The Muse

by O'Brien, Meghan

  “True enough.” Erato gave her a friendly squeeze. “So…do you see anyone who interests you?”

  Kate scanned the crowd of people surrounding them. She discarded the men immediately, not ready to get quite that adventurous with their evening. Women of all shapes, sizes, and complexions danced and laughed around them, a veritable buffet of choices. She didn’t doubt that any of them who had any interest in women would want to sleep with Erato, so that wasn’t a concern. However, finding someone who felt right for her might prove slightly more difficult. She studied faces and bodies until they started to seem indistinct, no closer to finding someone she wanted Erato to approach. She downed the rest of her glass of wine in two gulps.

  “I’m not sure,” she said finally.

  “How about her?” Erato gestured at a tall, pale blonde who danced in a small cluster of women on the dance floor. The woman’s toned arms were covered in tattoos, and she wore the easy grin of someone who knew that everyone around her wanted her.

  “Eh,” Kate said. Confidence was sexy—cockiness was not. At the very least, it wasn’t a personality trait that put her at ease about making herself vulnerable. “I don’t know.”

  “You’re right.” The blonde noticed Erato checking her out just as she turned back to Kate, discarding her as an option. The disappointment that flashed across the woman’s face was so obvious, Kate could see it from across the room. “She’s rather cocksure, isn’t she?”

  Once again, Erato’s word choice delighted. Smiling, Kate nodded at the wineglass in Erato’s hand. “Are you going to finish that?”

  Erato chuckled. “By all means. I think you need it more than I do.”

  “You’ve got that right.” Kate tossed back the entire contents of the glass in four long sips. It was hardly proper wine etiquette, but she didn’t care. This wasn’t a tasting in Napa. It was a meat market, and she had to calm down to participate in it. Unfortunately, her bladder didn’t seem keen to follow her lead. Moments after she started scanning the room for a second time, her drinks hit bottom. “Damn it,” she muttered.

  Erato kissed her temple and stroked the small of her back, somehow managing to make her feel like the most desirable woman in the club. “Let me guess. You need to visit the ladies’ room?”

  Kate blushed at her own predictability. “Yes.”

  “Want me to join you?” Erato nipped the side of her neck, drawing out a moan that captured the attention of the woman standing at the bar on Kate’s other side. Kate met the woman’s gaze briefly, then closed her eyes when Erato murmured, “If you’ve ever fantasized about fucking in a bathroom stall, we could start there instead.”

  Kate forced her eyes open, then flushed, embarrassed that the woman next to her was still at the bar and still watching her and Erato. Despite her secret exhibitionist tendencies, she didn’t have nearly enough alcohol in her system to slough off her inhibitions and give anyone a show right now. The idea of a third participant was daunting enough, let alone a crowd. Turning so she could see only Erato, she steadied her breathing. “Maybe later. Right now I just really need to pee.”

  “Very well.” Kind blue eyes searched her face. “Shall I keep looking?”

  Judging by her one suggestion so far, Erato—for all her occasionally supernatural incisiveness—wasn’t wholly in tune with what type of woman Kate would consider inviting home. Still, maybe she’d get lucky. “Sure. But don’t extend any invitations until I get back.”

  “Of course.” She lifted Kate’s hand and kissed her knuckles. “I’ll miss you.”

  Kate couldn’t quite bring herself to return the sentiment, so she simply smiled and turned to make her way across the crowded dance floor. As soon as she left Erato’s side, she felt as though she’d stepped out of a dream state and into her own personal hell. She hated clubs. And dancing. And crowds. There was a reason she never came to places like this. A pair of overenthusiastic dancers bumped into her, proving her point. No matter how uncharacteristic her behavior had been since Erato knocked on her door, she was still the same old Kate McMannis—much wilder with her characters than she could ever bring herself to be.

  Sighing, Kate approached the restroom carefully, weaving in and out of the throng of bodies surrounding the entrance. She reached for the handle just as the door opened, and an attractive woman wearing black-rimmed eyeglasses spilled out. Literally. Without thinking, Kate held out her arms and caught the woman just before she fell onto the floor at her feet. The unexpected impact knocked her backward a step, and she struggled not to stumble and take both of them down.

  “Oh my goodness,” the woman in her arms said breathlessly. She struggled to right herself, stepping out of Kate’s steadying grip to adjust her glasses with a nervous laugh. “I’m not drunk, I promise. Just clumsy, and a little mortified.”

  Kate lowered her arms only when she was certain the woman was safely on her feet. “No worries. I appreciate the opportunity to do something so gallant.” She felt exposed on the heels of her attempt at humor, waiting for rejection, but she received an amiable grin instead.

  “That was rather gallant.” The stranger took a few seconds to look Kate up and down, and Kate mirrored the action. She tried to imagine how she would describe this woman if she were a character in her novel. She radiated intelligence. Her skin was a deep, rich brown, and her short hair framed a genuinely warm and stunningly pretty face. She looked like someone more at home in a bookstore than a nightclub, despite the red dress she rocked fiercely. By the time Kate’s attention drifted back to her face, she was shuffling nervously. “My name is Olive, by the way.”

  “I’m Kate.” She held out her hand, feeling a bit silly when Olive took it. She’d just copped a pretty decent feel on their way to the floor, so a handshake was probably a little over-formal. “Sorry.” She shot a self-deprecating nod at their joined hands. “I’m still perfecting my social skills. Places like this make me nervous.”

  Olive’s entire body relaxed and she seemed to brighten, if that were possible. “Me, too, obviously.”

  The bathroom door opened again and three women poured out, nearly colliding with them. Not ready to leave Olive yet, she gestured that they should get out of the way. They migrated to the wall next to the bathroom in unspoken agreement. “I haven’t been to a bar or club since college. And then I was drunk. I had to be.”

  “You were adventurous in college. I was way too geeky for places like this. I met girls online instead.”

  Kate relaxed a bit, too. Despite Olive’s natural beauty, she was personable and unassuming. The sheer radiance she exuded kept Kate only slightly on edge, afraid to lose Olive’s interest to another woman in the club. That she wasn’t already spoken for hardly seemed possible. “I’ve met women online, too. It’s a lot easier to seem cool that way.”

  Olive put her hand on Kate’s wrist, the touch as startling as it was thrilling. “Come on, now. You seem pretty damn cool to me.”

  It took Kate a breath too long to respond. She couldn’t quite wrap her head around the fact that a perfectly gorgeous woman seemed to be flirting with her for the second time that day. This one even seemed sane. Olive started to pull away, a new air of awkwardness between them, when Kate finally kicked her brain back into gear. “You only say that because I didn’t let you hit the floor.”

  “Give me a little credit.” Olive paused with her hand inches from Kate’s wrist, then lowered it back to her side. “Not letting me hit the floor means you’ve got good reflexes, strength, and balance. It doesn’t necessarily mean you’re cool.”

  “So you’re making that determination based on some other factor?”

  Olive graced her with another sunny grin. “Yeah, the fact that you dislike this place as much as I do.”

  Kate laughed. Her bladder forgotten for the time being, she leaned against the wall and folded her arms over her chest. “So why are you here tonight, if you hate it so much?” She could see Olive’s internal debate about whether to tell her. That alone pique
d her interest. “It can’t be crazier than the reason I’m here.”

  A perfectly manicured eyebrow popped. “Color me intrigued.”

  “Yeah, well…” Perhaps too late, she tried to decide what to say. How would she explain Erato? And was she actually prepared to divulge their mission to a woman who might very well be scandalized by the thought of anything other than missionary-style sex? Trying to play it cool, Kate said, “Maybe you should be.”

  Olive hesitated, then smiled shyly. “So…if I tell you my reason, will you tell me yours?”

  It was an offer she couldn’t refuse. “Deal.”

  Exhaling nervously, Olive mirrored her pose, arms folded over her beautiful breasts. “I’m trying to check an item off my sexual bucket list.”

  Now Kate was intrigued. “Oh, really?”

  “Yeah.” Even in the low light of the club, Kate could see that Olive was second-guessing her decision to be honest. She searched Kate’s eyes, biting her bottom lip. “I hope that’s not TMI.”

  “On the contrary,” Kate said. “You can’t stop there. Which item?”

  Olive managed to look downright bashful. “A one-night stand.”

  “Oh.” Kate wished she had a drink in her hand. Taking a sip would buy her precious seconds to come up with something smooth to say. Unfortunately, she said, “Well. Good for you.”

  “We’ll see, I guess.”

  She fumbled for a clever comeback, but her brain refused to offer any more attempts at charm. All she could manage was a self-conscious nod. “I wish you luck.” Cringing at the thought that Olive might actually think she wanted her to go off and find a playmate because she wasn’t interested, she said, “Not that you’ll need it, looking like you do.”

  “I’m taking that as a compliment.”

  Olive’s obvious delight made her stomach flutter. “You were meant to.”

  “Now what’s so crazy about the reason you’re here tonight?”

  She’d forgotten she’d said that. Even though she definitely wanted to take Olive home for her threesome fantasy, she didn’t feel comfortable revealing her intentions. But hopefully, given Olive’s interest in women and sexual bucket lists— “Maybe it’s not as crazy as I thought. It seems we’re both here tonight to fulfill a fantasy.”

  “Oh, really?” Arching an eyebrow, Olive opened her mouth to speak before quieting abruptly, eyes gone wide. She stiffened, clearly no longer at ease. Before Kate could ask what was wrong, a familiar voice arose from behind her.

  “There you are!”

  Kate turned, surprised by the sight of Erato holding the hand of an undeniably sexy butch dressed in a tight black T-shirt that accentuated her toned upper body. “Erato, hi. I’m sorry, was I gone long?”

  “No, not at all.” Erato leaned in and kissed her on the cheek, eyeing Olive the whole time. Lips next to Kate’s ear, she murmured, “I was eager to make introductions but didn’t realize you’d met someone. Shall I say good-bye to mine?”

  She had only an instant to answer before Erato pulled away. “Yes.”

  Giving Olive a warm smile, Erato said, “I’ll be back.” She walked toward the bar with the clearly enchanted butch in tow.

  “Okay,” Kate called after her. She almost felt bad about the brush-off Erato’s admittedly delicious pick was about to receive, but not so bad that she wouldn’t somehow muster the courage to invite Olive home with them. Even if this was only a one-night stand, it had been a long time since she’d met someone she clicked with so easily. Turning back to Olive, she said, “Sorry about that.”

  “Not at all.” Olive gestured in the direction of the bar. “Was that your girlfriend?”

  “No,” Kate said quickly—a little too quickly, probably, when speaking to a potential one-night stand. She couldn’t understand the feeling of guilt that overwhelmed her. Erato wasn’t her girlfriend, but what was she? She couldn’t explain the true nature of their relationship, so she decided to keep things simple and be as truthful as possible. “She’s my editor, actually.”

  “Your editor?”

  “I’m a writer.” As it always did when she made this disclosure, her face flooded with heat.

  Olive brightened. “Really? That’s great! Fiction or non?”

  “Fiction.” Clearing her throat, Kate said, “Erotica and romance, mostly.”

  “Well, that’s cool. Do you hang out with your editor a lot?”

  “She’s new.” How, oh how, to frame this? “And she has an unconventional approach to curing my writer’s block.”

  “Do tell.” All of a sudden Olive looked like she was enjoying herself immensely. Maybe she got off on the embarrassment of others. “Does your writer’s block have anything to do with the crazy reason you’re here tonight?”

  Kate nodded, studying Olive’s face. She looked game, open to whatever Kate might say. She’d probably already guessed, given the context. Despite all that, Kate struggled to actually admit her goal aloud. “Let’s just say that Erato feels that fantasy fulfillment will help spark my creativity.” And calm her libido, in theory, though she couldn’t imagine how that would happen. The prospect of being the center of an Erato-Olive sandwich made her weak all over. “I’m sure she would approve of your bucket list.”

  “What’s a ‘bucket list’?” Erato had returned, now carrying two glasses of red wine. “Also, I saw an open table over there. Why don’t we all sit down?”

  Kate glanced at Olive, once again tense with the possibility of rejection. “How about it?”

  Olive gave Erato a shy smile, then met Kate’s eyes. “Why not?”

  Erato steered them through the crowd to a vacant table in the corner of the room. She pulled out a chair for Kate, then a second one for Olive. “I’m Erato,” she said before Olive sat, and held out her hand in greeting. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

  “Olive. And thank you.” Unlike the butch, whose eyes had never left Erato, Olive looked at Kate as she shook hands. “I apologize for stealing your companion. She literally swept me off my feet.”

  “Not at all. I encouraged her to make friends.” Erato sat down on Olive’s other side, drawing her attention away from Kate. She placed one glass of wine in front of Kate, the other in front of Olive. “I’m pleased she did.”

  Lifting the glass, Olive took a small sip. Her hand was shaking. “Erato is a beautiful name. I assume you chose it for yourself?”

  Erato gave Olive a bemused smile and tilted her head to the side. “No, my parents named me. Why?”

  Olive’s eyes flicked to Kate again, as though checking to see if Erato was pulling her leg. At Kate’s polite nod, she said, “No reason. They couldn’t have chosen a more appropriate name for an eventual editor of romance and erotica. You did say Erato, like the Greek muse of lyric poetry?”

  “Exactly like that.” Erato seemed to puff up with pride. “I’m flattered you’ve heard of me.”

  Terrified that Olive would judge Erato insane and leave, Kate interrupted them. “Are you a fan of Greek mythology, Olive?”

  “Mythology?” Erato echoed, brows drawn.

  Ignoring her, Kate said, “I’m just impressed you caught the reference. I doubt many people here tonight would.”

  “The benefit of being too geeky to do much more than study during college, I suppose.” Though Olive seemed a little shy about the praise, Kate loved the way it made her squirm in her seat. “My head is full of useless facts, but they rarely earn me compliments from beautiful women.”

  Erato was staring at her with a question in her eyes. Eager to change the subject, Kate hoped Olive would forgive her for this. “Erato, a bucket list is a collection of experiences or achievements someone wants to have before they die.”

  Erato nodded with interest, then looked at Olive. “Kate thinks I would approve of yours. What’s on it?”

  Olive went wide-eyed again, and Kate quickly swooped in to rescue her. “It’s a sexual bucket list. Basically she’s already done the hard work of coming up with the fantasie
s she wants to fulfill. Before she dies.”

  “That’s fascinating.” Folding her hands on the table, Erato leaned forward, pushing her full breasts against the already straining material of her dress. Olive’s gaze immediately dropped to her cleavage, which Kate took as a positive sign. If Erato noticed, she didn’t let on. “So have you actually written all your sexual desires down on paper?”

  It took Olive a moment to drag her focus away from Erato’s breasts. When she did, her head snapped up like something had bitten her. “No, I actually…have an app for my phone. So I can password-protect it.”

  “Afraid someone might find your list?” Kate asked.

  Olive looked at her, guilt in her eyes. Kate offered her an easy smile, trying to convey that it was okay for her to admire Erato. Relaxing slightly, Olive said, “I’m just private.” She paused. “And honestly, some of the items are pretty racy.”

  Erato laughed in delight. “I do approve!”

  So did Kate. “Do I get to hear any more of them?”

  Olive shook her head, folding her toned arms over her chest. Now Kate was the one staring. The position accentuated Olive’s breasts, which were smaller than Erato’s, but perfect in Kate’s imagination. She fantasized about unzipping Olive’s red dress and helping her lower it to the floor, exposing the smooth expanse of her silky skin. How would she taste? Would Olive want to tick any other items off her list? Just how racy was she?

  A warm finger caught her under the chin, gently moving her attention back to Olive’s face. Mortified to see Olive staring at her expectantly, she looked to Erato for help. Erato released her chin and said, “Well?”

  Kate glanced at Olive again, face hot. She suspected her cheeks were bright red, one of the curses of her fair complexion. “I’m so sorry, what was that?”

  “I said not until you tell me what fantasy brought you here tonight.”

  “Oh.” She nearly turned to signal Erato to take over but stopped. As easy as it would be to hand total control of the evening over, she needed to resist that urge. She was the one who’d hit it off with Olive. This was her fantasy. And frankly, she liked Olive too much not to assert herself as best as she could. Taking a deep breath, Kate said, “I want to have a threesome.” She hesitated, then swallowed thickly before taking what felt like the biggest leap of her life. “With you.”