Secluded Heart

by Graysen Morgen

  ***

  An hour later, Chase finished her paperwork and put a big fat end to her long week. She climbed behind the wheel of her new sports car. Her shaky nerves had nothing to do with driving after her accident. No, they were caused by the scene that played out earlier in her office. Chase grabbed her cell and dialed quickly as she waited for the light to turn green.

  “Hey, I was just thinking about you.” Frankie said as she answered her phone.

  “Really? Was it good?” Chase teased.

  “Yeah, wonderful as usual smartass.” She was so glad to see her best friend getting back to normal after her scary ordeal.

  Chase laughed. “Hey I was wondering…uh, do you happen to have Veronica Petrovski’s number?”

  “Yes, why? Are you going to finally take her up on her offer?”

  “Maybe. Is she still single?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Hmm…I guess I’ll take my chances. You wanna call Ping and Gayle and go out tonight?”

  “Sure. Are you calling Ronnie?”

  “Yeah, maybe I can get her to go with us. I’ll meet you guys around nine at Domingo Flamingo’s.” That was a local upscale bar slash club that was frequented by the gay community, but a large amount of straight men and women went there as well. Eduardo Domingo, the owner, just happened to be the boyfriend of Paul Rainer, the owner of the local coffee shop and deli that the girls went to regularly.

  10

  The bar was crowded by the time Chase arrived with Ronnie at her side. She was surprised when Ronnie said she’d love to go out. Chase picked her up. Ronnie asked about the accident and how she was doing while they were on the way to the bar.

  Chase was dressed in jeans and a black spaghetti strap shirt that showed off her tan skin and the lean muscles in her upper body. She was wearing flip flops, Chase always had on flip flops unless she was working. Ronnie was also in jeans with a white halter top and sandals. Her dark curly hair hung past her shoulders. Her olive skin matched her dark eyes perfectly.

  “Hey guys!” Chase hugged her friends. “You all remember Ronnie don’t you?”

  “Yes. Hey how are you?” Gayle shook her hand and Ping said hey to her as well. Chase was wondering where Maureen was, she actually hadn’t seen her since before the accident, but with everything going on she completely forgot to ask.

  “Hey! I’m glad you made it.” Frankie hugged Ronnie.

  “Well, you can thank Chase.” Ronnie smiled. Chase went to the bar and ordered a round for the group. They gathered around a small table in the corner. At least thirty people were on the dance floor. Some women were dancing with women, and some with men. Everyone seemed to be having a good time.

  Ronnie leaned towards Chase. “Dance with me.” A fast song was blaring over the speakers. Chase set her beer down and grabbed Ronnie’s hand, leading her to the center of the room. Chase and Ronnie danced with each other until a slower song came on. They stepped closer together and continued to sway together. Chase was surprised at how easily she fell into step with Ronnie. Their hands wandered as they wrapped their arms around each other. Ronnie brushed her lips against Chase’s. Chase froze at first, and then parted her lips to allow the kiss to go further. When the kiss broke, Ronnie whispered in Chase’s ear. “You’re dangerous.”

  “Why?” Chase asked with a grin.

  “You make me come undone.” Ronnie said seductively as she kissed her again.

  “Ronnie…we…I‘m not…” Chase tried to speak.

  “I didn’t say I wanted to get married Dr. Leery.” Ronnie laughed. They were still wrapped in each other’s arms. She leaned close to Chase’s ear. “I just want to get naked and sweaty with you.” Chase couldn’t find her voice. She swallowed passed the lump in her throat, thankful for the semi-dark lighting that was hiding the blush on her face. Ronnie pressed her lips to Chase’s once more as their tongues teased each other while the DJ started another song.

  By the time the music stopped they were breathing heavy from the dancing and make out session. Chase was unaware of her friends watching the entire incident. Chase and Ronnie walked back to the table and finished their drinks and immediately ordered another round from the waitress that was walking by.

  ***

  After a few more drinks and dances Chase noticed Yelena heading their way. Gayle rolled her eyes and Ping threatened to smack her. Ronnie looked quizzically at everyone.

  “Hey babe,” Yelena walked right between Ronnie and Chase and pressed her lips against Chase’s. Chase quickly pulled away.

  “Hi Yelena,” Chase raised an eyebrow at her.

  “What? You know you miss this.” Yelena winked. Her bleach blond hair was just passed her shoulders and her fake boobs were popping out of her tied top. The playboy bunny definitely hadn’t changed much. Yelena noticed Ronnie giving her the ‘who the fuck are you’ look. “Chase baby, introduce me to your friend.”

  Ugh! She did her best to keep her temper. “This is Veronica Petrovski. Ronnie, this is Yelena Guichard.” Yelena grinned and eyed Ronnie up and down, then pressed her lips to Chase’s one more time. Again, Chase pulled away.

  “I shot a new centerfold. I’ll mail you a copy.” She winked. “In case you forgot what this looks like.” Chase shook her head with disgust. “I should go, it was good to see you again love. Call me sometime, we’ll hook up.” Yelena walked away in her tight pants.

  “Who the hell is she?” Ronnie asked.

  The entire group laughed and said at the same time. “French Bitch.”

  “Huh?” Ronnie looked at them curiously.

  Chase laughed again. “Yelena’s my ex-girlfriend.”

  “Oh.” Ronnie said as her eyebrows went up into her hair line.

  “Long story short, she’s a model, or more along the lines of a centerfold. Anyway, we were together for a little over two years.”

  “Hmm.”

  “Yeah, let’s just say I cleaned house one day and tossed the trash to the road.”

  “She’s good looking.” Ronnie tried to sound positive.

  “Yeah if you like fake!” Gayle added.

  To be honest, Yelena was never Chase’s type. She just seemed to fit at the time, almost like Ronnie was doing now. Chase wasn’t the sort of person to use someone, but if Ronnie just wanted to have a little fun with no strings attached, why not?

  “Come on, let’s dance again.” Ronnie pulled Chase back to the dance floor. The song was semi-fast, but the next song was slow. Once again they were in each other’s arms swaying to the soft beat.

  Ronnie slid her hands into the back of Chase’s short hair and pulled her in for another mouthwatering kiss. She playfully bit Chase’s lip. Chase parted Ronnie’s lips and forced the kiss deeper. Ronnie broke away breathless, she ran her tongue along Chase’s ear then whispered. “I figured you’d give in and play eventually.”

  Chase grinned.

  “Let’s get out of here.” Ronnie said with a wink.

  ***

  Chase ended up at Ronnie’s town house since she’s the one that drove them anyway, so she’d need to take Ronnie home eventually. Ronnie wasted no time. Once they were inside she was all over Chase. Chase was led to the bedroom before she ever had a chance to look around.

  “I’ve wanted to feel you since the first day I laid eyes on you.” Ronnie said as she pressed her lips to Chase’s. Their mouths parted and hands wandered. Chase’s entire body fluttered when Ronnie’s warm hands slipped under her shirt. The pounding in her ears blocked out any rational thoughts that she was having.

  Minutes later both women were rolling around on top of the comforter naked. Chase ran her hands over Ronnie’s skin as if she was outside of her own body. Her mind stared into space while she gave only her body to this woman. Sweat ran down both of their bodies as Ronnie pushed Chase back onto the bed and entered her, sliding easily through the wetness. Chase arched her back and closed her eyes. As she began to climax, the darkness behind her eyelids filled with an image of Remy, f
ocusing on her irresistible eyes. Chase’s eyes flew open and she pulled away from the woman that was actually on top of her. Ronnie sensed the tension and sat up.

  “Are you okay?” She asked.

  Chase took a couple deep breaths to clear her mind. “Uh…yeah. Yeah I’m fine. I got a head rush that’s all.” She smiled apologetically. Ronnie kissed her passionately. Chase took over and pushed Ronnie onto her back, she ran one hand across Ronnie’s chest, softly pinching her nipples, then further down her abdomen until she felt the tiny wet patch of hair. Chase teased the layers, and then slid two fingers inside of her in one fluid motion. Ronnie moaned and begged Chase to go deeper. Chase obliged with deeper and faster thrusts. She ignored the nails digging into her back, praying they didn’t leave marks as Ronnie rode her orgasm to its peak.

  Ronnie was breathless and sweaty and her skin was stuck to Chase’s like glue. “Oh my god…” She shook her head and smiled. “You…Dr. Leery...are amazing! I don’t know who or what was on your mind, but you were definitely somewhere else.” She said as she caught her breath.

  Chase wasn’t sure what to say to her. “I…I’m sorry…I...”

  “No, don’t be sorry. That was some of the best sex I’ve ever had.” Ronnie smiled again and ran the back of her hand across Chase‘s cheek.

  Chase grinned back at her. What the hell do you possibly say to that?

  “Who is she?” Ronnie asked as she looked into Chase’s green eyes.

  “What?” Chase tried to ignore the question and the sadness behind her own eyes. Ronnie sat next to her at the head of the bed. Both of them were still naked. “I could feel it in your touch, and I can definitely see it in your eyes. There’s someone there.”

  “I…” Chase shrugged. “No one, there’s no one. I guess I’m just tired. I should probably go.”

  “You don’t have go, but I understand.”

  “Thanks. I don’t mean to run out on you.”

  “No, it’s fine. I’m tired anyway, you wore me out.” Ronnie’s face was beaming. Chase got up and redressed piece by piece as she found her clothing.

  ***

  Chase pushed the button to lower the top on the convertible as she pulled out onto Alton Road to head south towards her condo at the end of South Beach. She turned up the song that was playing on the radio. Chase felt free in the open salt air as she drove home singing along to the blaring radio. Speeding was a habit she had, a bad habit to say the least. Still, she was very rarely stopped. The Miami-Dade Police Department had much higher priorities than simple speeders, such as car thieves, drug smugglers, ‘freedom swimming’ immigrants, murderers, etc. Chase figured she was fairly safe from the cops, so she cruised on.

  11

  Chase spent all day Sunday trying not to feel sorry for herself. What the hell was there to feel sorry for anyway? So she had a good time with a woman she barely knew, it sure as hell wasn’t the first time, and more than likely wouldn’t be the last.

  Chase spring cleaned her entire condo. The weather felt like spring, even though it was the end of January and technically the middle of winter. “God bless Miami and it’s fucking year round sweltering heat!” She said to herself, since she was alone. She stopped mopping the kitchen floor long enough to drink a cold beer. The XM satellite stereo was blaring a mixture of 80’s and 90’s music in the living room.

  Chase put the mop away and grabbed another beer. Later, she fired up the vacuum and ran it over the area rug on the Bamboo hardwood floor in the living room. As soon as she was finished with that, she ran the dust mop over the wood floor. She’d already vacuumed the spare room downstairs and mopped the tile in the foyer and the spare bathroom. Since she started upstairs, that part of the condo was finished already, this was a good thing, because she crashed when she finally sat on the couch to take a break. More than likely it was because of her lack of sleep.

  Lately she couldn’t find the energy to argue with herself over the situation with Ronnie, or whatever it was. Friends with benefits could be something she could handle. Meaningless good sex was always at the top of any lesbians list. No mellow drama and no U-haul that could definitely be a good thing. On the other hand, she was dealing with Remy and the god damn feelings that just wouldn’t go away. Apparently, they were stuck with her, along with Remy’s last words, stuck like tree sap to a mosquito’s ass.

  ***

  A loud knock on the door woke Chase from a sound sleep. She rolled over and hit the floor with a thud. “Ouch! What the hell?” She couldn’t believe she fell asleep, but she was very glad she forgot to put the glass coffee table back after she vacuumed, she would’ve fallen through it.

  The person at the door knocked again. The stereo was still blaring when Chase walked across the condo to answer the door.

  “Hey.” She said as she pulled the door open. “What’s up?” Frankie was standing in the doorway.

  “I was in the neighborhood…” She walked in and Chase shut the door. “Michael Jackson?” Frankie looked sideways at her friend and chuckled as she started to sing along to ‘Beat it’.

  “Don’t ask.” Chase rolled her eyes and went to go turn the music down.

  “Man I haven’t heard that in years, talk about flash back!”

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Chase laughed.

  “When did you get home?” Frankie took on a more serious note and helped herself to a beer from the refrigerator. Chase took the offered beer from her and went to the couch.

  “I love it when you come to my house and serve me like you live here. I’m surprised you didn’t tell me to sit down and make myself at home.” They both laughed.

  “Don’t change the subject.”

  “I’m not.” Chase kicked her feet up. “I was home late Friday night, why?”

  “Uh huh,”

  “What?” Chase raised her eyebrows and glared at her best friend.

  “After the scene at the bar I figured you and Ronnie would’ve at least spent the night together. That’s all.”

  “We had sex.” Chase said flatly. Frankie almost poured her beer all over herself.

  “Excuse me?”

  “That’s what you wanted to know wasn’t it?”

  “Well…”

  “There’s nothing between us, we had a good time together and that’s it. Neither of us is or was looking for anything else.”

  “Wow.” Frankie ran a hand through her shoulder length auburn hair to brush it out of her face. “Are you planning on seeing her again?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe. We left it open so that we could if we wanted to. You know what I mean?”

  “Yeah, friends with benefits.” Frankie shook her head and laughed. “You’re turning into Gayle.”

  “Ouch! That was a low blow. I don’t sleep with every girl I meet Frankie!”

  “True, but you get what you want. I’ve seen you turn girls down a number of times, but I’ve never seen a girl turn you down.”

  Chase grinned. “Hmm,”

  “Either way, I’m glad to see you moving on, especially with a lesbian, a single lesbian.”

  “What’s that suppose to mean?” Chase asked as she finished her beer and got up to get another one.

  “I take it Remy Sheridan is history.” Frankie said loudly.

  Chase returned to the couch with two beers. She took a deep breath. Talking about Remy is not what she had in mind. As a matter of fact, she was doing everything she could to get that woman out of her mind. Remy Sheridan was thorn in her side that twisted every time she heard the woman‘s name or saw her face. “She told me she’s in love with me.” Chase’s jade green eyes bore a hole in the hardwood floor as she stared between her feet.

  “What! Oh my god! When? What did you say to her?” Frankie was hysterical.

  “Friday in my office, and I didn’t have time to say anything, she started crying, said she was in love with me, and then stormed out.”

  “Holy shit,” Frankie shook her head and drank a few sips of her beer. “You’re in love
with her too aren’t you?” She didn’t have to look at Chase when she didn’t say anything, Frankie already knew the answer. “Oh Chase.” Her heart broke for her best friend.

  Chase let out a long sigh. “There’s nothing I can do about it.” She finished her beer and realized she hadn’t eaten all day and by looks of the empty bottles in the trash she’d consumed at least six beers, no wonder her head was starting to spin. “Are you hungry?”

  “Yeah,”

  “Wanna go to Rainer’s?”

  “Soup and a sandwich does sound good.”

  Actually, that sounds really good.” Chase said.

  ***

  Chase and Frankie had just finished their dinner. They continued to sit at their usual corner table in the back of the restaurant. Frankie ordered dessert and Chase decided to help her eat the giant piece of raspberry cheesecake.

  “Mm, my god this is good. I wish Paul would give me his damn recipe.” Frankie said between bites. She just happened to notice a tall, short haired brunette woman walk in, with an equally tall sandy-haired man. They took a table towards the front of the small restaurant. Chase followed her eyes to see what was so important behind her. As she turned her head she met Remy’s eyes from across the room.

  “I’m moving out of South Beach.” Chase said in monotone when she turned back towards Frankie.

  “I think you were here first.” Frankie said sarcastically. “I can’t believe she’s still with him. I don’t know about you, but I want to smack her upside her head. And she’s one of my biggest artists!”

  “No one said artists weren’t stupid Frankie. Although, I think she’s just confused.”