The Meant to Be Collection

by Claire Highton-Stevenson

  Brooke watched from the window as Robin skipped down the short path that would lead to the pavement. Her eyes followed her all the way down the road to the corner, where Yasmeen Khan’s car pulled up and Robin climbed in beside her best friend Jas.

  Brooke turned back to the small table and blew out a breath. They really did need to get some kind of rota together. There was no way she was going to be able to live with this teenage mess for much longer. Checking her watch, it was 8.15 a.m. Three hours to get the flat shipshape and spotless before she would allow herself some fresh air.

  But first, she would drink her tea. She grabbed her phone and flicked through a few apps. The news was miserable as usual. When she got to her text messages though, a small smile spread across her face.

  She didn’t recognise the number, but the message was clear.

  Unknown number: Hi, this is Catherine. I am tied up all day today, but should be free this weekend.

  Brooke smiled and fired off a reply.

  Brooke: Hey, how does Saturday sound?

  Chapter Three

  80s music blared out from Brooke’s room that Saturday afternoon. Her bed was covered in the clothes that she had tried on and then discarded.

  She checked herself in the mirror for what felt like the hundredth time, pulling at the shirt she was hoping would work for her date tonight. Huffing, she grabbed the hem and ripped it off over her head, adding it to the pile before grabbing another from her wardrobe and pulling it on.

  She was about to rip this one off too when the music from the radio was turned down. Turning, she found Robin in the room. “Got a date?” she asked, smiling at her big sister.

  Coyishly, Brooke nodded. “Yeah.”

  Robin sat down on the edge of the bed. “You should wear that one,” she said, denoting the tartan design Brooke now wore.

  “Ya think? I dunno, she’s kind of classy.”

  Robin raised a brow and laughed.

  “What?” Brooke grinned. “I can do classy.” She turned back to the mirror and grimaced. “You really think I should wear this?”

  Robin nodded. “Yep, you look cute.” She jumped up from the bed. “I’m going over to Jas’s. Mrs Khan is cooking chickpea curry and I have dibs on a bowlful.”

  “Damn, I always miss out.” Brooke joked. “I’ll pick you up tomorrow at 11.”

  “Alright.” she leant in and kissed Brooke’s cheek. “But don’t come home early on my accord.” The smirk she gave was just like their dad looking back at her. “You might as well enjoy yourself, and don’t forget you have to prepare for that interview on Monday.”

  ~FI~

  Catherine had spent the best part of the day planning for this evening. She stepped out of work mode the minute she left the office on Friday afternoon, but it always took a few hours to just relax and remind herself that weekends were for fun. One on one, she could handle, but group settings put her on edge. A consequence of being Specky Four-Eyes at school. Subsequent laser treatment had put that option for name-calling to bed once and for all, but she had never forgotten it. The way they would surround her and taunt her. She shivered just thinking about it.

  As she grew and developed her own sense of self-worth, she also became more confident. She could turn on the charm just as easily as she could turn on the ice queen. With Brooke, she hadn’t felt on edge for a moment. In fact, that night had been the most comfortable Catherine had ever felt with another person.

  She hadn’t spotted the brunette yet, and Brooke took the opportunity to observe her. Catherine had her hair down this time. A slight curl meant that the light bounced off and made it appear as though it were dancing. She must have felt eyes on her because she turned slightly and glanced right at Brooke, her lips curving into a smile instantly.

  Catherine felt her insides flip at the sight of Brooke as she made the universal signal of pretending to hold a drink, while tilting her hand and mouthing, “Do you want a drink?”

  Even from across the room, Brooke could not ignore how captivating the blonde was as she nodded. With Brooke busy at the bar, Catherine quickly checked her make-up, running her little finger around the corners of her mouth to remove lipstick residue. Why was she so nervous? Good nervous, of course. She felt giddy and thrilled. Could Brooke be the one? There hadn’t been anyone serious since Penny. She forced that thought from her mind. The last thing she needed now was an image of Penny as she packed her desk and left the office, smirking that she had won some kind of battle Catherine had never wanted to wage.

  She watched as Brooke made her way over with drinks in hand, dodging between revellers and people dancing. At one point someone almost knocked her over, but she kept her balance, laughing it off as the man apologised for his exuberance.

  “Hey.” Brooke grinned again, placing Catherine’s drink down in front of her. “You look…amazing.” Brooke’s dark eyes wandered the expanse of skin on display before settling on sparkling hazel eyes. Catherine had gone rather risqué in her choice of outfit for the night. She was 42 years old, but that didn’t mean she had to dress like her mother did at that age, and if she was honest, she had plans for staying out all night. So, the burgundy camisole with thin straps that made it obvious she wasn’t wearing a bra felt the most natural choice. Noticing Brooke’s subtle glance at her chest only boosted her confidence in pulling it off.

  Catherine’s head tilted while she considered the compliment. “Thank you. You look rather dashing yourself.”

  “I thought I should make an effort.” Brooke took a seat next to her. Thighs touched as she leaned in and placed a chaste kiss against Catherine’s cheek.

  “Oh, are we not a little further along than that?” Confidently Catherine teased, her palm reaching up to caress a lightly tanned cheek as she brought their lips together for an easygoing kiss. Despite the music and noise surrounding them, Brooke heard quite clearly the soft sigh emitted by Catherine, and it moved the butterflies in her stomach into another tumble of arousal.

  The kiss broke naturally, both women smiling into the last mutual caress of lips, but they didn’t move apart. “That was a much nicer greeting.”

  “You’re right. I didn’t want to take liberties and assume…”

  Catherine’s palm slid effortlessly into Brooke’s lap, finding her hand and interlocking their fingers. “You can take liberties with me anytime.” She smirked and raised a brow playfully. Lips met again, a scorching kiss this time, one that built with quiet passion and threatened to cause embarrassment in public. “In fact, later, I am counting on it.”

  The night was fun. Kissing interspersed with dancing, more kissing, and drinking. There was laughter, teasing, a whole heap of flirting, and Catherine was enthralled. The club was packed. The night for many still had several hours of dancing ahead, but Catherine was done with it. She had other plans for the night ahead, if Brooke was up for it. “Let’s get out of here,” she said against Brooke’s ear.

  The younger woman nodded and let herself be led by the hand as Catherine squeezed them through the throng and out onto the street.

  The night air was definitely changing from autumn to winter. You could smell it in the air, the way winter begins to lay its cold blanket down. The warm glow of the alcohol soon wore off and Catherine shivered. She had chosen to wear a flimsy coat that went with her outfit rather than avoid the potential hyperthermia on offer. Brooke shrugged her jacket off and hung it around her shoulders, pulling her into a tight hug in order to warm her.

  “Take me home,” the blonde whispered against her mouth, smiling into the kiss that followed.

  “Alright.”

  ~FI~

  Brooke unlocked the door, holding it open as Catherine slipped through. She smiled as she passed into the hallway. The small flat was everything Catherine assumed it would be: homely and warm, without being overly personal. She wandered into the living room and picked up a photo frame: Brooke in full uniform. While she entertained herself, Brooke entered the small kitchen off to the side. Ope
ning the fridge door, she grabbed two bottles from the shelf and used the bottle opener to flick the caps off. She glanced around quickly, thankful that Robin hadn’t left any mess before she went over to Jas’s place.

  She took a swig from one bottle as she strolled back out and into the lounge, almost spraying the beer out of her mouth when she came face to face with Catherine.

  In the centre of the room, in the middle of a pile of discarded clothes, Catherine stood in just her underwear and heels. Unashamed and unabashed, she strode purposefully towards Brooke. She took both bottles from her, placing one down on the table before taking a swig from the one Brooke had been drinking from. Then she placed that one down too, still smirking, as she leaned in and kissed the corner of Brooke’s mouth.

  “I guess I got a little impatient.”

  Brooke took a small step back, holding her at arm’s length as she took in the shape of her.

  Catherine worked out and looked after herself, that much was clear. Years of wearing heels had created perfectly toned calves. She wasn’t skinny or overly toned like women on TV that Brooke sometimes crushed on. No, Catherine was a normal, beautiful and confident woman.

  “So I see.” Brooke grinned and reached for her. Her fingers grazing skin gently.

  “You look a little overdressed. I think we should remedy that, don’t you?” There was that sexy smile again. Catherine oozed confidence, and that alone was enough to turn Brooke on.

  She made no effort to stop the deft fingers that loosened the buttons of her shirt and then pushed the material from her shoulders. Catherine silently appraised her bare torso. They kissed again, this time skin to skin, breast to breast. The room felt suddenly hot. She took Catherine’s hand and this time, she led the way back out into the hall, the two of them giggling and kissing their way along the hallway until Brooke swung the door to her bedroom open.

  Pliable lips pushed and pulled against one another as Catherine pulled her eagerly towards the bed. Fingertips gently explored soft naked flesh as gentle gasps and moans filled the air. Brooke threaded her fingers into Catherine’s hair and tugged her closer just as Catherine palmed Brooke’s cheeks gently.

  Breaking the kiss, Catherine panted, “Still overdressed.” The statement was playful and she stepped away to watch, her chest heaving as she caught her breath and waited.

  Wasting no time, Brooke unbuttoned her jeans, eyes fixed on Catherine the entire time as she quickly shrugged the material to the floor, kicking one leg off and then the other. Her body was now a lot softer than it had been six months ago when army PTs had had her at the peak of physical fitness, but she didn’t dislike the changes. She was still toned and healthy.

  Lascivious eyes darkened as Catherine tilted her head, lips parted slightly. She ran her tongue over her lips and whispered, “Stunning.”

  Casually, Brooke slid her underwear down and stood back up proudly, a silent suggestion that Catherine do the same. Which she did, slowly; teasingly.

  It had been so long since Brooke had been naked with another woman, not counting her colleagues in shared shower blocks and changing rooms. She didn’t do this kind of thing often. But there was something different about Catherine, something attractive to her that hadn’t been present in many of the other women she had dated. Those women had gone home alone at the end of the night.

  Opening the bottom drawer in her bedside cabinet, she drew Catherine’s attention to the black leather harness.

  “Maybe later, right now though.” She grabbed hold of Brooke and pushed her back onto the bed, “Right now, all I want is you.”

  Brooke scrabbled up the bed, pulling Catherine with her and into her arms as they flopped down together in a heap of tangled limbs. “I can live with that.” She grinned and let her fingers wind into Catherine’s hair, tugging her closer. Lips demanded attention, pressed together and pliable.

  They rolled, together as one, with Brooke coming out on top. She rose up on her palms, and Catherine took a moment to admire the well-defined biceps. “I don’t usually do this.”

  A candid moment that Catherine hadn’t expected. “No?”

  Brooke shook her head, her fringe falling forward and masking her eyes. Catherine reached up to push the hair out of the way and studied her. She felt special, honoured even, that Brooke had wanted her.

  Those dark eyes that seemed to penetrate right through her were smiling at her, egging her on. Holding those eyes captive with her own, she moved her arm between them, letting her fingers dance lightly down Brooke’s torso until she found her. Her fingers danced through the contours of her, finding her wet and wanting.

  Brooke’s eyes closed at the sensation, filling her lungs with air and expelling it slowly in one long, controlled breath. “Look at me,” Catherine said in a quiet whisper. She hadn’t expected this intensity between them. Every featherlight touch felt like granite pressing down on her skin, imprinting itself indelibly upon her skin, in her heart maybe.

  They moved together as one, hips rising and falling, meeting each other before backing off and beginning the chase again.

  She felt Brooke’s hot breath against her cheek – short, erratic bursts of air between gasps. Her eyes were wide, pupils dilating as she bit down on her lip, unable to stop the soft moans of approval from leaving her mouth.

  She was fascinating, and Catherine watched every imperceptible movement of her features, felt each rigid motion her body made as every muscle she had tensed and prepared for that sweet release. And then, just as her biceps began to tremble and Catherine worried if she had the vigour to hold on, Brooke tossed her head back like a glorious victor, her pelvis pressing down, jerking, shuddering against Catherine’s hand until finally, she collapsed from the exertion.

  Brooke giggled, enjoying the tender touch of her lover’s fingers stroking lightly down her back.

  “Fuck, just…” She was breathing fast. “Gimme a minute and…”

  Chapter Four

  Her body ached from the hours of lovemaking she and Brooke had undertaken. Catherine struggled to remember a night as hot and sexy as last night had been. It hadn’t happened in a long time, if ever. Why hadn’t she dated a younger woman before? She chuckled to herself.

  Straddling Brooke’s thighs half the night as she had ridden her toy, enjoying orgasm after orgasm, was certainly the cause of the delicious ache in her muscles. Just thinking about it re-awoke her arousal, nostrils flaring and thighs squeezing shut.

  She stretched slowly and pushed herself up against her young lover. Her skin was soft and warm. She let her pelvis thrust gently against Brooke’s buttocks. They were firm and taut, now harness-free. She let her hand smooth across the pert cheek, giving it a little squeeze. She groaned. God, when had she become so wanton?

  Lying there, this close to someone again, Catherine wondered if she dared to consider it. There had been flings, dates and even a friend with benefits, but nobody special since Penny.

  And it wasn’t that she didn’t want a long-term lover, because she did, but the idea of it and the reality of it were two very different things. Things she wasn’t very good at. Penny had made sure she knew that.

  At work, Catherine was known for being a no-nonsense, tough-talking, hard-arsed, first-class bitch. She was well aware of the names she garnered by those who worked with and for her, but she didn’t care, not anymore. She had made a conscious decision the day she resigned from Modas, an enormous lesson learned.

  That was work, where she held a responsible position and expected a competent work force to pull their weight for the company.

  But away from the office, she was a different person. She was warm and appreciative, amusing in her own way. Not quite so confident – sometimes she still struggled with the nuances of a relationship – but love was not something she was incapable of. Trust issues were her main problem; she knew that and worked to avoid them once she was in a relationship. The problem was that she didn’t often allow herself to develop a relationship with someone.


  She had spent far too much time in her 42 years trying to adapt to other people and fit them into her life. Now that she had closed herself off to the idea of anyone permanent, she had found life much more interesting and a lot easier. She reminded herself just how awful it was when she had to finally admit it wasn’t working. She tried, she really did, but life wasn’t so simple for her. It always ended badly.

  She had to admit though, not for a long time had anyone attracted her the way that Brooke had, not this quickly anyway. The younger woman was attentive and made her feel incredibly sexy, but it was more than that; she seemed genuinely interested in what Catherine had to say. She was fun and intelligent. Sometimes Catherine could barely understand the things women on the prowl talked about these days, but with Brooke, it all just seemed so natural. Maybe, she thought, maybe this woman could be different.

  She fidgeted a little and snuggled in some more. Why worry about it now, she thought to herself, just enjoy it while it lasts.

  ~FI~

  Another surprise was the lack of urgency to leave once Brooke woke. In fact, Catherine had been easily persuaded into another round of lovemaking. And then there was the shared shower that had been a surprise Catherine had not experienced before, but goodness did she want to do it again. Every morning should start like this one.

  Usually, Catherine would wake before her chosen lover and quietly dress before sneaking out and heading home without all the awkward pretence of wanting to see them again. Then she would shower and go about her day with a quiet smile on her face. She checked her watch: almost 11 a.m. There would be no sneaking today.

  “Would you like to get some brunch?” Brooke asked. Her hair, still damp, had gone all tousled. Catherine liked the look, a lot. She felt that tell-tale sign of arousal tug at her lower stomach once again and almost groaned out loud at her own neediness. Which was completely unwarranted considering what this woman had already given her in respect of carnal pleasure.