Best Practice

by Carsen Taite

  Grace’s house was about what she expected. Everything was immaculate and organized, more of a museum feel than a home. She called out to Grace who’d apparently disappeared into its depths.

  “I’m back here. In the kitchen.”

  Perry followed the sound of her voice, and found Grace leaning against a massive granite-topped kitchen island drinking from a glass of clear liquid. She pointed at the glass. “Gin?”

  “No,” Grace said, her tone brusque. “I’m working.”

  “I was kidding, but no one would blame you if you had a few drinks. It’s Friday night after all.”

  “Already had two, but now I have to figure out how to clean up a mess someone made before I can enjoy the rest of my weekend.”

  “I’m sorry what I said caused you problems with Hadley, but I meant what I said.”

  “Maybe not so much with the saying everything you think. That approach may work for you in your other work, but we have to keep paying clients happy if we want to stay in business. That means having a filter and using it. We could get Hadley to see some of your points, but it’s easier to do when we get him to feel like it was his idea in the first place instead of bludgeoning him over the head with criticism.”

  Perry had to concede Grace had a point. “I’m not real patient, in case you haven’t noticed.”

  “Oh, I noticed,” Grace said with a trace of a smile.

  “Why do I feel like we’re not just talking about Hadley anymore?” Perry took a step closer, emboldened by the apparent thaw in Grace’s icy demeanor. She was standing about a foot from Grace, and every detail about her became larger than life Technicolor. Her dark brown eyes were deep pools of desire and her waves of hair were tousled like she’d been running her hands through it, and Perry craved the opportunity to do the same. It would be thick and soft, and she would bury her face in it, drowning in her scent.

  Grace’s palm on her chest, pushing her backward pulled her back to reality. She met Grace’s eyes expecting to see firm resolution, but instead she looked perplexed. “What are you thinking right now?”

  “That you should probably go,” Grace said, her voice a whisper.

  “But you don’t want me to.”

  “It doesn’t matter what I want.”

  Perry wanted to pull Grace into her arms and tell her what she wanted was the only thing that mattered, but she knew it was a conclusion Grace had to reach all on her own. “I want you. Does that matter?”

  Grace’s palm moved up from her chest to her shoulder, her finger grazing the side of Perry’s neck. Perry barely held back a moan as the featherlight touch sent waves of arousal coursing through her entire body. Grace cupped her hand around the back of her neck, and now, instead of pushing she was pulling Perry toward her. Their lips were close, and the ache of almost touching took Perry’s breath away. “Tell me what you want?”

  Grace answered by leaning even closer, her breath labored and her eyes dark with desire.

  “Do you want to keep fighting?”

  Grace shook her head.

  “I think we should try kissing again. If you hate it, I’ll go. I swear.” Perry waited, and the seconds it took for Grace to respond felt like centuries. When Grace finally nodded, she was poised and ready. She took Grace’s lips between hers, lingering mere moments before pressing deeper with her tongue. Grace opened up to her as if there’d never been anything between them—age, distance, time. Every impediment fell away in favor of the thrum of desire consuming them. She ran her hands along Grace’s side, up her T-shirt, moaning at the feel of her firm, round breasts. Grace’s nipples peaked against the caress of her thumb, and she could feel Grace tense in her arms. “Are you okay?” she murmured against Grace’s lips, praying it was.

  “Okay is not the word I would use.”

  “Then tell me what word you would use because I’m going crazy here.”

  Grace grinned and reached for her hand. “Crazy, huh?”

  “Certifiable.” She stepped closer, her chest now pressed against Grace’s. “Would you like to feel exactly how excited you make me?”

  Grace tilted her head and stared into her eyes. Perry remained still for fear any sudden movement would tip the balance out of her favor.

  “Yes, I would. But what about after?”

  Perry’s gut reaction was to say “what about it,” but she knew how much it meant to Grace to be in control, and that included knowing outcomes they had no way of predicting. She gave the most honest answer she could. “I don’t know, but we’ll figure it out together.” She raised Grace’s hand to her lips and kissed her fingertips, one by one. “Do you want to figure it out together?”

  Grace reached around her waist, pulled her closer, and whispered in her ear. “There are many things I want to do together.”

  Perry breathed deep as Grace’s words conjured titillating images. “Take me to your bedroom. Please.”

  Grace grasped her hand and led her through the living room to a doorway on the other side. She reached in and flipped a switch and dim lights shone from the recessed fixtures on the ceiling. From the threshold, Perry could tell this room was Grace’s favorite. Unlike the untouchable perfection of the other rooms she’d seen, Grace’s bedroom was approachable. Scattered magazines, tossed pillows, a fluffy comforter—simple, but telling signs. This room was where she shed her tight grip on self-control, and Perry took it as a privilege to be invited in. She let Grace lead her to the bed and she sat on the edge in front of her, waiting, ceding the first move. “Whatever you want.”

  “I want you to take charge.”

  Perry wanted to ask her to repeat the words, so surprised she was to hear the request, but she sensed Grace might withdraw if pressed. Instead she decided to go for it, certain Grace would stop her if she changed her mind. “Happy to.”

  She placed a hand on either side of Grace’s waist and pulled her T-shirt over her head. The firm round breasts she’d felt earlier were more luscious than she could’ve imagined. Grace’s nipples were erect, and Perry licked her lips at the sight. She traced them with her fingers, pinching gently as Grace arched into her palms, groaning with pleasure.

  “That feels incredible,” Grace gasped. “Don’t stop.”

  “I have no intention of stopping,” Perry said. She leaned forward and replaced her fingers with the flat of her tongue, stroking Grace’s nipples in teasing turns of hard and soft, hard and soft until she whimpered in her arms. “Do you want me to stop?” Perry asked, her mouth still pressed against Grace’s breast.

  “Please don’t.”

  Perry continued to lavish one breast then the other, but she dropped her hand and gently pushed Grace’s shorts off her trim hips and onto the floor, excited when she felt nothing but flesh beneath. She drew a line with her finger from Grace’s belly button to the apex of her sex and then curved out to her thigh, letting one finger dip into her silken and incredibly wet folds. Grace cried out and sagged against her at the touch, and Perry decided it was time they both got into the bed. Reluctantly, she eased her attention from Grace’s breasts and turned her body so Grace was backed up to the bed now. She reached around her and fluffed the pillows, gently pressing Grace’s back against them. “Comfortable?”

  “Perfect.” Grace frowned. “Except for one thing.”

  “Name it.”

  Grace reached for Perry’s shirt. “Take this off.” She pointed at Perry’s pants. “Those too.”

  Perry grinned, happy to comply. She took her time shedding her clothes, making a little show of it.

  “Quit being such a tease,” Grace said.

  “Quit being a control freak and enjoy the show.” Perry held up her boxer briefs and twirled them in the air. When she let them fly, Grace grabbed her arm.

  “The control freak would like the naked girl to join her in the bed.”

  Perry slid up close to Grace and kissed the side of her neck while she resumed touching Grace’s breasts. When Grace started writhing, she reached across her and sl
id her naked center over Grace’s, eliciting a deep groan.

  “Oh, yes.”

  Perry repeated the move, and this time she pressed firmly against Grace’s wet sex, easing open her thighs with her knees. “You’re so wet,” she whispered before dragging her tongue down the length of Grace’s chest.

  “Is that me? I thought it was you.”

  “The arousal is mutual. You are so incredibly hot.”

  “You. You are.”

  Perry answered by placing her hands beneath Grace’s butt and nestling between her legs. The moment she dipped her tongue into Grace’s sex, everything else fell away. There was only her and Grace and this moment, wherever it led. She stroked gently at first, but then with increasing pressure in response to Grace’s cries, urging her on, begging her not to stop. She was in complete control, with one simple mission. She wanted to please Grace, tease her into the most explosive orgasm of her life, and moments later, when Grace shuddered in her arms, she hoped this night was one Grace would remember, no matter what happened tomorrow or the next day.

  * * *

  Grace couldn’t move, didn’t want to move, decided moving was overrated. Who would move when a beautiful woman was lying in your bed, between your legs with her delicious lips a whisper away from rousing you to another orgasm?

  When Perry inched her way back up to join her on the pillow, Grace took the time to appreciate every inch of her beautiful body—narrow hips, long legs, and the kind of abs that most people had to spend hours at the gym to build.

  “Are you staring at me?” Perry asked.

  “Maybe. Yes.” Grace licked her lips. “Absolutely. Is that a problem?”

  Perry tucked her arm under the pillow and drew Grace into the crook of her arm. “That is definitely not a problem.”

  Grace play swatted her stomach. “I knew you liked it. Exhibitionist?”

  “Really? Pretty sure you were naked first.”

  “My clothes were ripped from me. I had no control.”

  Perry laughed. “Oh, baby, you have all the control, and trust me, that’s a good thing.”

  Grace ran her tongue along the side of Perry’s torso, a joking move at first, but then her lips grazed Perry’s breast and elicited a soft moan. “This control thing is nice. Would you like me to stay in charge?”

  “I would. I would like that very much.”

  Grace answered by shifting and placing her entire mouth over Perry’s breast, gently drawing her nipple between her teeth and swirling her tongue around the tip. Perry gripped the sheets and arched off the bed.

  “Oh my God, that feels amazing.”

  Grace released Perry’s nipple from her mouth and stroked it with the palm of her hand. “I think you might be a little turned on.”

  “No doubt. I spent the last hour making love to a beautiful woman. Can you blame me for being on the edge of an orgasm?”

  Making love. Grace liked the way the words sounded even if she was pretty sure Perry was only using them as a placeholder. Not that she expected anything else. This was sex, not love. The fact she’d known Perry all her life didn’t change that. She felt a hand on hers, stilling her touch.

  “Are you okay?”

  “Sure,” she said, “of course.”

  “Where did you go just now?”

  Grace pointed at her head. “Sorry, brain never shuts off. It’s not my best trait.”

  Perry sat up and leaned back against the pillows. “Actually, your brain is the very first part of you I was attracted to. But we can stop now if you want.”

  “You don’t want me to…” Grace tried not to stumble over the words. “Make love to you?”

  “I want you to do whatever you want.” Perry shrugged like they were talking about grabbing a cup of coffee, but the way she ducked her head and avoided Grace’s eyes, conveyed her desire was stronger than she was willing to let on. “You’re the control freak, remember? But no pressure. I’m good.”

  Control freak. Excellent cover. Grace had no idea where this would lead or what it meant, and those two facts were clearly freaking her out, but she could play the part of control freak with one hand tied behind her back, and in that role she could either stop now or vow to contain whatever fallout came from this interlude between them. She looked down at Perry’s body, naked, willing, ready, and knew stopping wasn’t an option. “Tell you what. You’re good when I say you’re good.”

  A smile spread across Perry’s face, and Grace reached for her arms, pinning them above her head with one hand. She dipped down and lightly kissed Perry’s lips before turning her attention back to her small, firm breasts, taking turns with her tongue and her fingers to tease her nipples into hard points of pleasure. Perry moaned and writhed at her touch and Grace drank in the heady thrill of eliciting such a visceral response. She wanted more.

  She dropped her hand lower, charting a path along Perry’s sculpted stomach, winding her way down her thigh, stopping shy of the apex between her legs.

  “You’re making me crazy,” Perry said, her breathing labored.

  “Said the original crazy-maker.” Grace warmed at the compliment and slid her hand between Perry’s legs, trailing her fingers through her wet center, her own body throbbing at the intensity of the touch. “You feel so good.”

  “You’re telling me.” Perry arched up again to meet her touch. “I want to feel you inside. Please.”

  “Yes, soon.” Keeping her hand between Perry’s legs, she shifted position so she was on top and she kissed her way down the length of Perry’s body, settling between her legs. She traced the inside of Perry’s thigh with her tongue, groaning at the immediate response as Perry twitched at the lightest of touches. “You’re so ready.”

  “Yes,” Perry cried out.

  Grace couldn’t bear to tease her any longer. She pressed her tongue against Perry’s folds and slid a finger gently inside, gasping at how quickly Perry constricted at the touch. She raised her head enough to ask, “More?”

  “Oh yes.”

  Grace answered with two fingers, then three, easing in and out, a slow build accompanied by teasing Perry’s clit with her tongue, and relishing how it became harder with each pass. As Perry bucked against her, she increased the pace, no longer able to gauge the difference between Perry’s arousal and her own, and when Perry shuddered and went still, she experienced her own explosive release.

  She left her hand in place and laid her head on Perry’s thigh, content to stay in this spot for as long as Perry would let her.

  “I’ve never come like that.”

  Grace kissed her damp skin, smiling at Perry’s words and the way she trembled as she kissed her. “Like what?”

  “Like someone else is totally in charge of my happiness and I’m absolutely okay with it and actually it was even better being able to completely let go.”

  Grace laughed and crawled back up to the top of the bed. She curled around Perry’s body, craving the closeness, the intimacy of this moment. “Maybe control freaks are your thing.”

  Perry turned her head and captured her lips in a long, delicious kiss. “I think you may be right.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Perry reached for the nightstand and checked the time on her phone, surprised to see it was already six p.m. Despite the hour, Grace was snoozing gently beside her, her face a study in calm. She scrolled through the messages on her phone, mostly from Campbell, mostly wondering where she was and why she hadn’t called. She set the phone down without responding, rolled out of Grace’s bed, and started looking for the clothes she’d worn when she’d shown up last night.

  She didn’t want to go, but after breaking her promise to spend the day with Campbell, she figured she should at least show up for dinner with her and Wynne tonight. Grace reached for her leg as she walked by, and Perry smiled down at her. She’d never seen Grace this relaxed, this uninhibited. She was naked except for the fold of sheet barely covering her thigh. “Hello, you.”

  “Hello, yourself. Are you l
eaving?”

  Perry spotted her pants lying a few feet away and she tugged them on, and then leaned down to kiss Grace on the forehead. “I promised Campbell I’d have dinner with her and Wynne. Do you secretly want me to stay?”

  “I do want you to stay, but there’s no secret about it.”

  Grace’s honesty warmed her soul. “I’ll text Campbell and tell her I can’t make it.”

  Grace shifted under her and placed a hand on her chest. “No, you won’t. I got you yesterday, it’s her turn.”

  “Apples and oranges.”

  “Am I the apple or the orange?”

  Perry nuzzled against Grace’s shoulder, leaving a trail of kisses along the side of her neck, and finishing by nibbling her ear. “You’re a mango. More complex than an apple or orange. Fragrant, juicy—”

  Grace shook her head. “Okay, okay, your career as a poet has just ended. There will be no more talk of fruit. But seriously, you should go. You haven’t gotten to spend much time with Campbell, and since I’m already making plans to monopolize you the rest of the week, you should take advantage of this opportunity. Besides, I may need a little time to recover. I don’t think I’ve ever had sex for twelve hours solid without a break.”

  Perry smiled and kissed her again. “I’m all about setting records. Next time, let’s go for twenty-four.”

  Less than an hour later, Flint, who’d been excited to be requested again, dropped Perry off at Campbell’s house. She’d hated leaving Grace, gorgeous, naked, insatiable Grace, but she felt good about her decision to keep her word and join Campbell and Wynne for dinner. She could do commitment in small doses and it didn’t hurt that keeping this one had scored her bonus points with Grace.