The Romance Vote

by Ali Vali

  She slid the chicken into the oven and took a deep breath before heading to the other room. It was ridiculous, but she was nervous. “How about one of these.” She walked into the den and held the tray out, then promptly dropped it.

  Sam was sitting on the sofa with her arms resting on the back with her legs crossed. None of that would’ve been strange had it not been for the fact that she was naked, completely naked. “Ah, Sam.”

  “Do you think we can talk a little before dinner?” Sam uncrossed her legs and leaned forward enough for Chili to forget how to breathe. “Come sit down.”

  She moved forward like she was on an incline and was having trouble keeping her balance. When she was close to the sofa, Sam stood up and ran her hands down her right arm until she reached the cuff of her shirt. Sam unbuttoned that first before moving to the other one, and then she unbuttoned the shirt until she reached the waist of her pants.

  “On the chance of sounding like an idiot, what are you doing?” Chili asked as Sam pulled on the sides of her shirt to get it out of her pants.

  “I thought your brother said cooking naked would make the food taste better,” Sam said as she worked on the buttons as they appeared. “I didn’t want you to be shy about it.”

  Sam lowered the shirt from her shoulders and let it drop to the floor. “Are you sure about this?” she asked, hoping the answer wouldn’t be no.

  Sam unbuckled her belt and unbuttoned her pants, letting them fall to her ankles before she said, “Are you going to forget who I am tomorrow morning?”

  “No.” She had chills when Sam hooked her fingers into the sides of her underwear and followed them down.

  “Then sit.”

  That Sam had so effectively taken over like this was turning her on. It was certainly different than any other time she’d been with a woman, but if Sam wanted to seduce her, it wouldn’t be hard. What she didn’t want was regret if they moved too fast. “Should I remind you that we’ve got quite a few more dates to go?”

  “I expect you to come through,” Sam said as she knelt between her legs, gently running her fingertips down her thighs to her knees and back up.

  Before she could think of any other objections, Sam spread her open and ran her tongue from the opening of her sex to the bottom of her clitoris. Finding Sam naked had made her wet, but this got her instantly ready and desperate for an orgasm. Sam, though, obviously had other plans, since she slowed her movements and sucked her in softly. At this rate she’d rattle apart.

  Chili sat back and enjoyed the slow burn, then opened her eyes when Sam moved to straddle her. If this was a dream, she hadn’t had one this good since she was fifteen and had discovered reruns of Wonder Woman. Sam smiled down at her and her nipples got rock hard. She hoped Sam wasn’t going to change her mind as she put her hands under Sam’s ass and pulled her closer. When Sam kissed her she stood up and walked to the corner of the room, where the spiral stairs led to the master bedroom upstairs.

  She laid Sam down and took her socks off before joining her. “Would you believe I’m nervous?” she asked as she rested her hand on the curve of Sam’s hip.

  “Do you know how long I’ve waited to be in this position?” Sam reached down and grabbed her hand. “Let me try to relax you,” she said as she dragged Chili’s hand up and placed it around her breast. “Does this loosen you up any?”

  If Chili went through with this, it meant commitment. She couldn’t go back to the life she knew if she hurt Sam, and she wouldn’t want to. With a slight nod she moved so she was covering Sam with her body and encouraged Sam to spread her legs. She lowered her head and kissed Sam.

  She wanted to go slow, but having Sam under her like this put her hunger into overdrive. It was like putting an ice-cream sundae with all the trimmings in front of a three-year-old and expecting the kid not to take a bite. When Sam arched up into her, she knew she’d never possess that kind of willpower with this woman.

  After another kiss, Chili lowered her head and ran the tip of her tongue around Sam’s pink, puckering nipple. Sam raked her nails up her back when she sucked it in, and it made her want more. She reached down and put her hand between Sam’s legs. With one stroke she knew Sam was ready.

  “Please, baby,” Sam said as she grabbed her butt and pressed her closer.

  Chili rested her weight on her elbow so she could reach. Sam’s wetness and hard clitoris made her want to linger so she stroked slowly, drenching her fingers. She’d never wanted to please someone like she did Sam, so she took two fingers and slid them in, making Sam release a long, satisfied-sounding moan.

  When Sam opened up to her she went down Sam’s body until she could taste her. It was like Sam was hypersensitive, so when she put her mouth on her, Sam bucked up and grabbed both sides of Chili’s head and pressed her tighter against her. From the movements of Sam’s hips to the moans that were coming at faster intervals, Chili knew she didn’t have much time, so she sucked the hard clit into her mouth and slammed her fingers in and kept them there. Sam’s back came completely off the bed, and she called out her name before slumping back down.

  Chili moved up again and took Sam into her arms, and it was then that she noticed Sam was crying. She wasn’t hysterical, but large fat tears were making their way down her face, and the sight of them broke Chili’s heart. A moment of paradise wasn’t worth losing a friend and everything that could’ve come of it, the job be damned. Sam was much more important than that.

  “I’m so sorry, Sam,” she said as she rubbed her back. “It’ll be okay, I promise.”

  “You don’t have to apologize,” Sam said as she wiped her face with the sheet. “This has never happened to me, but you kind of overwhelmed me.”

  “As long as you’re not crying because it sucked,” she joked, trying to get Sam to smile.

  “I happen to like the way you suck, so don’t worry about it, and you definitely live up to the hype.” Sam took a deep breath and moved so she was lying on top. “And now I’d love to finish what we started in the other room.”

  Before Chili could respond, Sam moved down and spread her legs and moved them so they were bent at the knee. “Are you sure?” She didn’t want to push Sam if the tears weren’t connected to a short circuit of her emotions.

  “Am I sure I want to do this?” Sam asked as she put her tongue at the base of her clit. She flattened her tongue and moved it up until she got to the top, and then she started flicking her tongue until Chili cursed. “The real question is if you want me to stop?”

  “Right now I’ll pay you not to,” Chili said, and Sam laughed.

  “You don’t strike me as the kind of person who pays for sex, but I’ll sell Fudge the exclusive if you do,” Sam said before she went back to what she was doing. It took less than two minutes for Sam to drive her completely insane.

  No matter how much she moved, Sam kept pace, and when she couldn’t hold the orgasm back any longer, Chili thought she’d break out in tears. It was so good she thought she heard bells, which had never happened. Then she had to laugh when she realized it was the oven timer going off. Her roasted chicken was done.

  “What’s so funny?” Sam asked as she moved so she was covering her body again.

  “I heard that bell and thought you’d gotten your orgasm wings.” Sam laughed before she leaned down and kissed her. “Now that the appetizer part of our evening is over, are you hungry?”

  “Starving, but I’m interested in another picnic.”

  “Let me grab your clothes and I’ll be right back. Where do you want to eat?”

  Sam ignored her and walked to the closet, where she took a shirt off its hanger and put it on. “We’re not going anywhere, so put on a robe if you own one.”

  They walked downstairs together, and Chili hoped she wasn’t going to have any other visitors for the rest of the night. The pile of clothes in the den would be hard to explain. “The night isn’t going like I planned, so don’t blame me if the chicken is dry.”

  Sam laughed as
she pulled the tie to her robe. “You’re complaining?”

  “Read between the lines, cute stuff. I’m asking you on another date if dinner isn’t perfect.” She closed the robe and took the chicken out and cut it into some easy-to-handle pieces and placed them on a small platter.

  “That smells good. Do you need any help?”

  Chili grabbed two napkins and the platter and pointed to the den. “I don’t think I’m coordinated enough to make the sides I had in mind, so all you need to do is sit and eat some chicken.”

  “Are you upset the night is going like this?” Sam asked as she grabbed the bottle of wine Chili had taken out of the refrigerator and the two glasses on the counter.

  “That’s not a serious question, is it?” She put the food down and sat on the floor next to the coffee table. Sam accepted the hand she held out and sat on her lap. “Are you worried about anything?”

  “I don’t want you to think I’m rushing you.”

  “If anyone who knew me well heard you say that, they’d die laughing.”

  “Paula wants to take me out for drinks to warn me about the big hungry wolf,” Sam said, making her laugh. “This is the first time we’ve done this, but I know you. I’m not worried.”

  “I’m not going to propose tomorrow,” she said, and Sam lost her smile. “But I am going to be here tomorrow. I’m not going anywhere, Sam.”

  “That’s all I need to hear. Looking too far into the future is sometimes scary, but if you take it a day at a time, I promise to put you at ease.” Sam picked up a piece of chicken and fed it to her as she took some bites of her own. “Speaking of tomorrow, what are you going to do about getting your job back?” Sam asked.

  “Your dad has to come around. If he doesn’t, then I’ll have to think about it. I don’t want to go to work for the competition, but I’m too young to retire.”

  “Do you want me to do anything?”

  “No. Huey’s a big boy, and it has to be his decision. I can always help Rooster win and run his office here after he ships off to Washington.”

  “You’d be bored out of your mind in a week.”

  She laughed before taking a sip of wine. “I’ll be seeing you, so I doubt that.”

  “You’ll be doing much more than that with me.”

  She kissed Sam and encouraged her to turn and face her. “Maybe I should go work with Rooster, since it’s going to be hard to not give away my feelings when you look at me like this.”

  “What are your feelings?” Sam opened her robe, then started unbuttoning the shirt she’d thrown on.

  “In general or right now?”

  Sam smiled as she took Chili’s hand and lifted it so she could put one of her fingers in her mouth. “Right now, and that’s all I want you to concentrate on,” Sam said as she took two of Chili’s fingers in to the knuckles. “Like I said, if that’s all we both do, I’m sure that a whole bunch of days will go by and you won’t be able to live without me.”

  Chili put her hand in the center of Sam’s chest and pushed her back a little so she could reach one of her nipples. It puckered stone hard in her mouth, and Sam threaded her hand into the hair at the back of her head. Before she could move to the other breast, Sam took the hand that she’d sucked the fingers on and positioned it so she could mount them. Sam was wet again, and she held her breast up to her like a gift.

  As Chili looked at her, that’s exactly what Sam was to her. Finally fate had sent her a present that it would kill her to return.

  “That I already know,” she said as she laid Sam down and started her quest to make Sam hers.

  *

  “Are you sure about my father?” Sam asked after they’d dressed and were walking back to Chili’s car. “One of the best parts of my job is working with you.”

  “I’m not giving in, so we’ll have to wait him out. If he doesn’t come around in a week, I promise I’ll talk to him.” Chili opened her door and Sam watched her walk around the front of her car. She was definitely moving slower now than when Chili had picked her up. “I should’ve told you to pack a bag so it doesn’t seem like I’m kicking you out after a great night.”

  “Waking up with you would’ve been a good way to start tomorrow, but I don’t want you to think I’m packing the U-Haul and picking china patterns.” She leaned over the console so she could rest her head on Chili’s shoulder.

  “I could always surprise you and pack you up myself.”

  The comment came close to making her lift her head to see if Chili was joking, because it didn’t sound like it. They drove in comfortable silence after that, and even though she told Chili to go on, she walked her to her door again.

  “Thanks for dinner and for the best date I’ve been on,” she said as she held Chili’s hands.

  “Are you busy tomorrow?” Chili was propped against the door frame smiling at her.

  “Unless it’s work-related, let’s go with I’m not busy in the future. I’m all yours if you have something in mind.”

  “I’ll think of something.” After that Chili kissed her for a few minutes, as if trying to convey how much she’d miss her until they saw each other again.

  She closed the door and rested against it, suddenly cold. It was way too early, but Chili was weaving herself into her soul to the point that she was empty now that she was alone again. When the phone rang she starting laughing but decided to answer it even if it was probably her father. If it was, she could start to speed up his thought process when it came to Chili.

  “Hello,” she said, trying to project joy into her voice.

  “Were you out having sex?”

  “Am I supposed to report back to you if I have,” she asked Maria as she kicked off her shoes and headed to her bedroom. It was late but she wasn’t sleepy, and having shared a shower with Chili she didn’t have anything else to do but go to bed, so she was glad for the distraction.

  “Never mind. Your answer gives you away.” Maria laughed and waited for her to say something, but the reporter part of her friend was going to have to work harder than that for a serious answer.

  “No, it doesn’t, so don’t put words in my mouth. Why are you calling me after midnight anyway?” She unzipped her dress and had a craving for Chili to be pressed up against her. The skin-on-skin contact had been her definition of nirvana.

  “The jungle drums are beating loudly tonight, so I was calling you to confirm my story.”

  “Did I miss a class in school that would’ve clued me in to all the cryptic talk? What story?” She pulled out her oldest but most comfortable flannel nightgown and tossed it on.

  “Word on the street, sweetie, is that Chili quit and is being courted by at least three firms and two major campaigns. What the hell happened?”

  She took the phone from her ear and stared at it for a minute. “Can I call you right back?”

  “You promise you’ll give me a statement, and you can call me whenever you want.”

  Chili was probably still on the road so she dialed her number, having already memorized it. “Reporters are calling my house wanting the Chili scoop,” she said when Chili answered.

  “What’s the bullshit going around? Am I running the presidential race for the idiot from Alaska, or have I been downgraded to traffic-court elections?” Chili laughed, and Sam could hear the radio in the background. “Maria must be desperate for a story if she’s calling about that at this hour.”

  “I didn’t say it was Maria.”

  “It wasn’t?” Chili shot back with a little heat. “Sorry. I just think she’s a little too familiar with you, partner or no.”

  “No need for jealousy, babe. Maria was my first roommate in college, and after a few dates we figured we were better off as friends since we had about as much spark as two wet matches in a hurricane. And to answer your question, that is who called me, and you know her well enough that she’s not going to quit until I tell her something.” She got into bed and sighed, since it was three times bigger than the night before. “You
didn’t tell me you’ve gotten so many offers, none of which have anything to do with traffic court.”

  “That’s Maria’s way of fishing for a story. She throws a box of dynamite in the water and sees what floats up once she’s killed everything in the lake.”

  “She wants me to call her back and give her a statement about what happened. What do you want me to tell her?” She rolled to her side and stared at the empty pillow next to her, imagining Chili being there.

  “Call your dad and ask him. I’d tell you what to say, Sam, but it’s Huey’s firm, and he should have final say when it comes to any media inquiries.”

  “If I ask you to do something for me, would you?” In the quiet of the town house it was easy to hear the tapping, as if something was hitting her window. She flew out of her bed and laughed when she saw Chili standing on the sidewalk with another handful of acorns.

  “Hopefully your question had something to do with asking me back up?” Chili asked as she held her phone to her ear.

  “You could work the Quarter with psychic instincts like that.” She practically skipped back to the front door and stood waiting until Chili showed up. “I know you didn’t make it home to pack that bag you were talking about, but you’re not leaving until the morning.”

  “Don’t worry about that.” Chili hung up and picked her up and carried her in the direction she pointed to. She threw the phone on the bed as she worked to get Chili undressed. “Before we get too involved and you get visitors in the morning because of it, call your father.”

  “Right now?” She stripped her nightgown off and straddled Chili when she lay down.

  “Get him to feed you some lines, since Maria wants an answer. Trust me, he won’t freak out. No matter what time I call him he’s always awake, or at least he sounds incredibly alert, which makes me think he has vampiric tendencies, but everyone has their little secrets.”