by Kris Bryant
“I love this park. Do you come here a lot? I heard they’re building some type of animal sanctuary not too far from here,” Amber said.
Serena studied Amber closely. She wasn’t fishing for information. She didn’t have a clue that it was the Pet Posh Inn. She corrected her. “If you’re talking about the one on Bear Camp Road, it’s actually a pet hotel.”
“Really? That’s pretty cool. I filed the copy and blueprints, but I didn’t pay attention to the specifics.”
Serena had forgotten Amber worked at the courthouse. Since it was technically under Evans & L.B., LLC, she figured Amber didn’t connect the dots. Now that she knew L.B., she might make the connection quicker. “Okay, we’re leaving. Have a good day. Nice to meet you, Princess.” She patted Amber’s dog one last time and headed to the Jeep.
“Serena, wait. Here. Take my business card. I’m working part-time at Vail Vacations. If you and your girlfriend or Faith want to go somewhere, just give me a call. Or call me if you want to hang out.” She held her hands up after Serena reluctantly took the card. “Strictly business or friendship. It’s nice to see you again.”
“Thanks. I’ll keep you in mind.” Serena slipped the card in her back pocket and walked to her Jeep. She wanted to get as far away from Amber as she possibly could. Not because she was worried about falling for her again, but because she was desperate to put her past behind her, and that included everyone who had ever caused her pain.
* * *
“How was the rest of your day?”
Serena couldn’t help but smile when Gabrielle called. It was later than she’d hoped, but the new project she was heading up was complex, but well deserved. Her bosses had praised her work on the Pet Posh Inn, so Gabrielle said partnership was looking good.
“It was good. We’re picking out paint and watching Jeopardy. How was your afternoon?”
“I’m bringing home some work, but it’s not too bad.”
“Liar.” Serena knew when Gabrielle brought home work, it was because something was bothering her. Even though Gabrielle promised no more ridiculously late nights at the office, it didn’t stop her from working at home.
“I still have a few months to prove my worth,” Gabrielle said.
“You’re perfect. Quit stressing.”
“The more I think that, the easier it will be for Tom to sneak in under the radar and steal the partnership from me.”
Serena admired Gabrielle’s confidence. She wasn’t cocky, but extremely sure of her decisions. It was sexy. She couldn’t wait until the firm made a decision. She wanted her girlfriend more than on the weekends. And with winter approaching, their weekends were already in jeopardy because of snow. Gabrielle’s tiny sports car was no match for Colorado snow storms, and Serena with her four wheel drive Jeep would have to drive to Denver more than the even split they had compromised on presently. She didn’t want to always leave L.B. behind or with Faith. “If I have to attend the secret ‘let’s vote for the new partner meeting’ to talk about how much I love the design, I will.”
Gabrielle chuckled. “You’re adorable. It’s only for a little while longer.”
“How’s the hotel? Have you checked lately?”
“With the additional help, Tom did a pretty decent job, but came in over budget and over the time frame. At least that’s what I’ve heard. It will be next fall before they finish construction.”
Serena figured most jobs came in over budget. She’d added a few things after the start, but they were all easy fixes. She thought the project would cost about the same as the land, but it was only a fraction of it. Even though she wanted to pay cash for it all, her lawyers recommended financing because the interest rate was lower than what she could earn on investing that money. It didn’t really make sense, but they seemed to know what they were doing and she had blindly trusted them so far. “So, why don’t they just make you partner?”
“As much as you love the Pet Posh Inn and I do, too, the design is relatively simple. Hotels are more intricate, and you have to remember so much. It’s quite a project.”
“Okay, I’ll drop it for now. I’ll tell you what. When you come over this weekend, I will make you forget about work.”
“Oh, yeah?”
“How about a nice hot bath, a movie, and a weekend in bed?” Serena was still nervous about sex with Gabrielle. She was very trusting when she gave herself to Gabrielle but wasn’t sure that she was doing all the right things to please her. She needed a confidence boost before the weekend. “I’ll do all of the cooking or have it delivered.”
“Delivery because if we are having a weekend in bed, I’m going to need you in bed, by my side,” Gabrielle said.
“Anything you want.” As Serena said the words, she knew she meant them. They hadn’t spoken of love, but Serena knew that what she felt was more than hope, more than happiness. She felt love and for the first time, knowing how vulnerable it made her feel, wasn’t scared of it.
Chapter Twenty-six
Gabrielle opened the door to the bedroom and smiled when she saw flickering candlelight and a bottle of wine with two glasses on the nightstand. “Ooh, what’s going on here?”
Serena wrapped her arms around Gabrielle from behind. “I wanted to do something special for you.”
Gabrielle turned in her arms. “Thank you. I love it.” She kissed Serena, who pressed her body against her so completely, so trustingly, it made Gabrielle feel vulnerable and empowered at the same time.
“Have a seat. I’ll be right out.” Serena pointed to the bed and closed the bedroom door so L.B. wouldn’t venture in, then went into the bathroom.
Gabrielle quickly peeled off her clothes and slipped into a robe that hung on a hook in the closet. She quickly sat back down when she heard the doorknob twist open. “Wow.” Serena walked into the bedroom wearing the sexiest, silkiest, shortest nightgown she’d ever seen. Gabrielle didn’t breathe until Serena straddled her lap.
“You weren’t supposed to move from this spot.” She barely brushed her lips against Gabrielle’s mouth.
“I wanted to make it easier for both of us,” Gabrielle said. She slid her hands up Serena’s bare thighs and gently pulled her closer. She squeezed Serena’s ass until she squirmed and moaned. Serena flicked her tongue over Gabrielle’s lips and leaned back when she tried to deepen the kiss. “You’re teasing me.”
“That’s the point,” Serena said.
“You have about five minutes to do what you want before I take over.” Since committing to this relationship, Gabrielle couldn’t help but want to take control during sex. She wanted to please Serena all of the time, never worrying about her own gratification. She smiled when Serena slid off her lap and knelt at the side of the bed. She untied the robe and lay back on the mattress. Serena pushed the robe away from Gabrielle’s body and nudged her legs apart. Pleasure rippled across Gabrielle and settled in her core at Serena’s touch. “Okay, maybe more than five minutes.”
“I’m going to take as long as I want,” Serena said.
Gabrielle’s retort fell away the second Serena ran her tongue along the inside of her thigh, over her already wet pussy, and back down the other thigh. Gabrielle frowned when Serena’s warm mouth left her body, and squirmed until she felt her warm breath caress her wet pussy. “Yes, oh yes.” When Serena slowly massaged the swollen clit with her tongue, Gabrielle almost came on the spot. She hissed out a sharp breath and tried to pulled away. She didn’t want to come this fast. Serena held her hips down.
“Where are you going?”
“I’m going to come too fast this way.”
“You can come more than once. I know this about you.”
Gabrielle relaxed and gave a pained laugh. Once she felt Serena enter her she gasped and moaned and lifted her hips to meet each thrust until Serena drilled her and she couldn’t keep the pace. She braced her legs against the mattress and came hard and fast. “Oh, my God,” she repeated over and over. Serena didn’t stop. She slid another finger insi
de, stretching Gabrielle. Gabrielle had never felt anything so incredible before. She had used dildos that had more girth than Serena’s fingers, but there was something so sexy about the fact that it was her girlfriend who was fucking her, who was inside her. “I can’t tell you how good that feels.”
“Oh, I know,” Serena said.
“Oh, God.” Gabrielle relaxed as Serena moved deeper. When she felt Serena’s mouth on her clit, she cried out. It was too much pleasure to handle. Her entire body shook as the orgasm made its way from her core to every other part of her body. It was the most explosive one she’d ever had. Something happened. Something shifted inside her heart. Walls that she had unknowingly built started crumbling. She was overwhelmed and she didn’t know if she should hide her emotions or embrace them. With Serena right there with her, she wasn’t scared, though. “You’re amazing. I hope you know that. If you don’t, I’m going to tell you every single day.”
“I want you to always feel as special as you make me feel,” Serena said.
Gabrielle placed a small kiss on Serena’s temple. “I do. I really do.”
* * *
“Is this the Amber who broke your heart? Why do you still have her business card?”
Gabrielle wasn’t snooping. She was in the bedroom waiting for Serena to finish getting ready and wasn’t going to leave the room with L.B. loose. She wandered aimlessly around the room, and the red business card on the dresser caught her eye.
“I ran into her the other day at the dog park.”
“Oh.” Was the sharp tug in Gabrielle’s chest jealousy? It wasn’t as if she knew Amber, but she knew what Amber did to Serena.
“It was nothing. I had to take her card because she wouldn’t leave me alone until I did.”
Gabrielle watched Serena for guilty body language, but there was nothing. It was as if Amber had never hurt her. Serena seemed unaffected by everything.
“Okay.”
“She got a cute little poodle. That’s how we ran into one another.” Serena slipped on a bracelet and fluffed her hair in the mirror by the dresser. “I’m ready.” She turned around to walk into Gabrielle’s arms. “Are you ready?”
Gabrielle rested her hands on Serena’s waist. She looked into her eyes and saw only happiness, no guilt, no deceit.
“You know, I could have driven to Denver last night instead of you coming here. Since the party is there, it just would have made more sense for me to visit you this weekend.”
“But I know you don’t like leaving L.B. alone every other weekend, and it’s not fair to ask,” Gabrielle said.
“Trust me, Chloe and Jackie love dog-sitting him.” Gabrielle saw the quick flash of sadness on Serena’s face before she replaced it with a smile. “Let me go round him up and we can take him to visit his aunts.”
Gabrielle stopped her. “Hold on. We don’t have to go to this party. We can hang out here like you planned.”
“No. You need to be there to show that you’re partnership-worthy. Plus, I want to see the people you work with and see what all the fuss is about with Tom.”
Gabrielle had been so engrossed with her projects that she almost forgot about the end of the fiscal year party. It wasn’t a big to-do, but it was an afternoon affair at Lawrence’s very large house. She broke the news to Serena Thursday when the mass company email reminder pinged in her in-box. Gabrielle loathed going because she always felt like an outsider, but every year she pasted on a smile and joked with all of them whether she wanted to or not. Being so busy at work and spending her spare time with Serena made her forget other things, like this massive party.
“You look wonderful.” Having Serena with her was either going to make or break her career. People would recognize her as a client, but she wasn’t sure if they would appreciate her as Gabrielle’s girlfriend. And honestly, she wasn’t sure she was ready to reveal that part.
“Then let’s go.” Serena opened the bedroom door and almost tripped over L.B. She squatted and rubbed his ears. “I’m so sorry, buddy. Are you ready to go see Auntie Chloe and Auntie Jackie?” He rolled over and offered up his belly. She gave him a few rubs and pointed at the stairs. “Let’s go.”
Gabrielle took a step back when L.B. rolled up quickly and raced ahead of them. Serena reached back and grabbed her hand. “He’s too excited to pay you any attention right now. Come on. We’ll drop him off and go be social for the afternoon.”
* * *
“Wow. Apparently, you don’t have to win the lottery to live well. So, this is what’s it’s like to be a partner?”
Gabrielle smiled at Serena’s reaction to Lawrence’s house. It was rather impressive, but Lawrence also came from money, so he was already wealthy when he helped start Arnest & Max. “Not really. I mean, the money is good, but not this good. Lawrence was born this way.” She gave her keys to the valet service. “Shall we?”
Serena nodded nervously.
As luck would have it, Tom was the first person they met walking in. “Gabrielle. So nice to see you. Who’s your plus one?” Tom took a sip of his drink and smiled at them. She could tell it wasn’t water by the hint of alcohol on his breath and his completely relaxed body language. This was not his first drink of the day.
“This is Serena Evans. I designed the Pet Posh Inn for her,” Gabrielle said. “Serena, this is Tom Gehrhart.”
Serena shook his hand. He held on to it a little longer than normal. “I heard your project was a success. Congrats to both of you,” he said.
“I love it. Gabrielle gave me everything I wanted. It’ll be such a gorgeous place.”
Tom tipped his glass at Gabrielle. “I can’t wait to see it when it’s completed.”
“Thanks, Tom. We’re going to mingle for a bit. Make an appearance. How’s the temperature?”
“Surprisingly okay. Nobody’s drunk yet. Everyone’s behaving.”
“Okay, have fun.” Gabrielle put her hand on the small of Serena’s back and guided her away from almost drunk Tom. She leaned over and whispered in Serena’s ear. “One down, about fifty more to go. Plus, a bunch of new people I don’t even know.”
Serena took a deep breath. “It’s okay. I can be social for one day as long as it helps you.”
Gabrielle kissed her cheek. “You’re wonderful. Come on. Looks like most of the people are outside. I can’t believe the weather is so cooperative.” She opened the door to the outside, where people mingled in small groups over high top tables and near heaters that burned low.
“This place is gorgeous. Remind me to order a few of those heaters. Then we can have after-dinner drinks outside,” Serena said.
“Gabrielle. Serena. Hi.” Christopher was there with his wife, Jenna. He took the initiative and made the introductions. Gabrielle had always liked Jenna. She was reserved, but friendly. They had two children who Gabrielle had only met once, but she had seen them grow up from the photos in Christopher’s office. Their son was a football player at University of Colorado, and their daughter was a junior in high school.
“I heard that Gabrielle designed quite the place for animals,” Jenna said.
“Yes, the Pet Posh Inn. It’s perfect. A lot of people visit Vail, and I want to give them a place where their pets can have just as much fun on vacation as they’re having. Plus it will be great for locals who feel guilty for going on vacation and leaving their fur babies,” Serena said.
“It’s a great idea. I know there are doggie daycares around, but from what Christopher was telling me, this goes beyond what they offer.”
“Posh,” Gabrielle said. Everyone laughed. “And it accommodates more than just dogs. The cat section is phenomenal. There’s even a small animal room for ferrets, rabbits, and anything else the wealthy like to have as pets.”
Christopher leaned in and whispered to their foursome. “Mrs. Anderson has chinchillas, and she hates to leave them when they go on vacation. Chinchillas.”
“She only has chinchillas because she wants a fur coat,” Gabrielle said.
> The group laughed even though Gabrielle instantly regretted saying it. Lawrence’s wife was over the top on everything. She didn’t care if it was socially acceptable if she wore fur coats or flashed tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of jewelry when attending low income housing assistance meetings for one of Arnest & Max’s charity programs.
“We should probably mingle,” Gabrielle said.
“Good idea. The sooner everyone sees us, the sooner we can take our leave.” Christopher and Jenna grabbed their drinks and wandered off to the next table.
“I think your boss is nice. He obviously respects you.”
Gabrielle liked how delicately Serena held a wine glass. Like it could slip out of her fingers at any time, but never did. The slim bracelet she’d slipped on before they left her house had settled halfway down her arm. The tiny paw print charm rested against the soft skin that Gabrielle enjoyed kissing. “I like him because he’s fair. He’s not always overly friendly at work, but it’s probably better this way. I think we all respect him more because of it.”
“How many partners are there at the firm?”
“There are eight partners. Tons of associates. Seems like a lot, right? I think the firm has approximately a hundred employees.”
“Is Denver your only location?” Serena asked.
Gabrielle’s eyes traveled back to the charm that dangled as Serena sipped her wine. “No. We have offices in San Francisco, Albuquerque, Las Vegas, and Kansas City.”
“So, if you make partner, will you stay here? Or would they expect you to move?”
The concern on Serena’s face was precious. Gabrielle wanted to reach out, touch her cheek and kiss her. “No, babe. I’ll stay here. Denver is my home.”
The crushed look didn’t go unnoticed. That probably wasn’t the best thing to say, Gabrielle thought. To Serena, that just meant their relationship would be long distance forever. “I’m going to go to the bathroom and then find something else to drink. Will you be okay for a few minutes?”
