by Fiona Riley
This time Savannah moaned. “Me, too, babe. Me, too.” Savannah took a breath over the line. “Imagine me there, over you, breathing against your neck. I want to lick under your jaw and suck on the skin under your ear. Your skin is so soft, Liv…”
Olivia’s hips canted up at Savannah’s words. Her chest warmed at the word babe. Her heart pounded at the thought of Savannah kissing her neck and hovering over her. She let herself believe that it was Savannah’s touch winding her tighter and tighter. “You feel so good.”
“Olivia.” Savannah’s tone was serious. “I want you to run your other hand down your stomach and drag your nails along the skin. Do it slowly, then tell me what it feels like.”
Olivia slid her hand from her left breast to her right. She continued massaging and teasing as her right hand released the blanket and settled under her panting chest. She danced her fingers along the skin as her blunt nails sent shock waves through her body the closer she got to her panties.
“It feels…” She struggled to string coherent words together. “It feels, ugh, unbelievable. So hot. Fuck. Please.” She was getting antsy. She didn’t think she had ever been this turned on by someone just talking to her. It felt so good. She needed a release and she wanted Savannah to talk her through it. Now.
Savannah muttered a quiet curse. “I want you to touch yourself. Slip your fingers under your panties. Are you wet for me?”
Olivia moaned deep and loud into the phone as her right hand paused at the band of her thong and flitted along the elastic before she slipped under. “Oh God.” She cried out as she reached the hot, wet flesh. She saw stars as she glided up and down and collected the wetness on her fingers. “I’m so wet, Savannah. Fuck. I’m so, so wet.”
“Liv.” Savannah sounded hungry. “Rub circles on your clit, Olivia.”
“I’m so sensitive. It feels so good.” Olivia felt possessed. Her hands moved across her body almost greedily while Savannah dictated the speed and pressure. She continued to coach and encourage her with that liquid sex voice. Olivia clenched her eyes shut as she felt herself start that steady climb while her hand worked faster under her panties, rubbing over the wetness. Her clit throbbed as she imagined Savannah touching her and bringing her higher and higher.
“Imagine my hand, Liv. Imagine me there, over you, holding your hips still as I touch you. You feel so good. You’re so wet. I love the heat. I want to feel it all. I’m kissing along your neck, Olivia. I’m licking down your chest and sucking on the skin as I make tight circles on your clit. Can you feel me, Liv? Are you close for me?”
Olivia gasped and panted out, “Savannah, I’m so close. Please, I need to…” Her hips rocked up to meet her hand as she pressed harder on her clit and she felt herself reach the point of no return. She bit her lip and scratched at her chest, imaging Savannah’s hot mouth working its way down her sternum, between her breasts. “Savannah, I need to, I—”
“C’mon, baby. Come for me. I want you to. Come for me.” Savannah sounded breathless now and Olivia didn’t hesitate to comply.
Her breathing staggered before it stopped momentarily as she reached the precipice and crashed back down. Her heart was racing and her breaths came out unevenly as she felt her body relax into the bed. She continued her gentle ministrations as the aftershocks rolled through her body and sent tingles through her legs into her feet. She let out a satiated sigh as her hands fell limply to her sides. A soft chuckle spilled from her lips as she realized she just got herself off to Savannah’s voice. She was quiet for a moment as she listened to Savannah’s breathing, which seemed faster than normal. “Shit. Did that just happen?”
Savannah laughed. “Mm-hmm. That definitely just happened.”
Olivia let out a contented sigh. She felt like she should be panicking in this moment, but she just felt happy. “Hey, Savannah?”
“Yeah, Liv?”
“You have the sexiest voice I have ever heard. I just thought you should know.” Orgasms were like truth serum to Olivia. She had little if any control over the things that came out of her mouth during or after. It was a thing.
Savannah’s panty-dropping chuckle rang out across the line before she answered and Olivia swooned a little. “Really? We just did what we did and the first thing you wanted to tell me immediately following is that you think I have a sexy voice?”
“Yes. It seemed like a very important thing to tell you in the moment.” Well, it did.
“Thank you.” Savannah’s voice was softer now. “I’m looking forward to seeing you in a few days.”
Olivia giggled. “Yeah, me, too.”
A comfortable silence fell between them before Savannah let out a heavy sigh. “Hey, as much as I don’t want to go, I sort of have a business meeting, oh, about ten minutes ago that I have to get to.”
“Oh God, I totally forgot.” Olivia was recovering safely in her bed, but what about Savannah. “Where are you right now?”
“Um, in the parking lot, in my car, sitting outside the restaurant.” Savannah sounded a bit embarrassed.
“Jesus. I’m sorry. You must be…” Olivia cringed.
“Wet? Sexually frustrated? Unreasonably turned on before a business meeting? Is that what you were going to say?” Savannah teased with a laugh.
“Um, yeah.” Olivia scrunched her nose as she replied. “Is all that true?”
“Oh, yeah. Totally. I’m a mess right now.”
Olivia wondered if that was true. What she would give to see the look on Savannah’s face when she came… “I sincerely doubt that. I’m sure you look stunning, as usual.”
“You’re sweet.” Olivia could hear the car door open and close over the line. “I have to get to this meeting but I’ll call you later if it’s not too late. Is that okay?”
“I’d like that.” Olivia sank deeper into the comfort of her bed as a feeling of tranquility settled over her. “Good luck at your meeting.”
“Talk to you soon.” They exchanged good-byes before ending the call.
Olivia lay there wondering what they’d just done. It was one thing for her to be attracted to Savannah and for them to flirt. It had been another thing to make out with her on the piano bench. But phone sex? Phone sex was something else entirely. She didn’t regret it—if anything, it made her want to see Savannah that much more. She wanted to experience everything Savannah had to offer, in real time, not just over the phone. Just thinking about it made Olivia feel warm and tingly again. No reason to let that go to waste, right?
Chapter Fourteen
Phoenix
Savannah made sure to call Olivia after the client meeting like she’d promised. And every day since then. They exchanged cute, flirty texts bidding the other good morning and good night, or spoke briefly about work before asking how the other person’s day was going. It felt completely normal. Well, except for the part that they didn’t directly discuss that phone call. The one that took what had been happening between them to a different level. That call remained alluded to, but never openly discussed. And Savannah had mixed feelings about that.
All along, Olivia had been the one encouraging Savannah to put down her walls and let the chemistry they clearly shared ignite. And yet, something told Savannah to cool her heels. As much as she wanted to see where things went with Olivia, part of her was also hesitant. Even if she could put aside the complicated working relationship they shared, she could feel the ghosts of her past getting in the way.
Her last real relationship had nearly ruined her. After college, she’d been in a serious relationship with her college love, Gwen, and there was talk of marriage. They had plans for a family and a menagerie of pets. But things hadn’t worked out. Gwen had struggled with depression after the loss of her mother and started an affair with someone she’d met in a bereavement group. She’d pulled back from Savannah months before Savannah had caught her in the midst of her betrayal. Everything fell apart very quickly after that. The whole thing was so jarring to Savannah, that, for a few days, she just di
d nothing at all, ghosting past Gwen and letting the hurt settle in. Then one day, Savannah came home to an empty closet in their shared bedroom. Savannah was alone, without any real closure, and had a household full of painful memories and responsibilities to sort through.
She didn’t date seriously for a few years after that. Her work had become her life. She’d downsized her existence to a twelve hundred square foot loft and resisted anything serious in the relationship department. She had flings, or frequent bedmates, but nothing lasting. It was easier that way. None of it ever felt like a forever thing to Savannah. She had thought she had a forever thing with Gwen and she’d been wrong. That relationship had ended even with Savannah trying her best to make it work. So, she changed. She changed her job, changed her city, changed her sense of permanence. When things got rocky with a woman she was interested in, she didn’t even try to make it work. She just let it fall by the wayside.
But what was happening with Olivia was unlike anything she had experienced before. This wasn’t like one of the flings she’d had after her relationship with Gwen dissolved. But it wasn’t like the relationship she’d shared with Gwen either. This was something different.
She really liked Olivia.
She looked forward to hearing from her and seeing her. And that made her nervous for a few reasons. She didn’t want to get too attached—they lived in two different cities and their time together had an expiration date. Plus, she didn’t really know all that much about Olivia. Nor Olivia about her. They’d kept it light. Well, lightish. Physically they appeared to be a good match. But Savannah wasn’t sure if she was ready to broach the emotional stuff yet. If ever. Whatever they had was working the way it was, why change it?
She thought back to that night on the phone. She’d been amazed that she’d reached her destination safely and didn’t careen into a tree while Olivia’s breathy moans filled her ear. That phone call and the incredible sounds that came out of Olivia’s mouth were the only things she could think of lately. The Phoenix installation couldn’t come fast enough.
“I want to make sure this goes off without a hitch, Savannah.” Kenneth Dodd had a jolly, booming voice that matched his large, rotund frame. He looked like a younger version of Santa and his mannerisms echoed the comparison. Savannah had heard gossip that he had been quite a shark of a businessman when he was younger, but her only experience with him had been easy-breezy. If anything, she thought him a bit oafish and unhelpful. She’d not experienced any of the shrewdness of the legend. He was a middle-aged, balding white man with bright red cheeks and a deep laugh, who never seemed to be concerned with anything, ever. He was freakishly calm, at all times, which unnerved Savannah, who was used to a fast-paced, high-energy approach to management. Her whole life was deadlines, conference calls, emails, and meetings—all things that should consume Kenneth’s time as well, but he just never seemed bothered. He was odd. That was the only way she could describe him. Odd.
“Of course, Ken. That’s the plan. Did you receive my evaluation of the Denver site?”
“Right, yes. Looks like they’re doing great work. Go team.”
Savannah had been swamped with prep work since she’d arrived in Phoenix. In order for them to meet the accelerated deadline, everyone had to be working around the clock in preparation for Olivia and her team to arrive. She had back-to-back meetings on the day Olivia’s flight landed and would be unable to meet Olivia and her team at the airport as she had hoped to. She wanted a chance to get Olivia alone, talk about things in person, and try to get a feel for what she was thinking. But there was just too much to do in such a short time. And this phone call was one of them.
Kenneth rambled on and on about the excitement this project was generating and told her a seemingly endless story about nothing in particular until he finally ended the call. Savannah glanced at her watch. Dammit. She was going to be late. That man could talk and talk and talk. She seriously wondered if he just liked to hear his own voice. She grabbed her personal cell phone and dialed her brother.
“I thought you forgot about me.” The sound of a video game machine gun was in the background.
“Sorry, Coop. It’s been insane.” Savannah ran her hand through her hair and exhaled. “How’s Chi-town?”
“Meh. Busy. School is busy. Life is busy. The usual.” Cooper sounded distracted.
“Is this a bad time?” Savannah knew the answer.
“I’m sorry, Sav. I’m kinda in the middle of something. I just wanted to let you know that Dad called.” Cooper sounded shy.
Savannah and her father did not get along. They barely spoke and saw each other even less. But Cooper was still in school, so if she had a relationship with her half brother, she still sometimes overlapped with her deadbeat father. “Oh? What’d he say?”
The sound of gunfire paused. “He wanted to know about parents’ weekend and visiting. I didn’t tell him we had plans. I don’t want him to impinge on them. You know how he can be.”
She sighed. That she did. He was grandiose and obtuse. Entitled and narcissistic. Being around him was exhausting. She was grateful for his decision, but Cooper sounded anxious. “Okay. So is there a problem?”
“He wants to crash my dinner with Mom.”
“Yeah, so?” Two birds, one stone. Savannah thought this sounded like a better alternative to a meal with her father alone.
“He met someone. He wants to bring her along.” Ah. There it was.
Sure, he did. To rub it in Cooper’s mom’s face, no doubt. Savannah would bet her life savings that this woman was young and pretty. That’s how her father liked them. Her father had dumped Cooper’s mother a couple of years after Cooper had been born. Just like he did with all the women in his life—he left them. Cooper and his mother were close. No doubt this made him feel uncomfortable.
“Tell him no, Coop.” Savannah didn’t have many regrets in life, but she did feel badly about the way things had gone with all the women that followed Gwen. It wasn’t anyone’s fault really—she just wasn’t ready. She didn’t feel the connection and her heart was still reeling from the first time. But part of her was angry with herself, too. She had grown up with a father who thought people were expendable. She didn’t like the way she’d easily shrugged off the women in her recent past. It felt like something he would do. That was not a comparison she ever wanted. The only good thing that man had ever done in his whole life was have her brother, Cooper.
Her brother cracked his knuckles. He did that when he was nervous.
“Coop. You’re an adult. Tell him to fuck off with his Barbie doll rent-a-girlfriend. If he can’t sit through dinner with you and your mom and Amber without showboating this week’s arm candy, then he can’t go. Simple as that.”
“Yeah.” The sound of gunfire resumed. “You’re right.”
“I know I am. Just try. If you don’t want him there at all, that’s fine, too.” Savannah felt bad. She knew how things were with her father. She knew how Cooper must be feeling. But she’d grown out of that kind of guilt and shame. She wasn’t interested in her father’s negativity or need to impress people. Cooper was still learning, but Savannah had seen enough of that behavior for a lifetime. “Call me if you need anything, Coop. I’ll talk you through it.”
“Thanks, Savannah. When are you home again?”
“Couple of weeks.”
“Great. Okay. I gotta finish killing these zombies before Advanced Chem later. Love you. Thanks for the pep talk.”
“Love you, Coop.”
She glanced at the calendar in front of her. Was it really a few weeks until she was back home again? When did she get so accustomed to being someplace else all the time? She thought of Olivia and about the feelings Cooper stirred up when he brought up their father. She had failed at her past relationships by not even trying. Her thoughts circled back to Olivia. Olivia made her want to be in one place for a longer period of time. Olivia made her want a lot of things. She looked at the clock again—they would be landing any m
inute. Maybe she could wrap up here and meet up with her at the hotel. She wanted to get her alone, to talk to her. She nodded to herself and made the decision. She could work on the rest of this later. Tonight, she needed to see Olivia. Alone.
* * *
Olivia couldn’t help but frown when she saw the hotel transport van without Savannah in it. She had been secretly hoping Savannah would meet her and greet her with a tight embrace and some secretly whispered seduction. She wasn’t that surprised, though. The Denver installation was very close to the hotel they were staying at; this time around the project space was much farther away. It would have been ridiculous to expect Savannah to leave the design space and get back to the hotel just to take another vehicle to personally pick them up. But she still couldn’t shake the disappointment she felt.
The ride from the airport to the hotel was quick. Devon and Farrah were chatting about the flight with the driver and picking his brain for good haunts in the area. They’d be in Phoenix longer than they’d been in Denver, so there’d be more opportunities to explore and see some of Phoenix’s culture. The boys and Reagan had arrived a few days before, just like last time, to get things in order since.
Once Olivia and her team checked into their hotel rooms, a hotel driver shuttled them over to the design space. The room was in the far east corner of a nearly century-old building that overlooked a man-made pond with mountains in the distance. It was gorgeous in its bare-bones setup, so rich with history and architectural charm. The space would be unbelievable once Olivia and her team had a chance to work with it.
Daniel and the head contractor met them at the door, handing them each hard hats and giving Olivia the newest blueprint plans. Randal and Reagan were seated at one of the drafting tables going over numbers and drawings. Reagan was in her usual grunge-chic outfit, her hair brushed sloppily over her shoulder in that perfected just-out-of-bed look. Randal was his usual wrinkled self, looking worn-out already, and it was barely midday. Olivia shook her head. At least they were consistent.
