by Darla Baker
“Okay, that’ll work. Thanks.”
Thalia pats Sammy on the thigh. “It looks like the show is starting.”
Being in the therapy business, Thalia has had some experience with service dogs being used to help sufferers of PTSD. Pets, in general, are very therapeutic. But PTSD service dogs are specially trained to help their owners deal with panic attacks that are triggered by loud noises, closed spaces, dreams, flashbacks, etc. Thalia is impressed with the demonstration and the trainer, Gina Davis. Yeah, not that Gina Davis.
“She did a great job, didn’t she?”
“Yes, she did.”
“Come on. Let’s get down there and talk to her before she gets too overwhelmed with questions.”
Thalia and Sammy make their way to Gina. A small crowd has formed around her, and Sammy is fidgeting as she waits for an opportunity to talk to her.
“Sammy, be still. You’re making me nervous.”
“I’m nervous. So sue me.”
“Geez, I feel like we’re in high school. Sammy has a cru-ush. Sammy has a cru-ush,” Thalia sings.
“Shh. She might hear you.”
“Should I pass her a note?”
Sammy smacks at Thalia’s butt.
“Enough of this. Come with me.”
“Wait… Pro… what are you doing?” Sammy whispers through clenched teeth as she grasps at Thalia’s arm.
Thalia turns back toward Sammy and rolls her eyes. “Geez, are you twelve?”
Thalia positions herself next to Gina and extends her hand. “Gina, hi, I’m Thalia Chase. I volunteer here at the shelter with some friends of mine.” Thalia motions for Sammy to join her.
Gina takes Thalia’s hand and shakes it. “Nice to meet you, Thalia.”
“Thanks. Let me introduce you to Sammy. She volunteers here as well, and she’s also a veterinarian. Have you two crossed paths?”
Gina reaches out to take Sammy’s hand, and Thalia watches as her eyes travel slowly up and back down, taking in every inch of Sammy. She watches Sammy squirm and stifles a snicker. “No, I’m pretty sure I’d remember if I’d met you before, Sammy.”
“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Gina. I need to get back over to the puppy corral. Sammy, I’ll see you back over there later.” Thalia gives Sammy a wink as she walks off.
“So, you’re working the puppy corral too, huh?” Gina hadn’t yet let go of Sammy’s hand. She gently pulls her hand back and stuffs it into the deep pocket of her cargo shorts.
“Yeah, I started out this morning at the bake sale table. But then we played a bit of musical chairs with the volunteer tasks, and I snagged puppy duty.”
“I don’t have another demonstration until this afternoon. I’m going to take a look around, check out the vendors. Are you staying for the music and dancing?”
“Yes, I wouldn’t miss it.”
“Great. So maybe I’ll see you later?”
“That’d be great.”
“Great.”
“Great. Okay… well… I’m going to head back over to the puppies. Bye.”
“Bye.”
Sammy catches up with Thalia just as she’s carefully entering the corral. “So, how’d it go?”
“She didn’t immediately let go of my hand. And she asked me if I was staying for the music and dancing. But I made a fool out of myself stammering and stuttering like an idiot.”
“Oh, I’m sure it wasn’t that bad.”
“You weren’t there.”
“True. But I’m sure you’re just being hard on yourself.”
“Maybe. But anyway, I guess we’ll see if she finds me later this evening. So where do you need me?”
“You take the puppies, and I’ll work the booth since I left so quickly earlier.”
Thalia takes her place back in the booth in time to see Amara approaching. The butterflies are already taking flight in her tummy. She takes care of the few people in line ahead of her, and then it’s Amara’s turn at the booth. Before Thalia has a chance to speak, Amara leans over and pulls Thalia in for a bold kiss on the lips.
Thalia quickly jerks back and composes herself. “Amara, what are you doing?”
“This is a kissing booth. I’m kissing.”
“First, even if this was a regular kissing booth, you typically pay for the kiss before it’s delivered. Second, if I were standing here giving kisses, it would cost a lot more than five dollars a kiss. And third, the sign clearly says puppy kissing.”
Amara shrugs. “So how much do you charge if I want to kiss you?”
“I think you’re missing the point.”
“I don’t think so. The point is to raise money for the shelter. Here, I have my checkbook. Name your price?”
“All right, I’ll play. Make the check out for ten thousand dollars and you can have your kiss. But not here. Meet me at the marina tomorrow and we’ll spend the day on the lake. And if you still want your kiss, you can claim your prize then.” Thalia looks down to see Amara making out a check for ten thousand dollars. “Holy shit! I didn’t think you’d really do it!”
Amara signs the check, tears it out of the checkbook, and hands it to Thalia. “It’s a date.”
THALIA AND SAMMY are waiting in line at the hot dog truck when Annie rushes up, breathless, to greet them. “What the hell happened over at the puppy kissing booth?”
Sammy gives her a puzzled look. “What do you mean?”
“Carol and I have been totaling up the money we brought in from the various events, and when we got to the puppies, we nearly collapsed when we came to the ten thousand dollar check from Amara Liakos!”
Sammy whips her head around to look at Thalia whose face is cycling through a range of emotions from embarrassed to indifferent to proud.
“I was right there with you. What did I miss?”
Thalia drops her head, shaking it from side to side. “Amara mistook the ‘kissing booth’ to mean I was delivering kisses. So, long story short, I told her it would cost her ten thousand dollars to kiss me for charity. And she wrote the check and handed it to me. That’s it.”
Sammy responds, “That’s it? So, what? She just planted a ten thousand dollar kiss on you right there at the puppy booth?”
“Well, no, not exactly. She tried to, but I stopped her.” Thalia’s face is now a lovely shade of crimson. “We’re going on a date tomorrow, and she can collect her kiss then.”
“How did I miss all of this?”
“Hello? Puppies. Cute, cuddly, furry puppies.”
“What–ev–er,” Sammy says with a punch to Thalia’s shoulder. “If your lips are worth ten thousand dollars a pop, you better bring some lip balm to the next fundraiser. That’s all I’m saying. Am I right, Annie?” She finishes with a high five to Annie.
Annie nods. “I’m surprised you agreed to go on a date with Amara. I thought you were conflicted over the whole therapist/client thing. Which, by the way, I think is silly.”
“Anything for the animals, Annie.”
Annie retorts, “Pro, wipe that smirk off your face. You’ve got a thing for her, don’t you?”
Before Thalia can respond, Sammy quickly changes the subject. “Oh, there’s Gina. She’s coming this way. How do I look?”
Annie gives Sammy a quick once over. “You look the same as you did when you arrived. Now, what’d I miss?”
“Sammy has a crush on the service dog trainer that did the demonstrations today.” Thalia points her thumb at Sammy as if she’s hitchhiking. That comment earns Thalia another playful punch in the shoulder.
“I think she’s cute. Here she comes. Shush.”
“You know these things will kill you.” Gina points at the hot dog truck, a big smile on her face.
“I don’t know. I think we can survive a hot dog once or twice a year. Do you want one?”
“Sure. Why don’t I grab us a picnic table while you get the hot dogs and drinks? I’ll take a Sprite.” Gina pulls her wallet out of the back pocket of her cargo shorts and hands Sammy a te
n.
“Put your money away. I’ve got this. We’ll meet you over there.”
As Gina walks away, Sammy turns to face Thalia and Annie, who are both grinning from ear to ear. “What?”
As if rehearsed, Thalia and Annie both start to sing, “Sammy’s got a girlfriend. Sammy’s got a girlfriend.”
Sammy turns beet red. “Stop it, you two. You’re embarrassing me.”
While they finish their hot dogs and soda, some volunteers get the dance floor set up and the band starts. Thalia, Sammy, Annie, and Gina find a nice spot to set up their camp chairs. Gina heads over to the beer truck to buy a round.
“Annie, is Jason coming?” Thalia leans out so she can look at Annie.
“He’s supposed to come by if something doesn’t come in to keep him at the hospital. What about Janice? Should we call her?”
“Good idea.” Thalia takes out her phone and taps on Janice’s picture to make the call. The phone rings several times and then goes to voicemail. Thalia leaves a message and then decides to send a text as well since she probably won’t hear the phone ring once the party is going strong.
“No answer. I left her a voice message and also texted her. She’s probably on a hot date.”
“Ya think?” Annie replies, rolling her eyes.
The band starts playing ‘Could I Have This Dance?’ by Ann Murray. Gina stands and holds her hand out to Sammy. “May I have this dance?”
Sammy takes Gina’s hand and allows herself to be escorted to the dance floor. She looks back at Thalia and Annie as she walks away, a sweet smile on her face.
“How’s Sammy doing?”
“I asked her earlier. She’s only been to see Lauren once, but she said they clicked.”
“Good. Gina seems nice.”
“She did a good job with the service dog demonstration. I was impressed. And Sammy certainly seems smitten. When we were sitting in the bleachers waiting for the demonstration to start, I was checking Gina out, and Sammy practically attacked me, thinking I was interested in her.”
“Pro, you do have a reputation, you know?” Annie pats Thalia’s arm.
“Thanks for coming to my defense. Anyway, Gina isn’t my type. She’s more the type that shares my type if you know what I mean.”
“Not really. Remember, I’m a straight girl. Even though my three best friends are lesbians, I don’t get all the nuances.”
“Fair enough. Well, take my word for it. She’s not my type.”
“So is Amara your type?”
Thalia squirms in her seat and hesitates a moment before responding.
“Amara is without a doubt my type physically. But there’s something about her that has me—I don’t know—all tied up in knots.”
“How so?”
“The first time I saw her she… knocked my socks off… if you know what I mean. And then when she came to my office, she knocked me clear to the floor—literally. My ass landed on the floor.”
“Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha. Not exactly the smooth professional then, huh?”
“I’m glad my discomfort amuses you. I don’t know. I guess we’ll see how things go tomorrow. If I didn’t know better, I’d swear I’m afraid of her. But I haven’t the foggiest idea why.”
Annie gives Thalia’s leg a squeeze. “I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”
Thalia feels a hand on her shoulder and turns around to see a lovely lady standing over her. If Thalia squints just a little bit in this light, she’d swear Meg Ryan was standing there.
“Hey, darlin’, what can I do for you?”
“I thought you might like to dance with me.”
Thalia stands up and turns around to get a better look. That sweet southern accent gets me every time. Thalia’s nipples tighten underneath her bra. “Sure thing, darlin’. Lead the way.” Thalia takes her hand and follows her onto the dance floor.
“So what’s your name?”
“Megan. What’s yours?”
“No shit? I’m Thalia.”
“‘No shit’?”
“Well, when I first saw you, I thought you looked like Meg Ryan.”
“Yeah, I get that a lot.” Megan shoots Thalia a smile that causes her knees to wobble, resulting in a rather unattractive dance move.
“Oops, better watch yourself there. How many beers have you had?”
Thalia blushes. “Only one, I swear.”
“I’ll hold on a little tighter anyway.”
Megan and Thalia continue to dance to the ever-changing beat of the music. When the beat slows down, they come together, thighs between legs, stroking each other from neck to bottom, feeling the merging of their breasts and the intensity of the heat their entwined bodies generate. As the beat speeds up, they bump and grind each other, fitting together like spoons in a drawer and moving with a single, shared desire.
“We’ve got the moves, don’t we, darlin’?” Thalia shouts over the music. “I don’t think I’ve ever had this much fun dancing.”
“Thanks. You aren’t so bad yourself.”
If JLo was right when she said dancing is a vertical expression of a horizontal wish, then there is no doubt where this dancing is going to lead. And as compatible as they are in the vertical, Thalia can only imagine the sparks that would fly in the horizontal.
Thalia is drenched with sweat and breathing heavily by the time the fourth song ends. “I need to sit down. I haven’t danced this much in… I’m not sure I’ve ever danced this much.”
Megan’s eyes on Thalia causes her to stumble, and she reaches out to steady her. “Yep, it looks like you’ve had enough dancing. Are we ready to take this party someplace private?”
Thalia swallows hard. “Let’s go to my place.”
“Where do you live?”
“Out near Cumberland Point.”
“My place then. I’m much closer.”
“Perfect.”
Thalia stops on her way to the car to let Annie know she’s leaving. Jason has arrived so Annie won’t be alone. “Let Sammy know I’ll call her later to find out how things went with Gina.”
“Will do. Have fun. And don’t forget the number,” Annie hollers as Thalia is walking away.
Megan looks at Thalia, confused by Annie’s remark. “Number? What did she mean?”
Thalia blushes. “It’s nothing. Just some silly project Annie is working on.”
THALIA FOLLOWS MEGAN to a nice neighborhood not too far from the hospital. She pulls into the driveway of a decent sized brick ranch with a fenced yard and a two-car garage.
“Can I get you something to drink?” Megan tosses her keys onto the breakfast bar, opens the refrigerator, and pulls out a bottle of Bud Light.
“Sure, I’ll take a beer.”
Megan hands Thalia a beer and they move to the cozy living room decorated in Southwestern blues with oranges adding a pop of color. “I love the artwork you have on display. Are you a collector?”
“Sort of. I love R.C. Gorman’s work. These are prints, though. I can’t afford originals.”
“Do you have ties to the Southwest?”
“No family or anything. The art just speaks to me.”
“I can see why.”
Thalia and Megan sit down next to each other on the sofa facing each other—shoes kicked off and feet pulled up.
Thalia opens her mouth to ask Megan what she does for a living. But before she can get the words out of her mouth, Megan removes the beer from her hand and places it on the table. She coaxes her down onto the sofa, straightening out her legs and gently pulling them toward her. Megan straddles Thalia and sits comfortably between her open legs.
“Don’t you want to talk for a bit?”
Megan places her finger over Thalia’s mouth. “Shh. We can talk later.”
Megan reaches down and strips her shirt and bra off in a single, efficient motion. Thalia’s eyes grow large as she takes in the newly offered sight of Megan’s erect nipples. Her hands are drawn toward them, but Megan stops her. She drops Thalia’s hands a
nd then maneuvers to remove her shirt and bra. She places a soft kiss on her lips before she pulls herself up to stare into Thalia’s eyes.
“Beautiful.”
Megan flashes a big smile and leans over to kiss her with more insistence. Megan’s tongue pushes into her mouth, demanding entrance, and the sensation turns up the heat between her legs. Thalia can’t keep her hands still any longer. She runs them up and down Megan’s back, lightly scraping the skin with her short nails. She can feel the goose bumps erupt over Megan’s skin as she retraces the path. She snakes her hands between them to indulge in the soft expanse of skin where her breast meets her side. Thalia runs her fingers over and over the incredibly sensuous spot.
“Oh, baby. I love touching you. Right there… ahh… it’s one of the sweetest spots on earth.”
“I have something even sweeter to touch.”
Megan unzips her pants and pushes her hand into Thalia’s underwear. Her hand is gently stroking the soft mound of hair protecting her soaked and swollen lips. Megan positions her index and ring finger to spread her lips apart making room for the back of her thumb to lightly graze over her clit. Thalia jerks at the sensation, thrusting her hips upward to increase the glorious pressure.
“Oh, yes. Just like that.”
Megan withdraws her hand and Thalia jerks her eyes open, immediately missing the lost contact.
Megan pushes herself up off the sofa and reaches out her hand to gather Thalia up. “Let’s take this to the bedroom.”
“Lead the way, darlin’.”
Megan removes the remainder of her clothing and Thalia follows her lead. She takes Thalia’s hand and leads her to the bed, pulling the covers down to make space for them to settle down into the soft sheets. Megan climbs back on top of Thalia. She places her mouth on Thalia’s breast and sucks the nipple deep into her mouth, simultaneously swirling her tongue.
Thalia’s hands are reaching and grasping anywhere and everywhere she can manage to increase the contact and friction between them. Her skin is on fire and relief can’t come fast enough. Megan begins the slow descent toward Thalia’s center, trailing kisses between her breasts, along her abdomen, and along her inner thighs before settling into the hot, wet, fragrant target.
