Moaning deeply, Jamie gripped her lover’s shoulder painfully as she felt every nerve in her pelvis begin to fire off a burst of sensation. Ryan couldn’t resist slipping her other hand around and entering her partner deeply, thrilling to the pulsing that gripped and released around her fingers.
Her body still wracked with spasms, Jamie’s world suddenly spun 180 degrees, finding herself on her back with Ryan scrambling to move down the bed and place her mouth upon the thrumming flesh. "I’ll go mad if I can’t taste you," she growled, pushing the G-string aside while she pressed her tongue into her partner.
Eyes wide with surprise, Jamie placed her hand upon the dark head, soothing her. "Slow and gentle, baby," she begged. "Let me catch my breath."
Grunting with frustration, Ryan nuzzled against her, forcing herself to stay away from the bundle of nerves that still sang with sensation. She filled her lungs with her partner’s deliciously complex scent and nibbled at her thighs, sucking the damp flesh into her mouth. Murmuring softly, she pressed kisses against her, letting the salty sweet notes of her lover’s passion fill her soul.
Through her sensual haze, Ryan heard her partner’s voice, and she forced herself to concentrate on her words. "I need to touch you, baby," Jamie pled. "Don’t make me wait."
Ryan’s passion-filled eyes shifted to meet Jamie’s, and she saw the deep longing reflected in them. She was so thoroughly turned on that she ached, but she had such a need to savor Jamie’s very essence that she didn’t see how she’d be able to forsake her position.
But her partner was insistent. "Please, Ryan, let me love you."
Seeing only one solution to her dilemma, Ryan climbed over Jamie’s body, turning around completely. Rising to her knees, she lowered her head once again and lapped at Jamie’s wetness while her hips twitched in invitation.
"Oh, yeah," the blonde sighed, mesmerized by the combination of Ryan’s hot tongue and the voluptuous display. Ryan’s entire vulva glistened with an abundant coating of lubrication, and Jamie licked her lips lasciviously at the sight. She desperately wanted to taste the passion that flowed from the depths of her lover, but Ryan was already deeply focused on her task, and Jamie’s self-interest prevented her from forcing the issue. Deciding to make the best of a good situation, she opened her legs a little further and let herself feel how fantastic Ryan’s gifted tongue felt against her heated flesh. Sighing deeply, she distracted herself from the orgasm that she could already feel building by focusing on the twitching vulva that vied for her attention.
She spread her hands across the expanse of Ryan’s toned cheeks and delved into her shimmering wetness with her thumbs, shivering from the burst of air that the dark woman blew across her clitoris at the touch. "God, you feel divine," she sighed, reveling in the sensation of possessing Ryan so totally.
A muffled moan was the dark woman’s only response, her tongue once again blissfully occupied. Her ministrations were so intense, so focused, that Jamie quickly climbed to another plateau, unable to even warn her partner before she convulsed into another climax, her body shaking and shivering with delight. "Stop, stop," she gasped, unable to catch her breath.
Ryan did so, but she kept her face less than an inch from Jamie’s throbbing flesh, ready to dive in again as soon as she was allowed. After a minute or two, the blonde was able to function again, but she knew that she needed some time to recuperate. "Rest your head on my thigh," she urged. "Come on, baby, relax for a minute and let me love you."
"But I want more," Ryan growled, her lust for Jamie’s body unquenchable.
"Just let me rest for a minute, love," she soothed. "Relax and let me satisfy you, then you can have as much of me as you want."
"That’s a dangerous offer," Ryan murmured, but compliantly rested her cheek upon her lover’s thigh and allowed herself to be touched once again.
Jamie slipped her fingers into her, smiling serenely as Ryan gasped at the touch. She touched her everywhere, using her thumbs and the tips of her fingers to tease every bit of flesh at once, intentionally trying to overwhelm the dark woman with the overabundance of sensation. Ryan bucked and gyrated against the pressure, her body torn between wanting as much as Jamie could give her, and being engulfed by the touch.
With a tortured moan, Jamie felt her partner’s entire body stiffen, and she pulled her hands away from the wetness and gripped her about the hips, pulling hard until her mouth could reach her drenched sex. She laved the glistening flesh thoroughly, Ryan’s moans music to her ears. To her regret, the feast lasted only a few moments, then Ryan cried out throatily, her climax hitting her hard, and leaving her collapsed heavily against the smaller woman.
Jamie wrapped her arms around the firm globes of Ryan’s ass, hugging her tight. But after a moment to recuperate, the determined brunette slid back down her partner’s body and dipped her head once again, slipping her tongue into Jamie’s still-swollen folds. "Oh, lord," the blonde cried. "I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve such an insatiable lover, but whatever it was, I’m eternally grateful!"
Ryan chuckled lightly, her attention already given over to the surfeit of sensations that surrounded her. Even if she hadn’t been so blissfully occupied, she wouldn’t have been able to come up with a response to her partner’s statement. She had no idea what caused her to be so insatiable in regards to merging with her lover. All she knew was that the delightful blonde spoke to her mind, her body and her heart in a way that no other woman ever had or ever would. She was so thoroughly bewitched by the gentle woman, that she knew her appetite would last a lifetime; and she smiled to herself when she considered the never-ending quest to slake her rapacious thirst for her charms.
Part 20
The next morning, Catherine called her daughter just as Jamie was walking in the door from golf practice. "Hi, Mom," the younger woman said, her mood bright and cheerful.
"What’s on the agenda for today, honey? I’m coming to Berkeley for a haircut, and I thought you might be able to have lunch with me."
"Well, I could, but I won’t be available until about 2. I’m playing golf at 10 o’clock."
"Oh, that’s all right. I’m sure I’ll see you at some point this weekend."
"Hey, why don’t you come with? It would be a good excuse to take a nice walk, and we’d have lots of time to chat."
"Would that be fun for you, honey? I don’t want to interfere with your concentration."
"I’d really like for you to come, Mom. Most of my teammates don’t speak in complete sentences, and I don’t have a soul to chatter with. That’s why I play better when we’re allowed to have caddies – I’ve got someone to talk to."
"Well, I don’t think I can carry that big bag of yours, but I’m very good at chattering. What time should I be there?"
Jamie was standing in the parking lot of the golf course when her mother pulled up. The younger woman marveled that her mother looked more like a golfer than anyone on the course, but that she’d probably never swung a club. Catherine merely had the perfect outfit for any endeavor – and she looked particularly lovely in her gold turtleneck, Kelly green, cable knit, cardigan, and navy blue, pleated slacks. To Jamie’s amazement, her mother was pulling a pair of golf shoes from the trunk of her car when the younger woman approached. "You own spikes?"
"Sure." She laced them up, and stood tall, smiling when she and Jamie were the same height. "I might wear these more often. I like being as tall as you are, for a change."
"You know, one of the most exciting days of my life was when I looked in a mirror and saw that I was as tall as you. Why is that such an accomplishment for a kid?"
"I’m not sure," Catherine said. "Maybe it makes you feel like you’re close to being an adult." Smiling at Jamie she said, "I remember how excited you were. But, I had very mixed feelings. It struck me that you were leaving your childhood behind, and I would never have an opportunity to be the mother I wanted to be."
Sliding an arm around her mother’s waist, Jamie said, "Just shows ho
w things can change if you give them a chance. You’re the mom I’ve always wanted."
Tilden didn’t allow spectators on the course, nor did they allow caddies; but the combined charm of the Evans women prevailed, and soon Catherine watched as Jamie and the three juniors teed off. Things had normalized a little with Juliet, but the senior managed to always be in the other foursome during these little outings.
Play was slow on this particular Friday – likely because the morning was warm and dry – and the weather report for the weekend was a poor one. It looked like everyone who could get away had headed out to the always-crowded public course to beat the predicted rain.
During their first substantial break, Jamie and Catherine sat on a bench on the third tee, waiting for the two groups in front of them to tee off. "Wanna hear a tale of intrigue, revenge, odd alliances and restitution?" the younger woman asked.
"Well, it sounds like a Victorian novel, but knowing how exciting your life can be, I’m going to guess it’s a factual tale."
"You know me too well, Mom," Jamie said, smiling brightly. "My beloved partner plays a starring role in this one, and I think you’ll be surprised by her accomplice."
"Do tell," Catherine said, settling down to hear the saga.
Fifteen minutes later, Catherine sat staring at her daughter. "You can’t be serious, Jamie. That detestable woman could not have received that kind of money for sharing your and Ryan’s struggles with the newspapers."
"Oh, yes, she could," Jamie assured her. "They pay pretty well, as a matter of fact. But thanks to Ryan’s agile mind, Cassie wasn’t able to keep one dime of her ill-gotten gains. I told Ryan I was miffed that I didn’t get to see the look on Cassie’s face when she realized she’d have to give all of the money away – but my mental image is so colorful that I doubt the reality could have been as good."
"And this was all because of a computer game of some sort?"
"Well, that was the kicker, but Daddy was very helpful. He helped Ryan track down the money, and that was what allowed her to go to Coach Hayes and get Janet thrown off the team."
"I hate to think that Ryan has the same kind of devious mind that your father was blessed with – but I suppose it comes in handy occasionally."
"Mmm … Ryan’s not devious. She’s just very logical and thorough. She can’t stand to have things fail to make sense – so she stayed at it until she was sure that she understood where all of the pieces in the puzzle fit."
"However she did it, I’m immensely grateful to her. It would have stuck in my craw to think of Cassie living it up on $100,000 – received at your and Ryan’s expense. I have such a hard time understanding how someone can derive pleasure from causing someone else pain."
"I’ll never understand Cassie," Jamie said. "She’s pure evil. There’s a sadistic streak in that woman that’s been there since she was a kid. I remember her making fun of other kids for having the wrong clothes or the wrong shoes when we were in first grade. I’ve decided that she’s Satan’s child."
"No, she’s not Satan’s child," Catherine said, a furrow forming between her brows. "But she’s close."
Catherine hadn’t been home for five minutes when she found herself completely unable to resist the urge to call Laura Martin. The women had run into each other on at least a dozen occasions since Jamie and Cassie’s original falling out – but neither had mentioned the incident. Laura and Catherine were no longer friends – neither had called the other since Cassie moved out of Jamie’s house – but they were unfailingly civil to one another when they were in public.
Not even sure of what she was trying to accomplish, Catherine dialed the long-familiar number and swallowed hard when Laura picked up. "Hello, Laura, it’s Catherine."
"Catherine … Evans?" the woman asked.
Knowing that Laura was being intentionally obtuse, Catherine played it straight. "Yes, it’s Catherine Evans. I have a question for you."
"Really? What could you possibly have to ask me?"
"I’d like to know whether or not you’re aware of the fact that Cassie was the person who sold those nasty stories about Jamie to the tabloids?"
"Well, of course, I didn’t read those stories, Catherine, but from what I heard, the more interesting elements were about Jamie’s … whatever do you call that woman, anyway?"
"I call her the best thing that ever happened to our family, Laura. Her name is Ryan, and she’s Jamie’s partner."
"How quaint," Laura said, laughing softly. "When can we expect a wedding?"
"It’s in August," Catherine replied, her voice full of pride, "but don’t expect an invitation.
"Oh, Catherine, you could always put a positive gloss on anything. That must be nice for you."
Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, Catherine said, "Yes, my life is going well, Laura. But again, that’s not why I called. I called because I’d like to know if Cassie struck this evil deal on her own – or if you assisted her."
"Look, Catherine, I understand that Jamie’s behavior in the past year has been abysmal – no matter how much you try to dissemble – but it’s ridiculous to assume that Cassie has turned out as poorly as your own child has."
Swallowing a livid retort, Catherine said, "I have no interest in debating which of our children has turned out better, Laura. I think the answer is obvious to anyone who looks at the situation with any level of objectivity. My question is whether you knew of Cassie’s actions."
"Cassie didn’t do any such thing, Catherine, and I know that for a fact. My daughter would never consort with the types of people who run those disgusting magazines."
"She may not consort with them – but that didn’t stop her from accepting two large bank drafts from them."
"Nonsense! How bad has your drinking gotten, Catherine? Are you often delusional?"
"I think we’ve gone about as far as we’re going to go here, Laura. I’ll fax you copies of the bank drafts. Bye, now."
With a satisfied smile, Catherine called her daughter, asking Jamie to send her the copies as soon as she had a moment.
Just before Ryan was due home, the phone rang, and Jamie dashed to pick up. "Hello?"
"Hi, Jamie, it’s Jordan."
"Hey! How’re you doin’?"
"I’m all right. Is Mia home?"
"No, she left for Hillsborough right after her last class. You can call her on her cell, though."
"No, actually, I only wanted to make sure you guys were going to be around. I decided to come to town for the weekend in case she needs me."
"Oh, what a good girlfriend you are," Jamie said, smiling. "Well, we were going to go to Noe, but we can easily change our plans. When are you coming in?"
"My plane’s supposed to get in at 7. So, I should get to your house by 8:30 or so. Are you sure you don’t mind? I hate to have you change your plans."
Jamie laughed and said, "No, we don’t mind, you goof. And if you honestly think Ryan would let you take a cab, you don’t know her very well. We’ll come pick you up, and then we’ll go out to dinner. And don’t bother arguing with me, Jordan, I’m just as bull-headed as Ryan is."
"Hi, Mom, I’m home," Mia called out when she entered the family home.
"Come in here and give me a kiss," Anna Lisa replied from the kitchen. "I’m making your favorite dinner."
"Chicken and dumplings?"
"Do you have a new favorite that I don’t know about?" Anna Lisa asked. When Mia entered the kitchen, her mother was busily rolling out dough with a well-worn rolling pin, and she looked up from her work to give her daughter a warm, welcoming smile. "I don’t know how you manage it, Mia, but I swear you’re prettier every time I see you."
"You’re not so bad yourself," the younger woman teased, giving her mother a kiss. She picked up a triangle of the dough and popped it into her mouth.
"I’ll never understand how you can eat raw dough," Anna Lisa said, laughing.
"I prefer raw pie dough, but any kind will do," Mia said. "I must have a vitam
in deficiency."
"You certainly look healthy enough," Anna Lisa said. She gave her child her usual visual scrutiny and added, "But you look like something’s bothering you. What is it?"
"Gee, Mom, can I take my coat off before you start to grill me?" She shrugged out of her jacket, then went to the refrigerator. "Got any Diet Coke?"
"Yes, I bought some this morning. Now, get your Coke and tell me what’s going on with you. Are you having trouble with this mystery boyfriend?"
Sighing, Mia reached into the refrigerator and took a can of Coke, then walked back over to her mother. She jumped up onto the counter and said, "I don’t have a mystery boyfriend, Mom."
"He might not be a mystery to you, but he is to me," the older woman said, her feelings still bruised from her daughter’s reticence to speak of her relationship.
"Well, that’s why I came down this weekend," Mia said, opening her soda and taking a long gulp. "We’ve settled all of the things that were going on, and like I promised, I want to tell you everything."
Anna Lisa put the rolling pin down, then dusted her hands off. She looked at Mia for a long moment, her dark eyes penetrating the younger woman’s defenses. "Something isn’t right here, Mia. You don’t look happy." Approaching her child, Anna Lisa stood between Mia’s knees and placed her hand on her cheek. "Are you pregnant, sweetheart? Is that it?"
"No! There’s no chance of that, Mom. Trust me."
"There’s always a chance," Anna Lisa insisted. "Birth control isn’t always effective."
"I’m well aware of that, Mom," Mia replied, thinking of her close call with Conor. "But I assure you that I’m not pregnant."
"Then what is it?"
"Uhm …" Mia cleared her throat and tried to get it out, but found herself struggling. "Uhm … you’ve always told me that I could tell you anything, right?"
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