The Secret of St Claire

by Robin Alexander

  ‘“My girls.’ I really am adopted,” Nicole said. “You want me to pour the tea?”

  “Please.” Lindsay spooned the chicken pot pie onto two plates and stuffed one in the microwave. “I’ve never been to any…bars in New Orleans. I wouldn’t even know where to go.” She watched as Nicole nearly dropped the tea pitcher. “I’m…picking up on the conversation we had earlier.”

  Nicole brushed a strand of hair away from her face. “I know. I’m just clumsy.”

  The microwave dinged, and Lindsay removed one plate and replaced it with another. “I’ve been to bars, just not the ones where the same sex dances together.” Lindsay scooted the plate toward Nicole. “Eat, don’t wait on me.” She looked back at the microwave. “I don’t particularly care for barrooms, but if you…”

  “I don’t, either.” Nicole smiled when Lindsay turned to look at her. “I just like to dance, and well, that’s mostly where it’s done.”

  The microwave dinged again, and Lindsay took out her plate. “You want to eat at the table or in the living room?”

  “The living room’s fine.” Nicole took her plate and glass and waited for Lindsay to go first.

  “TV?” Lindsay picked up the remote.

  Nicole pondered the question for a second. “Music?”

  Lindsay looked at the CD player that Alexis’s iPod was plugged into. “You’re gonna have to dig through my CDs unless you want to listen to Justin Bieber.”

  “I’ll dig,” Nicole said with a grin.

  “The blanks are just some I’ve burned with different songs. I never took the time to label them.”

  “Potluck then.” Nicole put one in the player and turned the volume down when the music began to blare. “Alexis likes it loud.”

  “And that’s when I use my iPod. We’d plug it in, but Mom has it.”

  Nicole looked up. “Your mother listens to your music?”

  “She says she likes to stay relevant, and Pitbull makes her feel saucy.”

  “Oh, my God, she’s one of a kind.” Nicole took a seat on the couch and picked up her plate. “Fleetwood Mac.”

  “Lindsey Buckingham. ‘Trouble’ was always a favorite of mine, and that we share the same first name just makes it cool.”

  They ate for a few minutes, and the next song came on. “The Spice Girls?” Nicole laughed.

  “I’m eclectic. Keep listening and you’ll hear Dusty Springfield.”

  “Are Dusty Springfield and Pitbull on the same CD?”

  Lindsay grinned and nodded. “What do you listen to? Do you have an iPod in your car?”

  “Yes, and you’ll find a lot of different stuff on it, too. Alanis Morissette, club music, reggae, and classic rock. I have it divided into groups, and I play it according to my mood.”

  “What was your mood this morning?”

  “The eighties, I forgot to mention that one. I was listening to the Cure on the way over. I needed something to wake me up.”

  Lindsay set her empty plate on the TV tray. “I ate that way too fast.”

  “It’s delicious.” Nicole took her last bite and chewed slowly. “What are you doing tomorrow?”

  Lindsay stretched and sighed. “I’m thinking about curling up on the couch and watching movies all day.”

  Nicole set her plate down and blinked rapidly when the next song came on. “I have this song.” She snapped her fingers. “I know it, it’s Mario, but I can’t remember the title.”

  “‘Let Me Love You’…that’s what it’s…called.”

  Nicole got up and started the song over. “Dance with me.”

  Lindsay looked at her in surprise for a moment as Nicole put out her hand. It wasn’t a fast song. Lindsay got up before she changed her mind, and Nicole pulled her loosely into her arms and began moving with the beat. This is it, Lindsay thought as she allowed Nicole to pull her closer. We are crossing boundaries here. Lindsay laughed as “Sexual Healing” came on next.

  Nicole continued to move. “It’s not hard to imagine what you had on your mind when you made this CD. ‘Trouble,’ ‘Too Much,’ ‘Let Me Love You,’ and ‘Sexual Healing.’”

  Lindsay laughed and continued to hold on to Nicole as they swayed. Nicole held one hand against her chest, Lindsay’s other hand rested on her shoulder. The feeling of their bodies fitting so perfectly together made her light-headed, and Lindsay prayed that the next song was not Pitbull. She wasn’t ready to let go.

  “Thank you,” Nicole said against her ear. “I haven’t danced in a long time.”

  “I’m sure it isn’t as fun as being on a crowded dance floor where I’m sure you could’ve had any dance partner you wanted.” Lindsay instantly regretted her words when Nicole stopped and pulled back to look at her.

  “I didn’t want any dance partner. I wanted you.” Nicole looked deep into her eyes. “You know that, too. You can lie, but the way you looked at me today…like the way you are right now…you know.”

  Lindsay realized at that moment that she and Nicole had something else in common. Neither of them had a poker face. And then she did something she’d only done in dreams. She kissed Nicole. The softness of her lips and the way they moved against hers was better than anything she’d imagined. When Nicole’s tongue met hers, it sent fire through her veins. No kiss had ever ignited her that way. Lindsay’s eyes were still closed when Nicole pulled away. She touched her own lips with her fingertips, finding them still moist and tingling. “God, help me,” she whispered.

  “I have to go now,” Nicole said.

  Lindsay’s eyes opened wide. “Why?”

  Nicole backed away and folded her arms. She looked just as unhinged as Lindsay felt. “If I stay, we’re going to do that again. You do something to me,” Nicole admitted exasperatedly. “I can’t control myself.”

  Lindsay smiled weakly. “I do that to you?”

  “I’m shaking from head to toe.” She took a step closer and stopped. “Lindsay, is it me you want or is it the idea? I really like you, and I don’t think I can handle being an experiment.” Nicole scrubbed her face with her hands. “That kiss…Oh, my God, I have to go.” She was at the door before Lindsay could stop her. “Think hard about what I just asked you.” Then she was gone.

  Lindsay stood in the middle of her living room dumbstruck with Pitbull blaring from her speakers. She felt like she was floating as she turned the music off. The taste of Nicole’s kiss was still on her lips. Arousal coursed through her so strongly that she couldn’t complete a thought, and somewhere, Nicole’s question burned in the back of her mind.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Nicole stood under the spray of water from her shower. The kittens gathered outside the door watching her curiously. “The hot water tank in this house must be huge.” Nicole slammed her hand against the wall of the shower and sent Bieber and Bounce running for cover. She’d been in the shower for so long that her fingers had begun to prune. She pressed them against her lips, remembering the jolt when Lindsay’s mouth had met hers. The feel of Lindsay in her arms had already sent her spiraling, but the kiss was her undoing. So unexpected and so incredibly hot.

  Nicole turned off the water and grabbed her towel. She nearly forgot to dry off before stepping out. What if she had regrets? Nicole wondered. How will I ever be able to be around her knowing how perfect it felt? She pulled on her robe and wrapped the towel around her hair. Bieber came out of hiding and jumped at her belt. He was still hanging on when she walked numbly into her bedroom and pulled a pair of sweats out of her drawer. It was going to be a long, sleepless night.

  She pulled the belt, cat and all, from her waist and lowered it to the floor so Bounce could get in on the action when she heard her phone chime. She dashed into the kitchen to retrieve it, sending the startled kittens once again into hiding.

  The last message read: Are you there?

  Nicole moved the screen with her thumb and was surprised and disheartened to see so many messages from Lindsay. She’d written a lot, and that couldn’t be good. S
he almost didn’t read it for fear that Lindsay felt the need to explain why it was all a mistake.

  I have thought about what you said. Honestly, I’ve been thinking about it before you asked…

  Maybe the reason I’ve never been involved with a woman isn’t because I live in this town…

  Nicole swallowed hard and tried to prepare herself for what she knew was coming next.

  Maybe it’s because I’ve never met anyone that makes me feel like you do…

  It’s not curiosity. I can honestly say that. It’s you…

  Come back, please?

  Are you there?

  Nicole looked over her shoulder as she knocked softly on Lindsay’s front door with a head full of wet hair and wearing a mismatched pair of sweats.

  “I thought maybe you changed your mind.” Lindsay opened the door and let her in.

  “I walked.” Nicole shivered violently. “I didn’t want your mother to see my car in the driveway.”

  Lindsay looked shocked. “You did that for me?” She closed the door and locked it.

  “I did it for us. I thought—” Lindsay’s hands were on the front of her shirt, pulling her, while her mouth restarted the fire that burned deep within Nicole. She wasn’t entirely sure how she’d gotten up the stairs and didn’t care when she felt Lindsay’s hands slip beneath her shirt and fan out over her back. Lindsay’s teeth grazed the skin of her neck, and Nicole bit her lip, hating the question she had to ask next. “Are you sure?”

  The response came fast and shockingly. Nicole was on her back, and Lindsay was on top of her, reclaiming her mouth with a kiss that made the point moot. That was all the encouragement she needed. She filled her hands with Lindsay’s shirt and pulled it up, forcing their lips apart. Lindsay pulled away from her in the pitch-black bedroom and tugged at the bottom of Nicole’s sweatpants as though they offended her in some way. Nicole groped in the darkness, expecting to feel warm bare skin, then Lindsay was behind her tugging at her shirt. When Nicole was free of it, she felt Lindsay’s hands in her hair pulling her head back. Lindsay’s breath was hot against her ear when she spoke. “I don’t have the experience you do, but I’m not a fool.” Lindsay’s mouth was on hers again as she lowered Nicole back down on the bed.

  Nicole wasn’t sure what to expect from Lindsay on the six-block walk to her house, but it wasn’t this. She expected apprehension, timidity. She had reminded herself to go slow, keep her head, and not get too carried away. But Nicole had forgotten her own name by the time Lindsay lowered herself on top of her and began grinding into her. She covered Nicole’s breast with her palm, then began to pinch her erect nipple. Slow be damned, Nicole thought as she rolled and flipped Lindsay onto her back. Lindsay’s mouth was on her neck first, and she managed to move down and claim a nipple.

  “Yes,” Nicole said through clenched teeth. “Fuck, you’re killing me.” Lindsay’s response was to suck harder. “Let me go,” Nicole said desperately. “I want to feel you under my mouth.”

  Lindsay released her with a groan. Nicole kissed her with a frenzy she couldn’t control. Lindsay’s mouth was just as eager as her hand slipped between them and reclaimed a breast. Nicole pulled away with a gasp. “You have got to stop touching me.”

  Lindsay’s response was breathless. “I can’t.”

  Nicole pinned her hands at her sides and kissed her way down Lindsay’s chest. She moaned loudly when she took one of Lindsay’s nipples into her mouth and felt the body below writhe against her. “You’re so expressive,” Nicole said against her skin. “It’s so fucking hot.” Lindsay’s hands jerked in response, wanting to be free. Nicole moved farther down her body before she let Lindsay go. Hands were immediately in her hair as she buried her face between Lindsay’s legs.

  Lindsay groaned throatily, moving her hips, frantically trying to force Nicole to touch her where she wanted it most. Nicole dipped her tongue deep inside of her, marveling at how wet Lindsay was. “Nicole.” The one-word utterance conveyed so much, a desperate plea that was answered. Lindsay inhaled sharply when Nicole focused on her clit and slipped two fingers inside of her. Lindsay answered by tightening her hold on Nicole’s hair. It was a wild ride that Nicole didn’t want to come to an end, but Lindsay stiffened, inhaled once, and held it. Nicole could feel her shudder from head to toe and the fluttering around her fingers. She planned to let her down gently and take her time, but that was not to be.

  Lindsay pulled gently on her hair. “Come here,” she said breathlessly as she tugged more firmly and forced Nicole to comply.

  Nicole felt herself being shoved onto her back. Lindsay kissed her roughly as her hand trailed down her stomach. She pulled away and put her mouth against Nicole’s ear. “Put your hand on mine, show me what you want.” Nicole’s hand was shaking as she rested her own atop Lindsay’s fingers. Lindsay was breathing heavily against her ear and moaned soft and low when their fingers dipped into Nicole’s wetness. She bit her lip as she moved two of Lindsay’s fingers into her and released a shuddering breath.

  “This could make me come.”

  Nicole almost did hearing those words breathed against her face. She pulled Lindsay’s fingers out of her and ran them over her clit before reinserting them. “Let me go now,” Lindsay said against her lips. Nicole groaned, and Lindsay’s tongue filled her mouth at the same time. Lindsay worked her into a frenzy as she kissed her. Nicole gasped for breath and turned her face away to inhale a lungful of air.

  “If I stop for a second, will it frustrate you so much that you can’t come?”

  “Don’t make me answer that,” Nicole said tremulously.

  Lindsay stopped and cupped her. “You are on the edge, aren’t you?”

  “Ah…yes.” The tension coiled up in Nicole’s body demanded to be released.

  “When I do it,” Lindsay swallowed, “it’s so much more intense if I make myself wait.”

  Nicole clamped her jaw and breathed out through her nose. She was nearly undone on those words alone. Lindsay’s hand started to move again. “Don’t stop, please.”

  But Lindsay didn’t obey. “When I start again, I won’t stop.”

  Suspended somewhere between intense pleasure and pain at being denied—controlled—Nicole found herself unable to utter a word.

  “This is better than anything I’ve ever dreamed.” Lindsay’s voice shook as if she were on the same precipice. “The power you’ve given me is intoxicating.” Her hand began moving again and robbed Nicole of the ability to breathe. The orgasm shook her, and she released a shuddering cry that was matched by Lindsay’s.

  Nicole lay gasping behind one of the most intense orgasms she’d ever experienced. Lindsay covered her neck and chest with kisses and began a slow descent. Nicole’s grasp was weak. “Where’re you going?”

  Lindsay squirmed away from her and whispered against her stomach, “I’m out of control. I want all of you. Don’t deny me this. I’ll go slow…I’ll try.”

  Nicole had never been nervous about this part of lovemaking. She craved it, urged it on in the past, but with Lindsay, it was different. She lay with her eyes closed, worrying that Lindsay felt pressured to complete this act despite what she’d just said. Lindsay’s movements were deliberately slow as she ran her cheek across the skin of Nicole’s stomach. What if she’s having second thoughts, Nicole wondered. What if— Nicole’s eyes flew open. “Oh, my…” The sentence caught in her throat. Lindsay had not lied about being out of control, and Nicole finally knew what it was like to have her body worshipped.

  *******

  Nicole awoke the next morning to dim light streaming through the blinds. Every muscle protested movement, including the one under her tongue when she swallowed. Normally, she slept on her side or her back, but she’d fallen asleep—no, passed out—on her stomach. She opened one eye, then the other to fully take in the body lying next to her. Rising up slowly, she visually memorized every curve that her mouth and hands acquainted themselves with the night and early morning before. “Oh, m
y God.”

  Lindsay’s eyes flew open. “What is it?” she asked as she sat up.

  “You’re flawless. I hate you. I have stretch marks on my hips, and I didn’t have a baby.” Nicole flopped over on her back. “I’m turned on and crushed at the same time.”

  Lindsay grinned as she took her time gazing at Nicole’s body. “You’re magnificent.” She reached out to touch a thigh and frowned when her hand was caught.

  “I’m dehydrated. I don’t think I could even sweat if it were a hundred degrees in here.”

  Lindsay got up with a grin and pulled her robe on. “Well, I need to rehydrate you quickly then. Are you hungry, too?”

  Nicole tucked her hands behind her head. “Yeah, hurry back,” she said with a wink. “You know, I’m not talking about bacon and eggs.”

  “There’s a new toothbrush in the bathroom if you want it.” Lindsay nearly skipped down the stairs and was humming “Sexual Healing” as she opened the fridge and pulled out two bottles of water.

  “How was the fishing trip?”

  Lindsay let out a surprised yelp and dropped one of the bottles. “Mom! You scared me half to death.”

  “Sorry, sugar.” Rose adjusted her dress. “How do I look?”

  “Lovely, you going to church?” Lindsay positioned herself on the other side of the bar and tried to appear casual.

  Rose nodded. “The fishing trip?”

  “We had a really good time.” Lindsay twisted the lid off her water and took a swallow.

  “How was Nicole?”

  Lindsay blinked rapidly and cleared her throat. “Great…she caught a bass.”

  “How’d you do?”

  “I didn’t catch anything but a sunburn.”

  Rose looked down at Lindsay’s chest before she closed her robe up to her neck. “You do look very flushed.”

  “And tired, I think I’m gonna spend the day lying around.” Lindsay feigned a yawn.

  “Do you have any pot pie left? After church, I’m going to lunch with the girls, and we may ride into Houma to do a little shopping. I’ll be too tired to cook tonight, I’m sure.”