by Carsen Taite
Parker knew she wasn’t, but she played the role as if it were hers. She didn’t bother with the niceties of candlelight this time but relied instead on the thin shafts of streetlight through the slits of the window blinds and the trace of her own touch to view Morgan’s beautiful body. Parker watched Morgan shift from one foot to the other as she stood nude at the foot of the bed while Parker, still dressed, slowly observed her every feature. She wondered if Morgan’s uneasiness had as much to do with the balance of power as it did with her exposed flesh. As if in answer, Morgan reached for Parker’s shirt, tugging it out of her jeans. “Take your clothes off.”
“I suppose you’re going to say you want to feel my skin against yours?” Parker breathed the words into Morgan’s ear. Morgan responded by twisting her hand in the cloth of Parker’s shirt and sliding her palm against the exposed skin. Parker’s breath caught at the sudden charge of the impact. Morgan’s touch was as electrifying as she remembered and she almost ceded her control. Almost.
“Well, I happen to agree.” Parker gathered Morgan’s hands into her own and leaned closer. “Here, let me show you.” She grazed the soft skin of Morgan’s neck with her lips and tongue, licking a path to her luscious earlobe where she lingered, coaxing Morgan into submission. It didn’t take long. As Morgan wilted against her, Parker held her in a strong embrace before gently easing her onto the bed. Lying on her back, arms above her head, Morgan was at once vulnerable and stunning. The vulnerability threw Parker off balance for a moment, but she quickly recovered her composure. She wanted to savor this experience and she wasn’t going to let the reservations Morgan had expressed earlier get in the way of the undeniable attraction she felt.
Parker pulled her shirt over her head and tossed it to the floor. She grasped Morgan’s wrists and held them tight while she lowered her body just enough to let her breasts rub against the hard arousal of Morgan’s nipples. Parker sucked in her breath as Morgan bucked against her, but she kept the rest of her skin just out of reach though she ached to meet Morgan’s insistent pursuit. Parker slid down and rested a denim-covered thigh between Morgan’s legs. She felt the heat of Morgan’s yearning sear through the cloth and groaned at the sensation.
“Touch me,” Morgan begged. Her eyes were dark pools of liquid, seemingly unfocused as if her sight was turned inward, observing only the sensations of her own arousal. She struggled, her body straining to connect with Parker’s. Every ounce of her appeared to be humming with desire, and Parker suddenly cared less about maintaining control than about granting Morgan’s request. She dipped her head and flicked her tongue against a hard nipple, teasing it to its finest point before she sucked the swollen breast into her mouth. Parker released her grip on Morgan’s hands to play with Morgan’s other breast, squeezing and tugging as Morgan raked her nails down the muscles on her back. Parker groaned. The mix of pain and pleasure bordered on extreme, but still she craved more.
“I want to taste you.”
“Please,” Morgan pleaded, so unlike the woman who had commanded their first night together. “I’m so close, I may come the second you touch me.”
“No, you won’t,” Parker promised. She drew her fingers along Morgan’s glistening sex, gently opening the soft folds of flesh. Sliding down, she lowered her head and breathed in the musky aroma of Morgan’s desire. Parker blew a warm breath across Morgan’s clit before drawing her into the moisture of her ready mouth. Parker reveled in the slippery heat against her tongue and the twitch of Morgan’s legs elicited with each increase in pressure. She caressed Morgan with long, steady strokes, taking her to the edge and holding her there without release. When she could feel Morgan edge toward climax, she slid two fingers inside her and drew herself up along the length of Morgan’s body, tasting her way back to Morgan’s full, gorgeous breasts. Morgan’s erect nipples welcomed her touch and Parker licked them hard while her fingers replaced the stroke of her tongue below. As she lavished Morgan’s breasts, she straddled her thigh and rubbed her own wet sex down the length of Morgan’s leg. Lost in the feel of the woman beneath her, she was pleasantly startled by the strong thrust of fingers between her legs. She looked up to see Morgan’s hazy smile and leaned in to kiss her full, ripe lips. As they kissed, she felt Morgan’s hands on her breasts, coaxing her nipples into stiff knots, then rubbing them hard against the satin palm of her hand. Parker found herself on top but not in charge. As Morgan’s lips and hands explored her mouth, her breasts, and her aching center, her fervor grew and Parker gave up all pretense of command. She met Morgan’s thrusts with equal fervor and, lips locked in heated frenzy, they came together in a roar.
*
Nestled in the crook of Parker’s arm, Morgan pushed the thoughts crowding her head to regions far from the present time and place. Morgan took advantage of the last shades of dusk peering through the blinds to appreciate Parker’s athletic form. She shivered at the memory of their night of passion. Unlike the first night, bits and pieces of experience and knowledge added depth to their encounter. Morgan now knew Parker was intelligent as well as sexy, confident as well as cocky. She wondered how Parker felt now that she knew the woman who lay beside her had power that exceeded her ability to make her partner come.
*
Parker watched the rise and fall of Morgan’s sleeping form and, not wanting to wake her, resisted the urge to curl her body around her. She remained content instead to breathe in Morgan’s scent. She was amused at her inability to look away. She’d spent years loving women but never letting herself get attached. Parker Casey’s definition of love was appreciation. She appreciated beautiful women, smart women, sexy women. She knew how to convey her interest with the most subtle signals and prided herself on her ability to please without promise. Parker maintained a friendly, if passing, acquaintance with many of her sexual partners, though most of her amorous encounters were one-night stands.
Lying here in bed beside Morgan, she found herself thinking ahead. Time was too short for all the things she wanted to do, all the things she wanted to say. Morgan had taken her to the edge and Parker had been so enraptured she would have gladly plunged into the abyss if Morgan had led her there. She had never allowed herself to experience such total loss of control and she wondered why she didn’t begrudge her powerlessness once Morgan touched her. Shaking her head, she decided to break the parade of thoughts marching her toward unfamiliar territory and wrapped her arms around Morgan’s sleeping form. Within moments, Morgan stirred and Parker kissed her gently awake.
“Good morning.”
“Morning.” Morgan stretched her arms and rolled away from her. “What time is it?” Sitting up, she looked distractedly around the room.
“Don’t worry. Unless you have a six a.m. class, you’re not late for anything.” Parker grabbed Morgan around the waist and pulled her back into the covers.
Morgan squirmed out of her grasp. “Seriously, Parker. I need to get home.”
Parker pinned her down. “Seriously. Do you have a six a.m. class?”
“No.”
“Then get dressed and have breakfast with me.” She phrased the request as a gentle command. “Did you drive to the bar?”
Parker watched the “oh shit” expression cross her face and reached out to grab her hand. “No worries. Let’s have breakfast and I’ll take you to your car. You’ll still have time to get to wherever you need to be today. I promise.”
Pulling her hand away, Morgan remarked, “You get up earlier than most law students I know.”
Parker grinned. “Are you in the habit of noticing the sleeping patterns of law students?” The frozen look on Morgan’s face was a clear sign she had said the wrong thing, and she scrambled to recover. “Besides, I haven’t always been a student.”
“Is that so?”
“That is definitely so,” Parker replied. A moment of silence passed during which Parker was at once hurt and relieved Morgan didn’t press her for more detail. She took the absence of follow-up questions to mean Morgan wasn�
��t interested in anything more than a physical relationship. The realization stung, but she pushed past it. Grabbing Morgan’s hand, she pulled her from the bed. “Come on, I need coffee.”
Moments later, Parker ushered Morgan into the kitchen. They were greeted by the smell of freshly brewed coffee and the sleepy Kelsey James greedily sipping from a large mug. Parker felt Morgan stiffen. She spoke to lighten the mood.
“Good morning, Doctor. You look like you could use a good night’s sleep instead of the monster cup of java you’re working on.”
“You’re so observant, Parker. I could actually use about two full days of sleep, but I’m only here to change and this is my quick salvation.” Kelsey raised her eyebrows in question and nodded toward Morgan.
“Sorry, I’m impossibly rude before caffeine. Kelsey James, I’d like you to meet my…friend, Morgan Bradley. Morgan, this is one of my roommates, Kelsey James.” Glancing back and forth between the two, Parker asked, “Better?”
Morgan shook Kelsey’s outstretched hand, murmuring, “Nice to meet you.” Despite the polite veneer, Parker sensed Morgan’s desire to crawl under a rock rather than be seen so obviously dressed in clothes from the day before. She shot a look at her, willing Kelsey to get the picture and exit gracefully. She did exit, though not gracefully.
“As much as I would love to have a leisurely breakfast with you two, I better get going. Morgan, it was good to meet you. Maybe next time we’ll have time to talk. I’m a great source for intel on your breakfast partner.” With a wicked smile, Kelsey grabbed her mug and strode out of the room, impervious to the daggers Parker was shooting her way.
“So, you have roommates,” Morgan said dryly.
“I do. Most of the time, I enjoy the company. Today, not so much.”
Morgan reached across the table, placing her hand on Parker’s. “She seems very nice. I’m sorry if I seemed unfriendly. I’m a little anxious about all I have to get done today. Would you mind taking me to my car now?”
Parker battled the disappointment away from her expression. She sensed Morgan’s desire for a quick morning-after exit had little to do with anxiety over her schedule, but she decided not to pursue the point. “At least let me get you a cup of coffee to go?”
Morgan nodded and moments later, they were speeding away in Parker’s car to the scene of their first meeting.
*
Parker nearly jumped out of her skin before she realized the noise was nothing more than someone knocking at her bedroom door. She had been studying, or at least pretending to study, since Friday evening. Now it was Sunday afternoon and she felt as though she’d accomplished nothing other than stewing in her thoughts about Morgan. “What is it?” she called out.
The door creaked upon. “Oh, so you are in here. We’ve been wondering where the hell you’ve been the past few days.” Kelsey and Erin entered the room and took up positions on Parker’s bed after they pushed aside all the books strewn on the comforter.
“I’ve been studying.”
Kelsey ventured a question. “Wanna talk?”
“Not especially, but I get the impression this isn’t about what I want. You two are up to something. What is it?”
Erin started the conversation. “Kelsey tells me you had a friend over for breakfast Friday morning.”
Friday seemed like forever ago, Parker thought. Here it was Sunday afternoon and she’d been able to think of little else since kissing Morgan good-bye at her car Friday morning. The fierce embrace they had shared signaled it was more than a “see you soon” good-bye. Since then she’d glided through Friday’s classes, resisting the urge to walk by Morgan’s office to catch a glimpse of the real person who now faded into fantasy. With the weekend almost over, she realized she hadn’t been mentally present, but had instead slipped into a weird kind of walking coma which allowed her to accomplish only routine tasks while saving her from thoughts of what might have been.
“Um, Parker? Are you in there?” Erin waved a hand in front of Parker’s face.
“Yeah, I’m here.”
“Wanna tell us about your hot new friend? We couldn’t help but notice she’s a repeat customer.”
Something about the connotation of the word “customer” made Parker snap. “What the hell do you mean?”
Kelsey grabbed Parker’s arm and pulled her close. “Hey, tiger, calm down. We’re not used to you seeing someone more than once. We were wondering if we should be reading bridal magazines.” Her teasing words were delivered with a gentleness designed to soothe the bristling anger Parker held below the surface. Recognizing her attempt to defuse the situation, Parker relaxed.
“Sorry, I’m having a bad day.”
“Anything we can do to help?” Erin’s question was tentative.
Parker offered a half-smile. “No, I don’t even know what’s wrong. I feel like I’m coming out of my skin. Normally, I’d work out to get rid of this feeling, but I can’t seem to muster up the energy.”
“Casey, are you sure it’s not the girl who’s got you down?” Kelsey asked.
Parker surprised herself by replying in a muffled voice, “I don’t know, maybe.”
“She’s beautiful. And, she seems very nice,” Kelsey offered.
“Oh, she’s nice and beautiful all right.” Parker looked at them, then glanced away, choosing not to see their immediate reaction at her next words. “She’s a nationally known criminal defense lawyer, TV commentator, and she also happens to be one of my professors.”
“No way!” Kelsey punched her on the shoulder. “How in the hell did you two wind up in bed together?”
“Oh, it’s over.” Parker shrugged. “I mean it has to be. We never would have hooked up if we’d known what we were getting into, but we met before school started and neither of us had any idea. Conversation wasn’t big on the list of things we shared the night we met.” Looking up, she dared them to comment on this revelation.
They both resisted, but Parker could tell by the subtle looks they exchanged when they thought she wasn’t looking that they wondered if her affair with Morgan Bradley was truly over. She knew it had to be. For Parker, who had always placed more value on the heat of the moment than the emotions she left behind, the realization was crushing.
Chapter Seven
Back East, the night air this time of year would be crisp and cool. Morgan missed the predictability of the changing seasons. Here in Dallas, the intense heat of August had boiled over into a steamy September. Green leaves clung to trees and gardeners still planted, gambling on endless sunny, warm weather since there seemed to be no cool winds in sight.
The last week of class had been as stifling as the muggy evening air. She spent hours reliving her last intimate moments with Parker, hastily saying good-bye as Parker dropped her at her car. Neither acknowledged those moments as their last, but clearly they both knew. Over the course of the last week, they resumed the roles of teacher and student and, Morgan was certain, no one suspected those boundaries had ever been pushed, let alone broken. As she walked through campus, Morgan allowed herself, for the first time, to imagine an alternate ending.
She didn’t see the lights until she was at the edge of the crowd. Pausing, she took note of the bowed heads, the signs, and the flickering flames of candles in the hands of dozens of young men and women. Vaguely, she realized it was dark outside and she wondered how long and how far she had walked, lost in thought. Rather than skirt the crowd, she stopped on the edge and listened in. The handwritten signs and scattered photos clustered on a makeshift altar made it clear this gathering was in remembrance of Camille Burke, the young graduate student who had been brutally murdered in her own home.
Public displays of affection have the effect of drawing people in. Vigils for the dead are no different. Morgan imagined she wasn’t the only one in this crowd who hadn’t known Camille Burke in life but relished the idea of knowing her now, through others’ memories and recollections. Looking in, it was possible to imagine how it would be when she
was no longer alive. What would people say, what snippets of her life would they think were important, would they choose to share?
Morgan reflected on the many murder cases she had worked on over the years. Some defense attorneys refused to allow themselves any intimate connection to the victim or the victim’s family, deciding that distance allowed them to exercise their skills more effectively. Morgan, on the other hand, armed herself with knowledge about the life that had been taken. Her ability to reach beyond crime scene photos and autopsy reports often enabled her to find an explanation, if not a reason, for the death. Whether the explanation helped or harmed her client was evenly divided, but knowledge was power and Morgan looked for leverage wherever she could find it.
“Did you know her?”
Morgan recognized the voice and closed her eyes as if she could choke off the tide of emotions it evoked by cutting off at least one of her senses. She turned cautiously and, steeling herself, slowly reopened her eyes. Parker looked tired, sad, far removed from the self-assured woman she had come to know. She was overwhelmed with a desire to pull her close, wrap her in her arms, and whisper comfort. But Parker stood with her arms held tightly at her sides, not inviting. Morgan shook her head. “Did you?”
“No, I was on my way to the gym. But it’s a bit like a train wreck. Kind of hard to look away.” Parker whispered this last, either out of respect for the crowd or a desire to keep her thoughts secret between them. Morgan couldn’t tell which, but she responded by nodding, wondering what source other than grief caused Parker to look so drawn.
Words were inadequate to fill the space between them, so Morgan and Parker stood in silence with the rest of the mourners, keeping their own private vigil. An hour later, when the crowd dispersed, a glance was all that passed between them before they left to rejoin their separate worlds.
