Hopes and Dreams

by P. J. Trebelhorn

  While she wanted that desperately with Riley as well, it didn’t seem to matter that Riley wasn’t ready yet. Vic never thought she’d be okay with a situation like that, but she was. She knew in her heart it would happen eventually, so she was okay with waiting. The anticipation of it all was rather intoxicating if she was being honest.

  She started up the stairs and pushed the button on the remote to turn off the lights as she went. She paused outside the guest room, listening, but there was no sound. She was probably already asleep. She rested her hand on the doorknob and closed her eyes. She fought the urge to open the door and finally let her hand drop to her side. She needed to respect Riley’s boundaries.

  She lay awake until well after midnight, unable to fall asleep knowing Riley was right across the hall. Vic wondered if she slept in the nude, or if she had cute little pajamas she wore. Since she’d slept in a T-shirt and shorts when Vic had stayed the night with her, it was probably likely it was either that or nude. The vision in her mind drew an exasperated groan from her throat.

  Her body was on fire, and she knew she was wet just thinking about her. She turned on her side and punched her pillow in frustration. She closed her eyes, but then she could feel Riley’s body pressed against her again, and they popped right open. More than once, she swung her legs over the edge of the bed and had to force herself to lie back down and not go across the hall and crawl into bed with her.

  A couple of times she thought she’d heard Riley coming into her room, but when she’d look at the door it was still closed. Her mind was playing tricks on her. She finally turned on the television mounted to the far wall just to have some background noise so she wouldn’t drive herself crazy with her own thoughts. Thankfully, it worked, and she soon fell asleep.

  Chapter Twenty-five

  Vic thoroughly enjoyed showing Riley the sights she’d never seen before, from the Empire State Building to the Statue of Liberty and Rockefeller Center. Times Square was a big hit with Riley too, as was the Museum of Modern Art. It had been a long day, but they’d both been so wound up from the excitement of it all, they managed to watch two Alfred Hitchcock movies before retiring for the night—in separate bedrooms again.

  Tuesday was spent just hanging out at the penthouse until it was time to go for dinner, and then Hamilton. Vic had been to it before, but she thoroughly enjoyed watching Riley see it for the first time. Once back home, Vic offered a glass of wine and they settled into the couch to drink it.

  “I want to thank you for the past two days,” Riley said. She’d changed into shorts and a T-shirt after they’d gotten back, and she was sitting at the end of the couch with her legs tucked under her. “The show tonight was awesome.”

  “You’re very welcome,” Vic said with a nod. The urge to move closer and run her hand along Riley’s calf was intense, but she was determined to allow Riley to set the pace. She wasn’t going to push her. “I’m glad you had fun.”

  “Megan isn’t going to believe it.” Riley smiled and reached out with her foot to push on Vic’s leg. “You seem to make everything fun.”

  “I do my best,” Vic said, finally giving in to the desire to touch Riley since she left her foot pressed against her leg. She watched for any sign her touch wasn’t welcome, but Riley allowed her to pull her foot onto her lap and she began to gently massage it.

  “Oh, my God, that feels incredible,” she said, leaning her head back and closing her eyes. Vic’s breath hitched at the sight and she focused on the foot in her hands. “You have magic hands. Has anyone ever told you that?”

  “No,” Vic said with a chuckle. “But I’m glad you think so.”

  “I definitely do.”

  Vic took a chance and let her hands move up Riley’s calf a bit and was surprised Riley again didn’t stop her. The sounds she was making were slightly distracting, and Vic’s breath began to quicken. When she was almost to Riley’s knee, she realized Riley had fallen asleep. She sighed and lifted Riley’s leg just enough so she could stand up. She grabbed a blanket and covered her with it before taking their wine glasses to the kitchen. She stood watching her for a moment, debating whether to wake her, but eventually decided to just let her sleep. She turned out the lights and went upstairs to her bedroom, entirely frustrated.

  After a cold shower, she crawled into bed and stared at the ceiling for a few minutes before finally falling asleep. A noise woke her up around two in the morning, and she assumed it was just Riley finally making her way to her room. She started to fall back asleep when she felt someone sit on the other side of the bed.

  “Riley?” she asked as she sat up and looked at her in the light that was coming from the windows. “Are you all right?”

  “No, I’m not,” she said, turning to look at her. Vic’s heart raced.

  “What happened? Do you need to go to the doctor?”

  “I’m not sure a doctor would be able to help me with the problem I’m having.”

  “What is it, Riley?” Vic worried something was seriously wrong with her.

  “Something only you can help with,” Riley said as she stood and pulled her T-shirt over her head and let it drop to the floor. “I really need you to touch me, Vic.”

  Vic breathed a sigh of relief to learn she wasn’t sick or injured, and it took a moment for her mind to catch up with what was happening. But when it did, she was instantly wide-awake. She pulled the covers back and held her hand out, waiting for Riley to take it. She did, after shedding her shorts so she was completely naked.

  “Jesus,” Vic murmured at the sight before her. Riley was perfect. So unlike the other women she’d been with, who only reached perfection through expensive surgical procedures. She mentally shook herself. She definitely did not want to be thinking about anyone else right now. Riley got under the covers and slid up against her.

  “My, how convenient,” she said with a chuckle as her hand rested on Vic’s hip. “Do you always sleep in the nude?”

  “Do you really want to discuss my sleeping attire right now?” Vic waited for an answer, which was a simple shake of Riley’s head. Vic rolled them both over so she was on top of Riley, a position she’d dreamed about for weeks now. “Are you sure about this?”

  Riley’s answer was to wrap her legs around the backs of Vic’s thighs and push herself up into her. Vic closed her eyes against the onslaught of emotions that washed over her with that simple move. When she opened them again, Riley was watching her breasts and her fingers moved to her nipples, squeezing gently.

  “Fuck,” Vic said under her breath. She pressed her pelvis against Riley, quickly realizing it wasn’t nearly enough. She kissed Riley, a slow, sensual seduction meant to make her relax her hold on Vic’s thighs that worked perfectly. Once free, Vic moved down her body, stopping to pay some attention to Riley’s breasts. It was obvious they were a sensitive area for her when she moaned and tried to press against her again. Vic continued down across her navel and through the soft patch of hair between her legs before looking up at her. “Is this okay?”

  “God, yes,” Riley replied. She put a hand on the back of Vic’s head and directed her to where she needed her. Her body tensed when Vic closed her lips around her clit, and then bucked when she began to suck on it.

  Vic pulled away to gain better access and placed Riley’s legs over her shoulders before focusing again on the beautiful sight before her. She slid her tongue inside Riley, causing her to moan loudly. She fucked her slowly for a moment before sliding her tongue through the wet folds back to her clit. She pushed two fingers inside her as she began sucking on her clit and Riley almost immediately tightened around her fingers.

  “Yes, Vic, I’m coming.” Riley screamed her name then and threaded her fingers through Vic’s hair as she held her in place. After a few moments, breathing heavily and trying to push her away, Riley sighed. “Jesus, that was amazing.”

  “You’re beautiful when you come,” Vic said, moving so she was lying on her back next to Riley.

  “Bul
lshit, nobody’s beautiful when they come.” Riley laughed and turned her head to look at her. “Just like nobody’s beautiful when they cry.”

  “Well, you are,” Vic smiled as their eyes met. “When you come, I mean, because, you know, I’ve never seen you cry.”

  “And I hope you never will,” Riley said. She closed her eyes for a moment. “I’m sorry I woke you up.”

  Vic laughed and turned on her side, propping herself up on her elbow. She couldn’t imagine a better reason for being awakened in the middle of the night. She ran the back of her fingers across Riley’s cheek.

  “Don’t be, because trust me, I’m not sorry in the least.”

  “Good,” Riley said as she placed a hand on her shoulder and forced her onto her back. “But we’ll see if you still feel that way later tonight, because I don’t plan on letting you sleep much more, if at all.”

  “I think I can live with that.” Vic smiled before Riley kissed her soundly. She moaned when Riley’s thigh slipped between her legs and pressed against her center. She knew she was wet, but the way she slid against her surprised even her.

  “A little turned on, are we?” Riley cocked an eyebrow.

  “More than a little,” Vic said, putting her arms around her neck and pulling her in for another kiss. “You have no idea what you do to me, Riley.”

  “But I know what I want to do to you,” Riley said with a lopsided smile. Vic jerked involuntarily when Riley pushed her hand between their bodies and began slowly stroking her clit. “Ticklish?”

  “A little,” Vic admitted and felt her cheeks flush. “Plus it’s been a while since anyone’s touched me like this.”

  “How long?” Riley looked surprised.

  “About a year?” Vic said it like a question, even though she knew exactly how long it had been. It was the night before she threw her last attempt at a girlfriend—the infamous Cybill—out on her ass for stealing her money. Which had also coincided with the night of Vanessa’s car accident in Wolf Bay. She hadn’t had the desire to date since. Until now. Until Riley. She sighed.

  “That’s a shame,” Riley said, her expression serious. She made a show of looking at Vic’s body. “A woman like you should be touched as often as possible.”

  “You are more than welcome to do that yourself.”

  “I might take you up on that.” Riley winked at her before moving to take a nipple between her lips, biting and sucking gently at first, but then harder as Vic’s moans made it obvious she enjoyed what Riley was doing.

  “I need you, Riley,” she said, staring into her eyes, one hand on her cheek. Riley let go of the nipple and moved closer to her face. “I need you to make me come. We can go slow the rest of the night and explore each other thoroughly, but I really need to come. Now.”

  “I like a woman who knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to ask for it,” Riley said, chuckling. She moved so she settled between Vic’s legs and looked up at her again. “Is this what you want?”

  “Please.” Vic nodded, and the moment Riley’s tongue touched her swollen folds, she grabbed the sheet in both her fists and held on tight. It didn’t take long, and Vic had known it wouldn’t, based on how aroused she’d been ever since Riley arrived at her penthouse. She cried out her name and bucked underneath her, but Riley managed to somehow hold on and ride it out with her.

  “Was that quick enough?” Riley asked, moving so she was next to her again.

  “Perfect.” Vic put an arm around her and pulled her closer so Riley placed her head on her shoulder. She kissed the top of her head and sighed contentedly. “You are perfect.”

  Riley began running her fingertips in a circular pattern over Vic’s abdomen, slowly moving down toward her center. Vic felt her arousal building again and she couldn’t help the moan that escaped her lips. She was definitely going to be tired the next day, and she really didn’t give a damn.

  Chapter Twenty-six

  Riley didn’t want to go out with Vic’s friends on her last night in the city. What she wanted more than anything was to just stay in bed with her until it was time for her to head home. She got the feeling Vic was reluctant to go out too, but she said she’d promised Vanessa she’d be there. Riley knew she should be completely sated—she’d lost count after orgasm number four—but she was fairly certain she’d never be able to get enough of Vic.

  “We’ll make it an early night, okay?” Vic said as they walked into the bar where they were to meet up with her friends. She leaned closer and spoke directly into Riley’s ear. “I still have quite a few things I want to do with you, and they all require complete nakedness for us both.”

  “Jesus, you have to stop saying things like that.” Riley felt her arousal ratchet up and she wanted to turn right around and leave, but Vic’s friends had spotted them.

  “We’ll continue this later,” Vic said with a grin before turning and waving back at them. As they approached, a beautiful woman strode quickly toward Vic and enveloped her in an embrace that was far too familiar for Riley’s liking. When the woman proceeded to place a kiss on Vic’s lips, Riley felt her stomach drop even though Vic was pushing the woman away. “What the hell, Cybill?”

  “Oh, come on, baby,” Cybill said, almost purring. “It’s been far too long, hasn’t it?”

  “Funny, I was just thinking it hadn’t been nearly long enough,” Vic said, stepping back to take Riley’s hand. Riley noted with satisfaction the look of indignation on Cybill’s face as she eyed their clasped hands.

  “Who’s your latest plaything?” she asked, looking at Riley as though she were a piece of trash. Riley moved to take a step toward her, but Vic tightened her grip on her hand.

  “This is Riley,” she said, bringing her hand to her lips and meeting her eyes. “And she’s no plaything, trust me. Riley, this is Cybill. My ex.”

  “Vic, we never officially broke up.” Cybill pouted her displeasure, and Riley almost laughed at the expression.

  “I threw you out on your ass, told you I never wanted to see you again, and had all of your things sent back to your apartment,” Vic said, staring at her in what Riley could only describe as disbelief. “What about that struck you as not being official? Oh, and you owe me about two hundred thousand dollars, which I still haven’t quite figured out how you managed to get out of my bank account.”

  Cybill turned on her heel and stomped away, stopping to say something to Vanessa before heading out the front door. Vanessa then came to stand next to Vic.

  “I’m sorry, Vic,” she said, looking a bit embarrassed. “Why didn’t you ever tell me what happened? She stole money from you?”

  “Did you invite her here tonight?” Vic asked.

  “I did,” said another woman who stepped forward and placed a kiss on Vic’s cheek as she squeezed her arm. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know what happened between the two of you. You really should keep your friends in the loop when it comes to things like that.”

  Vic hugged the woman and brushed her lips across her cheek. Riley began to wonder if Vic had slept with all of her friends at one time or another over the years. She wasn’t normally a jealous person, but this evening wasn’t starting out well.

  “Riley, this is Tara,” Vic said, turning to her.

  “A pleasure,” Tara said with a smile as she held a hand out. Riley took it, but Tara didn’t let go. “Come with me to the bar to get a round for everyone.”

  Riley looked at Vic, who simply shrugged. Not wanting to cause a scene, Riley smiled and nodded at Tara.

  “So, how long have you known Vic?” Tara asked as they waited at the bar to be served.

  “Technically, we’ve known each other since grade school.”

  “Wow, really?” Tara seemed surprised, but Riley had the sinking feeling Vanessa had already filled them all in on Riley’s past. “And how long have you been dating?”

  “About six weeks.” Riley looked over her shoulder and saw Vic being hugged by yet another beautiful woman. How could she ever hope to be able to
keep her attention when it was becoming painfully obvious she was not Vic’s type? Her heartrate kicked up, and it had nothing to do with arousal. That had been completely doused by now. She couldn’t look away when she saw Vic lean in and say something in the woman’s ear that caused her to laugh before she ran her hand down the length of Vic’s arm and didn’t stop until their fingers intertwined.

  “Hmmm,” Tara said with a slight smile. “That’s about right, I guess.”

  “Pardon?” Riley redirected her attention to the woman standing next to her.

  “Well, Vic never sticks with a woman for more than a couple of months, except for Cybill. And there’s no shortage of women wanting to share her bed. You aren’t her usual type though.”

  “No?” Riley asked, feeling her anger begin to rise. “Do tell.”

  “It’s just…” Tara seemed to search for the words for a moment, then smiled again and shrugged. “Her usual type of woman comes from money. Or they at least have some type of standing in the business world. And more feminine, if you know what I mean. Like the woman she’s getting all cozy with over there.”

  Riley just nodded, not trusting herself to speak as she looked back at Vic. She did indeed look rather comfortable with the woman who was holding her hand and seemed to laugh at everything Vic said. Riley’s insecurities and self-doubt were beginning to rise to the surface, and she wasn’t sure she’d be able to push them back down again.

  “Tara, stop trying to scare the girl away,” said the bartender as he placed a couple of coasters in front of them. He looked at Riley and shook his head. “Take it from Vic’s gay best friend. These women will do whatever they can to chase you away. All they want is her money, and not one of them is a true friend. My name is Tyler, by the way.”

  “Hi, Tyler,” she said. She knew his words should make her feel better, but her lack of self-confidence was too strong. “Riley.”

  “A pleasure to finally meet you, Riley,” he said with a wide smile. “What can I get for you?”