nuzzled her face against the fabric of Eve’s T-shirt, a tiny rumble vibrating out of her.

  “Oh my God.” Eve glanced over as Josie walked into the living room with bottles. “She’s purring.”

  “Yes, she’s a big girl who can purr now. And she likes you,” Josie said with a satisfied smile.

  “I smell like you,” Eve said quietly, looking down at the T-shirt Blanche was kneading with her tiny paws.

  “Give her some credit,” Josie said, handing Eve a bottle. “And give yourself a little credit. You’ve been there for her since she was a newborn. She associates you with safety and comfort.”

  “She can’t possibly remember that I’m the one who saved her,” Eve said, positioning Blanche to accept her bottle.

  “No, she doesn’t, but she certainly remembers your voice and your scent from those early days.”

  “That’s ridiculous.” Eve refused to believe it. Blanche had been too little. They all had been. And they’d spent so much more time with Josie now. They probably didn’t remember Eve at all. She was just another warm body…wearing a shirt that smelled like Josie.

  Blanche finished her bottle—a much larger bottle than the last one Eve had given her—and looked up at Eve, meowing loudly. Eve reached for a paper towel to stimulate her to pee, at the same time noticing the litter box in the playpen. They couldn’t have changed that much in a week, could they?

  “You should still stimulate her,” Josie said with a laugh, noticing her confusion, “but they’re learning to use the litter box too.”

  “Wow.”

  “They grow fast.”

  “I guess so,” Eve said as she finished up with Blanche, who was attempting to hop off her lap and run around the apartment.

  “You can put her down if you want,” Josie said. “The
y like to explore.”

  Eve set Blanche on the floor, where she proceeded to roll belly up, wrestling with Eve’s bare toes, gripping them with her front paws while her back paws kicked furiously. “Ouch,” she said, prying the kitten off her foot.

  Nigel strolled through the room, and Blanche launched herself at him, grabbing at his tail like it was a toy. He gave her an annoyed look before turning his amber eyes on Eve.

  “Why does he always stare at me like that?”

  Josie laughed. “Cats do that. He’s just curious about you.”

  “I don’t like it,” she confessed.

  “Aw,” Josie said, nudging her with an elbow. “Pet him. Talk to him. Get to know him, and then he won’t feel like you’re a stranger in his home that he needs to keep an eye on.”

  “Hm.” She slid a look in Nigel’s direction, too tired—and tipsy—to sort it out tonight.

  She and Josie fed the other two kittens and spent a few minutes playing with all of them before putting them in the playpen. They cleaned up their feeding supplies and returned to the bedroom, where they crawled between the sheets together, facing each other in the darkness, arms and legs entwined. Eve breathed in the comfort and closeness between them, feeling it fill something inside her that had been empty since the last time she slept in Josie’s bed.

  “You should adopt Blanche,” Josie whispered, fingers trailing sleepily through Eve’s hair.

  “I don’t want a cat,” she responded automatically, but as she closed her eyes, she imagined having Blanche there when she got home at the end of a long day. Cats were pretty self-sufficient once they were grown. It wouldn’t require her to change her schedule or shorten her work hours. Did her building even allow pets? She had no idea. She’d never asked, had never cared.

  How long did cats live? Not very long, probably. In the end, it would be something else for her to outlive, something else for her to mourn, and while it didn’t compare to burying her wife and daughter or being forced to walk away from her entire family, why should she set herself up to go through that kind of pain again?

  She didn’t need a cat. She was better off on her own.

  23

  “You look like you had a late night.”

  Josie glanced at Lauren, her weeknight bartender, not even trying to hide her smile. “I did.”

  “Girlfriend?” Lauren asked as she bent to unload the dishwasher, stacking clean glasses on the shelf behind the bar.

  “More casual than that,” Josie said, knowing instinctively that Eve would balk at the term. Josie hadn’t been looking for a girlfriend either, not while she was so busy getting Dragonfly off the ground, but when she spent half her waking hours thinking and daydreaming about Eve, it was hard to imagine calling her anything else. This was certainly more than a casual hookup, no matter their original intention.

  “Well, good for you,” Lauren said. “If she’s keeping you up late enough to cause those shadows under your eyes, it must be pretty hot.”

  “Yeah, it is,” Josie admitted, feeling her cheeks heat at the admission.

  “Okay, I’m jealous,” Lauren said. “Do I know her?”

  “No,” Josie lied, because the whole staff had met Eve, and she’d been very clear that she didn’t want that fact getting around.

  “Well, if she comes in here, point her out to me,” Lauren said with a conspiratorial grin. “I’d love to meet the woman who put such a smile on your face today.”

  Josie laughed. “Will do.”

  And then, because she couldn’t help herself, she pulled out her phone and composed a text. I can’t wait until next Monday to see you again.

  Eve responded almost immediately. No?

  No.

  What do you propose we do about that? Eve asked.

  By now, Josie was grinning like an idiot, and she didn’t even care. Come in for a drink?

  It would have to be just that…a drink. I can’t hang around until the bar closes on a weeknight. My workday starts a lot earlier than yours.

  I’m sorry, Josie replied. I hate our opposite schedules. I wish I knew how to fix it. But please, at least come in for a drink.

  We’ll see, Eve responded. No promises.

  It would have to do…for now. At the moment, even seeing Eve for a few minutes while she drank a beer sounded like time well spent. Josie enjoyed seeing her, talking to her, sleeping beside her, going places with her. Hell, she enjoyed just being in the same room with her. Girlfriend indeed. Shit. She was falling for Eve, hard and fast.

  But was Eve feeling the same way?

  As it turned out, she didn’t stop by for a drink after work. Josie didn’t see or hear from her again until she arrived on Wednesday afternoon for their scheduled marketing meeting, the last consultation covered under her contract with Do Over. They sat together in Josie’s office, going over numbers while Eve offered advice and suggestions.

  “You’re ahead of my predicted profit margin for your second week in operation,” Eve said, bringing up a graph on her laptop.

  Josie leaned closer, as much to see the numbers as to catch a whiff of Eve’s perfume. “That would be a first for me.”

  Eve glanced at her with a small smile. “Well, hopefully you’re in for a lot of pleasant ‘firsts’ with Dragonfly. Our paid advertising will stop running on Friday, but your ads are performing well. And I expect you’ll see another jump in business after your episode airs, which is only a little over a month away.”

  “Yeah. Wow.” She was going to be on national television. Her bar was going to be on national television. “My dad would have been so stoked. I mean, he never would have let Swanson’s become such a disaster that it qualified for your show, but he would have been absolutely beside himself to see his bar on TV. My whole family is going to freak out.”

  “Your family?” Eve asked, a curiosity in her eyes that had nothing to do with her job and everything to do with her relationship with Josie.

  “Aunts, uncles, cousins. They don’t live here in the city, so I don’t see them as often. Holidays and birthdays, mostly. You know how it is.” She glanced over at Eve and saw the stricken look on her face. Shit. “Don’t you keep in touch with anyone in your family?”

  She looked away. “No.”

  “Dammit, I’m sorry. Are they all just a bunch of homophobic assholes or what?”

  “My parents are, anyway,” Eve said with a shrug. “I thought I might hear from some of my other relatives after I left, that someone might reach out, or even that my parents might come to their senses once they realized what they’d done.”

  “What did they do, exactly?” Josie asked, one hand resting on Eve’s thigh. To hell with this being a business meeting. The woman she cared about needed comfort right now, dammit.

  “They said I was no longer welcome in their home.”

  “And how old were you?”

  “Twenty-two,” Eve said. “I’d just graduated from college.”

  Dear God, Eve’s parents had missed out on her entire adult life? Josie missed her parents every single day. Mostly, she missed her dad. Her mom had been gone so long, she barely remembered her. If anything, she missed the idea of having a mother. But to know that her parents were out there, living their lives and pretending she didn’t exist? She couldn’t even begin to imagine what that was like. “I’m so sorry.”

  “It’s been thirteen years,” Eve said with a stiff-shouldered shrug. “At this point, I think it’s safe to say they’re not going to have a change of heart.”

  “Well, that’s their loss, then,” Josie said, pulling her in for a fierce hug. Eve hugged her back, just for a moment, before pulling free. “I hope someday they’re filled with regret for losing the chance to have you in their lives.”

  “I’m not holding my breath.” Eve gestured to her laptop. “Back on topic, this is ordinarily the point in our last consult where I’d offer my services so you could hire me through Marlow Marketing to continue working toward Dragonfly’s success, but all things co
nsidered, I don’t think that would be appropriate in this case.”

  Josie sat up straighter in her chair. “You’re dumping me as a client because we’re sleeping together?”

  “No,” Eve said quietly as she shut her laptop. “I’m just declining to let you hire me.”

  “Isn’t that the same thing?”

  “Not if I offer you unofficial marketing advice for free.”

  “Wait a damn minute,” Josie stood, arms crossed over her chest. “I don’t want your advice for free. That’s not fair to you, and it makes me feel shitty.”

  “Taking your money while I’m sleeping with you would be even shittier,” Eve countered. “I don’t need the money.” She raised her eyebrows for emphasis. “I have a full client list already.”

  Josie narrowed her eyes at her. “Well, I just…”

  “Take my unofficial free advice, or don’t. It’s your choice,” Eve said with an air of finality, indicating the matter was not up for debate as she packed her briefcase and turned to face Josie. “Or, I suppose, we could just go back to being business associates.”

  “Hell, no,” Josie said automatically.

  As she looked past her discomfort with taking Eve’s advice for free, she saw that Eve was offering a way for them to keep seeing each other, a way around her rule about not mixing business with pleasure. And after learning that Eve’s entire family had turned their backs on her, knowing she’d rebounded from that only to lose Lisa too…well, it put into perspective why Eve had built such a fortress around her heart. And if she was offering even a teeny, tiny part of it to Josie now, she was going to grab hold of it and treasure it with every fiber of her being.

  She sucked in a deep breath. “I’ll take your unofficial help, but don’t put yourself out on my account. If you’re too busy, or too tired, or too anything, focus on your paying clients, okay?”

  “Fair enough,” Eve said with a brisk nod.

  Josie leaned in to kiss her, hoping that brief brush of her lips against Eve’s conveyed the depth of emotion she felt. “Thank you.”