by Belle, Jove
“Sorry.” Ash released the hold on her head, then rolled off her. June pulled Ash into an embrace and held her for a moment.
When June looked up, she saw Kat dressing and dialing her phone. “Are you leaving?”
June wasn’t sure how she felt about that. She very much needed sleep, but she also wanted to play with Kat more. She’d barely gotten a taste earlier.
Kat spoke quietly into her phone, then disconnected the call. “I just called for a car. They’ll be here soon.”
“Oh.”
Kat pulled on her shirt.
“Wait.” Ash crawled off the bed and stopped Kat from putting on her pants. She pushed her hand between Kat’s legs. It came out coated with moisture. “Let us take care of you.”
Kat smiled and shifted her legs open slightly. “I really need to go. And your wife looks down for the count.”
“Okay.” Ash slipped her hand between Kat’s legs again.
Kat stared into June’s eyes, her gaze dark and intense, and Ash teased her easily into an orgasm. She built quickly and came with her mouth curved into a silent “O” as her body trembled with tension, then relaxed.
When she was done Ash removed her hand and licked her fingers. “Now you can go.” June could hear the smirk in her voice.
Ash sat on the end of the bed and watched as Kat pulled her clothes on. A car pulled into the driveway as Kat was stepping into her last shoe.
“Do you want to wash up first?”
Kat laughed. “I did that while you two were snuggling, when I gathered my clothes.”
Had they really been curled up together for that long? June felt almost bad for excluding Kat, except for the part where Ash was her wife and Kat had just fucked her hard enough that she probably wouldn’t be able to walk properly for a couple of days.
“I’ll walk you out.” Ash rose smoothly and followed Kat out of the room.
The last thing June heard as she gave in to the pull of sleep was Kat saying she had a lovely time, followed by Ash saying this wouldn’t become a regular thing. She loved June too much to share her on an ongoing basis.
June curled into herself and let sleep claim her. Maybe she should be worried about what would happen next time she saw Kat at the office, but she wasn’t. Maybe she should be worried about how to separate the memory of Kat’s hands on her body and keep it from becoming part of their home together, but she wasn’t.
As much as she’d enjoyed Kat, she loved Ash just that much more. Her wife would guide her through the tricky parts; she always did. Kat’s car left, and then Ash curled around her. With her limbs heavy with sleep, she kissed Ash and said, “I love you.”
“I love you, too, baby. Now go to sleep.”
And in her wife’s arms, she did.
On Her Knees
Chapter One
“How do I look?” Gavin fidgeted with the knot on his tie, and Abby Nelson shooed his hands out of the way.
“Don’t fuss with it.” She centered the tie and then smoothed her hands down his chest to clear the wrinkles in his vest. “You look very handsome.”
Their relationship was completely upside down. Gavin worried about how he looked and primped like a Glamour-reading teenage girl. Abby, on the other hand, was content with her appearance. She’d learned long ago what look worked for her, and when the circumstances arose—for example, a celebration at a senior partner’s house to celebrate Gavin’s promotion—she fell back on a time-proven winner. Tonight she’d opted for a black sheath with long lines that accentuated her body and teased with more than a hint of leg via a slit up the side. It slid open and closed in the most tantalizing way, and Abby very much approved. She pulled her hair back in a twist and called it good. Wisps fell around her neck and curled around her dangling earrings. Gavin wore enough product in his hair for both of them. And still he thought his bosses considered him straight.
He kissed her lightly on the lips, a chaste expression of brotherly love. “You sure you don’t mind?”
Abby threw up her hands. If reassuring him the fifteen other times he asked hadn’t been enough to convince him, nothing would. “I give up.”
“Don’t be like that, Abs.” He caught her around the waist and hugged her close. Side by side in the full-length mirror, they looked good together.
“I don’t mind.” Abby returned his hug, then slipped out of his embrace. She pushed her feet into the short heels that the dress demanded. She’d rather wear her cross trainers, but they weren’t really high fashion. “But I think you’d be happier with a real date.”
“Before or after I had a heart attack?” Gavin was so deep in the closet it would take a lot more than a few platitudes from Abby to chase him out of it.
“Fair enough.” Hair up, shoes on, tiny purse in her hand, Abby was ready to dazzle the partners of Dmitri, Holt, and Stevens.
“What about you?” Gavin held her hand lightly as they walked to his car.
“What about me?” Abby asked as she slid into the passenger seat. She knew what Gavin was asking, but sometimes it was just easier to feign ignorance. She didn’t want to think about what her life would be like if she allowed herself to enjoy a real date. The non-romantic relationship with Gavin was enough to satisfy her need for companionship. Sex was nice, but she could have orgasms all by herself, no partner required.
Gavin didn’t respond until he was securely fastened into the driver’s seat. “You should date.”
“Hmmm.” It wasn’t a yes, but hopefully it was enough to get Gavin off her back. He was a little pushy about her love life. Her issues were completely different than his. Abby wasn’t in the closet. She just really, really didn’t like the vulnerability and possibility of pain that went along with a relationship. She was still recovering from the last one. When it was time to venture out again, she would.
Gavin maintained that his closet was so much more practical than the barriers that Abby set up around herself. He was reserved due to career pressures. First he’d needed the secrecy to please his parents, then to get the job at the schmancy law firm, then he had to make full associate, then it was junior partner. Abby believed he would always have some excuse to keep himself hidden, and that made her sad.
Abby, on the other hand, wasn’t trying to get ahead; she was just trying to get by without falling apart. If she could figure out how to fall in love without getting hurt in the process, she’d be on board. So far, however, that hadn’t been her experience.
“Hmmm isn’t an answer, sweetie.” Gavin was apparently in a matchmaker mood as he navigated through traffic. “Listen, there’s a new woman at work…” He glanced at her.
“No. Keep your eyes on the road.” Abby took Gavin’s hand, laced their fingers together, and rested them together over the center console. “I’m okay. Don’t worry.”
“I’m just saying that when you’re ready to stop being my beard, it’s okay. I understand.”
“I’m not ready yet. But when I am, you’ll be the first to know.” Abby didn’t understand why Gavin was pushing so hard about this tonight. She only had to pose as his girlfriend a handful of times a year. It wouldn’t matter if she started seeing someone. She’d still make time to help him out when the situation arose. She squeezed Gavin’s hand. He was her best friend, and that wouldn’t change regardless of her relationship status.
*
When they arrived, the party was in full swing. The house was crowded to the point that Holt’s four-thousand square feet of overindulgence seemed small. “What’s up with all the people?”
“We hired a new round of associates. Business is expanding.” Gavin helped Abby out of her overcoat and turned it, along with his own, over to the coat-check girl stationed at the door. When Holt threw a party, he didn’t skimp on service. A caterer walked by with a tray of champagne, and Gavin snagged one for each of them. “Come on.” He handed a glass to Abby. “Let’s go be seen.”
Abby saw Simone Davies before Gavin pointed her out. Her chest tightened and sh
e took a quick gulp of champagne. Clearly she was imagining things. She’d recently received the invitation for their ten-year high-school reunion, and now her brain was conjuring up an old classmate in a place she clearly didn’t belong. Abby was certain that when they got closer, she’d see that it was someone else entirely. Surely the distance and the lighting were conspiring against her.
They worked their way across the room and Abby met a host of people she wouldn’t remember. She knew Gavin’s bosses on sight, and that was the important part. Nobody else could promote—or fire—him. She kept tabs on the Simone doppelganger. The more she studied, the more convinced she became it wasn’t really her. This woman smiled and laughed, and she held herself with open confidence. She was inviting and enticingly in control, not cocky and closed. She was a study in opposites from the Simone Abby had known in high school.
When they were halfway through the meet-and-greet, the woman met Abby’s gaze and her eyes widened. “Abby?” Abby couldn’t hear the word, but recognition and subsequent question were undeniable. It was definitely Simone Davies.
Simone started making her way toward Abby.
“Gavin?” Abby kept her eyes focused on Simone’s progress across the room. It was slow going. “How long has Simone worked with you?”
“Who’s Simone?” Gavin leaned in close, his hand on her waist with the familiarity of lovers.
Simone halted. Her eyes narrowed and she tilted her head to the side, evaluating. Abby stepped out of Gavin’s embrace and pointed at Simone. Abby said, “She’s over there.”
“Oh, she’s the new woman I mentioned earlier. I don’t know her name, but I think she must be family.” He moved in again as he spoke, his fingers toying with the ends of her hair.
“She is.” The news that Simone Davies was a lesbian was decades old for Abby, but it still filled her with a forbidden, sudden thrill.
Normally Abby didn’t even notice the little gestures like Gavin touching her hair. She and Gavin had been together, played the charade for so long, the trappings of false intimacy were ingrained. With Simone staring at her, judging every gesture, she was suddenly hyperaware of Gavin’s touch. The room grew hot and stuffy, and she stepped away from Gavin a second time. She smiled and waved at Simone.
Simone nodded, the overly casual and totally indifferent move practiced by bitchy girls the world over. With that, Simone’s body tightened and she turned away. Abby was dismissed.
“Her name is Simone Davies.” Abby stared at Simone’s retreating back. Every terrible thing she’d done in the name of status during her four years of high school threatened to dismantle the person she’d worked hard to become. It had taken a lot of hours in the company of her therapist to break down that façade and build real confidence in its place. One glance from Simone Davies and she was ready to fall apart all over again. “I had a huge crush on her in high school.”
“Oh?” Gavin asked. “Small world.”
Before Abby could explain, Gavin was greeted by another round of congratulations on his new promotion. Abby paid polite attention but otherwise focused on Simone.
Abby had been wholeheartedly envious of Simone when they were younger. Simone had been afraid of nothing and ready to take on the world. Abby, on the other hand, had been afraid of everything. She was afraid her family and friends would find out she was gay. More than that, she was afraid Simone would find out how Abby felt about her and that would have made it all real. She wasn’t supposed to fall in love with a girl. She could pretend it wasn’t happening as long as she didn’t have to think about it. But when she’d heard the rumors about Simone with another girl doing all the things Abby wanted for herself, all she could do was think about it. When Simone didn’t deny the rumors, Abby fell apart completely. She was angry and hurt and so very jealous. She’d lashed out and made Simone pay in every way she could.
Simone worked the room, maintaining a safe distance. When she stepped out onto the back deck, Abby excused herself and followed. Simone’s body language had made it clear she didn’t want to talk to Abby, but that wasn’t good enough. After ten years, Abby wanted more than a dismissive shrug.
Abby slid the door shut, blocking out the sounds of the party. If there had been a way to lock it from the outside, Abby would have engaged it. She wanted to be alone with Simone, without interruption. The November air gifted them with a nearly vacant deck. Abby liked the crisp solitude. It was fitting for the conversation awaiting her.
She joined Simone at the rail and looked out at the city lights below. It was a nice view, but Abby preferred the stars above. It was rare for them to not be obscured by a layer of clouds. Living in Portland had many benefits, including lush greenery, but Abby didn’t count the generous rainfall on the list of things she loved about the city.
“Planning to ignore me all night?”
“I wasn’t sure it was you at first.” Simone didn’t spare a glance for Abby. She could have just as easily been speaking to the night itself.
“It is.”
“I see that.” Simone still didn’t look at her.
“Why did you turn away?”
At that, Simone reversed her stance and rested her back against the rail. She gave Abby a half smile. “What do you mean?”
“You were almost to me.”
Simone shook her head and issued a short laugh. There was no humor in it. She stared at the glass door, still refusing to meet Abby’s gaze. “I didn’t want to interrupt your date.”
“Huh?” Abby hadn’t dated in months.
Simone blew out a long stream of gray smoke, and Abby pictured her at seventeen at a party with a pack of her dad’s cigarettes. She’d isolated herself from the rest of the group, leaning out an open window as she chain-smoked her way through the pack and growled at anyone who dared to step within a two-foot radius of her. “How long have you known Gavin?”
Abby could hear the trap in the question but couldn’t figure out where to step. “Forever, it seems.”
Simone tapped her ash and gave Abby half a smile. “Not quite forever or I’d know him too.”
“Good point.” Abby joined Simone at the rail. She felt emboldened when Simone didn’t step away. Maybe they could have a conversation after all. “He was my professor for Intro to Sociology freshman year. He’d just finished law school and was waiting to take the bar.”
“Eight years older?” Simone said it as a question, but Abby could tell she already knew the answer. They worked together, and Simone was the sort to educate herself about the people around her.
Abby nodded. “He’s a good friend.”
“Looks like he’s a little more than just a friend.” Simone’s eyes were unreadable.
“That?” Abby gestured toward the house, intending to encompass what Simone was referring to. “That’s just an act. He’s not really my type.” She slid a little closer to Simone.
“An act?” Simone spoke more to herself than Abby. “Of course.”
What did Simone mean by that? Memories of Simone’s viper-quick assessment, her ability to shred a person to bare bones with a few well-placed words, kept Abby from asking. She’d been on the receiving end of Simone’s anger—rightfully so—too many times to want to go there again. And the deceptively calm look Simone had in her eyes right now always preceded those outbursts.
Instead she offered further explanation. Perhaps more information would help. “He likes for his colleagues to see us together, to think we’re a couple.”
Simone nodded but didn’t ask another question. Her eyes remained the same enigmatic barrier as always. Abby bet she was a hell of a negotiator.
They stood together in the cool night air, the ease and beauty of the night corrupted by the layer of tension building between them. It was just like old times.
“I should go back inside.” Simone finished her cigarette, and their reason for staying on the deck ended when she snuffed out the butt in the ashtray.
“Wait, Simone, please.” Abby stepped in front of
Simone, blocking her path toward the door. They were far too close and Abby couldn’t remember how to breathe.
Simone stood still, her hands in front of her braced for an impact that never came. If Abby took half a step forward, those hands would finally, after years of wanting, be on her. She took a shallow breath, and her head swam with the smell of Simone, a hot mixture of Marlboro and perfume. It was far more intoxicating than the glass of wine she’d been sipping.
“Simone.” Abby pressed in a fraction closer. “Please don’t run away.”
“Shit.” Simone’s eyes filled with thunder.
Simone took Abby in a rough kiss. It was fast and hard and completely consuming. For a brief moment, Abby felt blissfully owned. Then as quickly as it started, it was over and Abby felt abandoned. Simone pushed her away.
“Shit.” Simone swore for the second time, and Abby still didn’t understand the reason.
The taste of tobacco lingered from Simone’s cigarette, and Abby wanted to taste it again, to suck the flavor from her tongue. She reached for Simone. As her fingers touched the fabric of Simone’s dress, light flooded the patio.
“There you are, Abby.” Gavin’s voice boomed, too loud for the fragile intimacy woven into the night air.
The blood drained from Simone’s face and she swore again. She tried to sidestep Abby, but Abby put a hand on Simone’s chest and held her in place. “Stop, please.” The words were a near whisper, completely desperate and needy.
Simone halted abruptly at Abby’s touch. Her eyes were wide open and stormy.
“Abby?” Gavin spoke quieter this time. He sounded confused.
“Gavin.” Abby kept her focus on Simone. One wrong move and she’d bolt. “This is my friend Simone. We haven’t seen each other since high school.”
The door slid shut behind Gavin, and the curtain fell back into place, shutting out the light. She felt him move closer. “It’s nice to meet you, Simone.” He extended his hand.
