One Night

by Sydney Canyon

  "Well, I'm glad you decided to take them. I've thought about you off and on. It's good to see you again."

  "It's good to see you too. I can't say I haven't thought of you either. I don't usually do that kind of thing. In fact, I mean I've had one night stands, but never with a stripper."

  Tanner laughed. "I hope it hasn't become a regular thing for you then."

  "No!" Caylen shook her head with a smile. "That was a first and last for me."

  "Ouch! That doesn't sound good on my part."

  "No, don't get me wrong. I had a wonderful time with you, Tanner. You're absolutely beautiful and you're obviously a very talented woman. I've heard of Intelitech, they seem to be a well respected company."

  "I hope so. It's a bit of a shock coming here from Texas, but I was due for a change."

  The intercom buzzed and Caylen picked up the receiver on the phone. Her uncle wanted to know if she got anywhere with the business plan she was going over for the Director of Sales. She informed him that she was in a meeting and she'd get back to him.

  "I'm sorry, I know you're busy. I guess I just wanted to say hi and see how you were." Tanner stood to leave.

  "Tanner?"

  "Yes C.J.?"

  Caylen wanted to see her again. She couldn't explain the energy pulling her towards this woman. But, she fought back the urge to jump up and wrap her arms around her. For one, she was sort of dating Jasmine, and two, she was not looking for a relationship. Especially, with a woman that knew all about her, no matter who she was. Caylen guarded her heart and her dignity, not to mention her family's money. None of which she would see until her mother passed away and then her uncle. She wished both of them many years of good health. Losing her father was hard enough. Taking over the family business would be too much for her right now. She squeezed her eyes shut and opened them again to see gray irises staring back at her. "Can I take you to dinner tonight?"

  "Sure." Tanner leaned forward and wrote her cell number down on a piece of paper and snatched one of Caylen's business cards from the holder on the front of her desk. "I haven't had the time to get a local cell number. I'm not even in my apartment yet. I'm flying back to Texas on Wednesday to pack and then the movers should be here next week. I'll fly back probably the day before they are scheduled to arrive."

  "Sounds like you have everything all planned out. Where are you staying in the meantime?"

  "The Hyatt by the interstate."

  "That's not far from here. How about I pick you up around six-thirty?"

  "I'll be ready."

  "Good, that gives me time to run home and change clothes."

  "Jeans?" Tanner asked.

  Caylen smiled. "You're catching on quick."

  Tanner winked and left the room.

  ~

  Caylen parked the Bentley and waited in the lobby. She was dressed in jeans and a tight black polo shirt with the buttons open revealing a small amount of cleavage. Her feet were once again in a comfortable pair of flip flops. She spotted Tanner walking towards her when she turned around to face the elevator. Tanner was also wearing jeans. Her skin tight white blouse had a V-neck that showed a lot more cleavage. Unlike Caylen, Tanner wore semi-flat ankle boots that gave her less than an inch of height over her. Her long wavy hair hung sexily over her shoulders and down her back with a few strands falling forward. Caylen had the urge to run her hands into the silky strands and pull her into a passionate kiss. What was it about this woman? She couldn't figure out why she was so drawn to her.

  "You look comfortable," Tanner said. "I like this side of you."

  "Good because this is who I am. The power suit only comes out Monday through Friday, eight to five." Caylen grinned. "You look so different. I keep remembering the lighter, shorter hair. But, I do have to say, I like it this way."

  Tanner stepped forward grabbing Caylen's hand. Just as before, the electricity passed between them when their skin touched. Caylen interlaced their fingers as they walked outside. Tanner's eyebrows shot up when she saw the lights flash on the Bentley when Caylen hit the keyless entry.

  "It was my father's. I inherited it when he passed away," Caylen said as she let go of her hand to open Tanner's door for her.

  "I'm sorry about you father," Tanner said as she buckled her seatbelt, admiring the gray leather interior and wood grain trim. "This car is very nice."

  "Thanks. I can't bear to part with it. At first I hated driving it and wanted to sell it, but it grew on me I guess." She started the car and turned out of the parking lot. "How do you feel about Sushi?"

  "That's fine with me."

  Elton John was playing softly in the background on the stereo as Caylen drove them towards the beach. They arrived at the restaurant quickly and found a nice little table in the back. Caylen ordered a bottle of cold Saki and various pieces of sashimi and a few rolls for them to share since Tanner didn't know much about the delicacy.

  "So, where do you live?" Tanner asked as she tried to master the chopsticks. Caylen grinned as she reached across the table, grabbing Tanner's hands to help her with the technique.

  "I have a loft condo on the beach close to Lighthouse Point. Where is your apartment?"

  "Well, the office is downtown, a few blocks from your building. I started there and drove around in my rental car until I reached the beach. It's so beautiful here. I didn't want to spend all of my money renting a place out here so I turned back on Loma Alta and found a nice place that's halfway between work and the beach. You said Lighthouse Point, I think I remember seeing that when I drove down Shoreline."

  "You went right by my place then. I'm off of Shoreline but it's private access out where my building is."

  "Wow, that must be nice. My apartment is only one bedroom, but it's pretty large and I don't have a lot of stuff. I want to save up to buy a place in a year or two."

  "That's the best investment I ever made. Let me know when you're ready. My best friend is one of the Mortgage Directors at a large bank here in town."

  "Thanks. I'll keep that in mind." Tanner sipped her saki. "So, what have you been up to for the past six months? Your secretary told me you were in New York when I stopped by the first time."

  "I wish I could say I was lying in the sand every day, drinking frozen drinks and sitting on my balcony, staring at the stars while listening to the surf crash against the shore every night, but in all honesty I've been in and out of town a few times and working like a dog over sixty hours a week."

  "I like the picture you set before you were honest." Tanner smiled.

  "Me, too." Caylen paid the bill and sat back in her chair.

  "Thank you for dinner."

  "You're very welcome. I still can't believe you're here. It's mind-boggling."

  "You keep picturing me on stage, don't you?" Tanner didn't look hurt, but Caylen knew she was trying to get past being a dancer.

  "Actually, no. I keep…" Caylen met Tanner's sincere eyes. "I keep picturing you in my hotel bed, shimmering with sweat underneath me."

  "Mmm…that's a nice way to remember me." Tanner seductively bit her bottom lip.

  "We should probably get out of here before they kick us out. They aren't too keen on people hanging around after they've paid the bill," Caylen said.

  Tanner grabbed Caylen's hand as they walked out of the restaurant. Caylen briefly laced their fingers once again before letting go completely.

  "What's wrong?" Tanner asked.

  "Nothing."

  "You've been acting strange all night. I…" Tanner was cut off when Caylen grabbed her hand, tugging her close until their bodies met.

  Tanner ran her other hand into Caylen's short hair and Caylen wrapped her arm possessively around her. Their lips parted and tongues tasted each other softly at first. Slowly, the passion between them took over as the kiss deepened. Caylen let go of Tanner's hand wrapping her other arm around her as she held the brunette tightly against her. They drank from each other's mouth like they were part of the only waterfall in the desert sand
.

  Caylen was so lost in the feeling of being with Tanner again, holding her in her arms and kissing her with unwavering passion that she forgot where they were and what they were doing.

  Caylen pulled away first. "I'm sorry…I can't…I shouldn't…"

  "You're seeing someone aren't you?" Tanner met Caylen's blue eyes.

  "Yes." Caylen squeezed her eyes shut, then opened them to see gray looking back at her. "It's not serious…I mean we're not…sleeping together...but we've been dating a couple months..."

  "Okay?"

  "My life is so complicated, Tanner. You coming here, this is all too much for me right now." Caylen's body and mind were on overload. She walked around to her side of the car and hit the keyless entry button.

  They drove back to the hotel in silence. Caylen was confused. She wasn't sure what to say to the woman sitting next to her, or the woman she had been dating for that matter. What the hell is going on with me? Why did she have to come here? Everything was fine. Caylen pulled the car up in front of the hotel and turned to face Tanner.

  "I'm sorry."

  "No, I shouldn't have expected you to be single and pick up where we left off in a one night stand, six months ago. I'm sure you still can't believe I'm sitting here with you. I was a stripper you slept with on a business trip." Her voice was almost a whisper. "I guess I had hoped it meant more than that," Tanner said as she got out of the car and shut the door, disappearing inside before Caylen could say anything.

  Caylen felt a warm tear run down her cheek. She wiped it away as she searched the names in her cell phone and choose the one she was looking for.

  "Hey stranger," Margo answered on the second ring.

  "Are you busy?"

  "No, what's up?"

  "Can I come over?"

  "Do you have to ask?"

  Eight

  "Are you kidding me?" Margo almost fell off of the couch. She thought about pouring herself a drink to calm the excitement in her nerves, but she decided she wanted to hear this story stone sober.

  "No."

  "Why didn't you tell me you slept with her in Texas?"

  "I didn't think I'd see her again! Especially, in my god damn office!" Caylen was on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

  "This is crazy. So, she moved out here just like that?"

  "Yup, just like that."

  "Wow."

  "I think I've said that about a hundred times over," Caylen said.

  "Where is she working?"

  "Intelitech. She's a computer programmer."

  "Wow."

  "Will you stop saying that? Trust me, I've said it enough for both of us," Caylen growled.

  "Sorry. So, she quit dancing?"

  "Yeah, she graduated from the University of Houston and came here to interview for that job and she took the offer."

  "So, how did she find you?"

  "The clients I met with in Houston went back to the club a couple months ago and she asked about me. They gave her my name and she googled me on the computer."

  "Ah…you have to love Google. That site can find anything and anyone." Margo shook her head. "How do you feel about her being here?"

  "I don't know. My mind's all over the damn place."

  "I bet. Personally, I'd be a little freaked out too," Margo said.

  "Thanks. You're a big help." Caylen blew out a frustrated breath.

  "I'm just being honest."

  "She's leaving for about a week to pack and get the movers going with her stuff. I feel bad for panicking on her at the restaurant tonight."

  "It sounds like she understood."

  "I hurt her and I didn't mean to. I'm so confused."

  "Well, C.J., a stripper you had a one night stand with just appeared on your door step basically. God, I'm sure you thought you'd never see her again. Plus, you're kind of seeing someone. If you want to call it that."

  "I am seeing Jasmine. We're dating."

  "What thirty-three year old lesbian do you know that dates someone for two months without ever having sex with the person?"

  "I get your point!" Caylen raised her voice but apologized quickly.

  "Are you in love with Tanner?"

  "What? No! I don't even know her. I literally just met her today."

  "I think you better tell Jasmine about this so she doesn't get hurt. Then, you need to take some time for yourself and either figure out what to do about Tanner or at least learn how to be friends with her."

  "I know. I feel like I'm in a dream. One night she's a stripper from an erotic dream, the next morning she's a flesh and blood computer programmer sitting in my office."

  Margo raised her eyebrows. "It is a little freakish when you put it like that."

  Caylen gave her a sideways look. "You think so?!" She said sarcastically.

  "Well, the least you could do is tell me what she looks like."

  "Which one? Candy, the dancer? Or Tanner, the business woman?"

  "Excuse me? Candy?"

  Caylen laughed lightly. "Her stage name at the club was Candy Coated Rain Drop."

  "No shit! Oh how original." Margo laughed hysterically.

  "I'm serious. In the middle of sleeping together she told me her name was Tanner."

  "Interesting. Let me ask you this…when you were together that night, did you have sex or make love?"

  Caylen didn't have to think, she knew the answer. But, she swallowed and took a minute to calm her nerves. "We made love for hours. It was the first time I had made love to anyone in a very long time. We slept the rest of the night in each other's arms. I haven't done that in so long, Margo."

  Margo could see the confusion and pain in her best friend's eyes. It was easy for her to give herself to this woman completely, this stranger that she was never supposed to see again. No wonder she was so scared, the stranger became a real life person a few hours ago.

  "That's serious."

  "You're telling me." Caylen leaned her head back on the couch and closed her eyes.

  "I guess you really want to know what she looks like now don't you?"

  "I have to say I'm really curious."

  "Well, when I met her in Texas she had honey colored hair that barely touched her shoulders and all the same length, with gorgeous gray eyes. She's very muscular with an amazing body. She was a gymnast all of her life and was actually on a gymnastics scholarship at the university before getting hurt and changing her career. She has very silky smooth, olive complexioned skin. Her body is so soft. Her breasts are larger than average and perfectly round and perky and she also has a tight little ass. I'd say she's my height maybe an inch taller."

  "She sounds hot. It's easy to picture her swinging around a pole."

  "Well, today when I first saw her, she was in a black skirt suit with a very low cut white top underneath her jacket. Her hair was a lot darker, sort of mocha colored and grown out at least six inches past her shoulders and wavier than I remembered. She said that she went back to her natural color and let it grow out when she stopped straightening it. It's very sexy when it falls around her shoulders, like half in the front and half in the back. Tonight she was in jeans and a tight V-neck top. Her cleavage was practically popping out of it. She's the most naturally beautiful woman I've ever seen. It's hard for me to keep my hands off of her."

  "I definitely need to see this girl. She sounds too good to be true."

  "She's very young. The youngest woman I've ever been with, that's for sure."

  "How old is she?"

  "I don't know, but she just graduated from college, so I'm guessing twenty-two or twenty-three maybe."

  "Damn, that is young."

  "No kidding. By the way, I'm not giving you any details so don't ask."

  "Aww, you suck."

  Caylen wiggled her eyebrows. "If you only knew."

  "Pig." Margo laughed and Caylen joined her.

  Nine

  A little over a week later, Caylen was sitting in her uncle's office when her cell phone rang. She didn't recogni
ze the number, but it was local so she answered it since he was just shooting the shit with her anyway. They were about to head home for the day and put an end to a long week.

  "This is C.J."

  "Hey, it's Tanner. I was actually just going to leave you a voicemail with my new cell number. I didn't expect you to answer."

  "I usually don't during work hours, but I'm about to take off soon and I didn't recognize the number." She felt weird having this conversation with her uncle sitting across from her listening in.

  "Well, I won't keep you."

  "Tanner…I'm sorry. I owe you an apology."

  "It's okay. I've thought about it a lot. I guess I would've been freaked out too."

  "I just need a little time to work through some things."

  "I understand. Take care of yourself, Caylen."

  "You too. I'll talk to you soon." Caylen closed her phone and put it back on the belt clip under her jacket. Her uncle looked puzzled.

  "Long story." She said with a deep breath.

  "I'm here if you need to talk."

  "Thanks." That's all I need, tell my uncle the stripper I had a one night stand with mysteriously moved here, looked me up, and became a business woman all in a matter of weeks. She chased the thought from her head and smiled at her uncle.

  ~

  Caylen rushed home to change clothes and pick Jasmine up. They had plans for dinner and she was already running late. She arrived at Jasmine's apartment with a few minutes to spare. She planned on telling her about Tanner so her nerves were in a knot. Jasmine heard her at the door and opened it before she had the chance to knock.

  "Hey," Jasmine said as she quickly kissed her lips and turned around to lock the door.

  "Hi," Caylen said.

  "Are you okay? You look pale."

  "I'm fine."

  "Are you sure? Did you want to come in for a minute?"

  "Actually, that would be great."

  Jasmine opened the door back up and invited Caylen inside. This was the first time she'd actually seen the complete inside of the apartment. It was small, two bedroom, one bath with light beige carpet and oak colored furniture. Caylen took a seat on the couch. Jasmine sat next to her.