by Leigh Hays
Elena looked at her.
She relented and moaned. “Okay, I’m sorry. What am I going to do?”
Elena rolled her eyes. “What do you want to do?”
“I don’t know.” She leaned in. “Can’t we just be fuck buddies?”
“I think you’re way beyond that.”
“Why do I talk to you?”
“Because I’ll tell you the truth.”
“Well, that’s overrated.” She glanced at the clock on the wall. “I’ve got to go to work.” She stood and slipped into her jacket. “Dinner next week?”
Elena grabbed her coat and stood as well. “Yes, but bring Lindsey.”
Rebekiah paused. Was she ready for that? Did Lindsey want that? Rebekiah shoved those thoughts aside and opened the door. She ignored Elena’s request and asked, “What’s going on with your sex life?”
Elena smiled and breezed past. “Oh, it’s not nearly as complicated as your tête-à-têtes. We meet, we fuck. She’s usually a hot submissive.”
Rebekiah laughed as she let the door close. For one moment, she wished her relationship with Lindsey was that simple, but what she had with her now was so much better.
Chapter Twenty-four
I have your shirt.
Halfway through her three-hour conference call, Lindsey glanced at her messages and smiled at Rebekiah’s text. She replied, I’m sorry. Who am I speaking to?
LOL. Nice.
It had been only two days since she’d spent the night at Rebekiah’s apartment, and she couldn’t stop thinking about her. But thoughts of Rebekiah had always been at the edge of her consciousness for months, and now she was front and center.
Lindsey chuckled and typed back, Is this your way of getting me to come over?
You betcha. I want to do unspeakable things to you. Again. And again.
Lindsey smiled. Like what?
Come over, and I’ll show you.
Lindsey shifted in her seat. Too bad I’m in Hong Kong.
I could always walk you through it.
Lindsey’s body warmed. Intriguing. I’m trapped on a conference call.
So?
Lindsey laughed. So it’s hard to concentrate on the subject if you’re sexting me.
Rebekiah sent her a smiley smirking emoji before she said, Ttyl.
Over the next few weeks, their texting continued with the playful banter interspersed with random topics and more personal details. They discovered a shared love of history. Rebekiah liked to read biographies; Lindsey liked to read social histories. As the conversation grew more substantial, the texting moved to phone calls that spanned the international dateline. Lindsey talked about college and the early years of her career while Rebekiah talked about Emma and her first shows. They spoke during the off times of their days. Sometimes Lindsey would call at six a.m. her time to talk to Rebekiah at four thirty p.m. her time or vice versa.
In Vancouver, their conversations switched to video. Although their previous texting often veered into sexual innuendo, it wasn’t until the video talks that it morphed into masturbation. In the afterglow, Lindsey traced her finger along the edge of her phone and said, “Come to Vancouver.” Inside, she cringed. What was she doing? She never brought her lovers on business trips.
Rebekiah brushed sweat off her face. “Really?”
Unable to rescind the offer without looking foolish, she tried another tack. “If you don’t have the time—”
“I can be there tomorrow.”
Lindsey swallowed her fear and smiled. “Great.” She yawned. “I should…”
Rebekiah smiled. “Me, too. I’ll send you the details.”
Lindsey ended the call and stared up at the hotel ceiling. Why did she ask her to come? Was she so lonely and horny that she needed to have an international booty call? The sex was great—fantastic—but she was drawn to Rebekiah for other reasons. Reasons that had a name she didn’t want to consider just yet. Rebekiah was right. She did overthink everything. She laughed at both the acknowledgment and the irony that Rebekiah was the reason she was overthinking in the first place.
Rebekiah texted her the next morning with an evening arrival time. Where should I meet you?
I’ll pick you up.
Lindsey spent the day in a series of meetings ending at a coffee date with Adam. He handed her a drink and sat opposite her. “You should come to dinner tonight. Carrie would love to see you.”
Lindsey sipped her café au lait. “I can’t. I’m picking someone up at the airport.”
“Someone I know?”
Lindsey struggled for a term to define Rebekiah. “No. She’s a…friend.”
Adam put his drink down and grinned. “A friend? Or a friend-friend?”
She had learned long ago to just tell him straight up what was going on. “A friend-friend. I asked her to come.”
Adam leaned in. “You did?”
“Is that so hard to believe?”
“In all the years that we’ve worked together, you’ve never mentioned a friend-friend.”
Lindsey folded her arms. “I’ve had girlfriends since we met.” Was that what Rebekiah was? A girlfriend? She’d had girlfriends before; Rebekiah didn’t feel like one of those women. She felt more like…Monica. She brushed the implications of that thought aside.
“None that you brought on a business trip.”
“True.”
“What’s her name?”
“Rebekiah.”
“How’d you meet?” He reached out. “Please tell me she’s not part of the program.”
Lindsey patted his hand. “No. She’s a client.”
Adam covered his mouth. “No.”
Lindsey rolled her eyes. “Don’t look so scandalized. She was one of Roger’s people.”
“Have you heard from him?”
Lindsey shook her head. “No. He’s left a bit of a mess behind. I’m not sure what I’d do to him if he came back.”
Adam shrugged. “You’ll figure it out. So what does she do? Where does she live? How did you move from client to something else? Is she rich? I want to meet her.”
“Whoa.” Lindsey pulled back. “Slow down. She lives in Providence. She inherited a large trust from her best friend, and she’s a fine arts photographer.” She omitted the boudoir photographer part; no need to get into all that.
Adam grinned. “An artist. Nice. And how did she transition from client to friend-friend?”
“Well, that’s a longer story.” She took another sip. She wasn’t sure how to begin or what to share. She trusted Adam without reservation, but this thing with Rebekiah was beyond her experience.
He wrapped his hands around his cup. “I’ve got time.”
She leaned in and told him about that first meeting and the subsequent studio visit. “Something clicked. And then she took pictures of me.” She regretted speaking as soon as the words left her mouth.
His eyes narrowed. “What kind of pictures?”
She felt the heat rise in her cheeks. “Artistic.”
He burst out laughing. “Yeah. Artistic. And you agreed?”
She swallowed. She was not going to tell him about the masturbation pictures. “Yes.”
He kept smiling and shook his head.
A need to defend her connection to Rebekiah emerged, and she said, “It’s not what you think. Well, it is, but there’s something more. I’ve never been with anyone quite like her.”
Still smiling, he reached across the table and held her hands. “Good. You need someone like that. Now tell me more.” She did.
All the way to the airport, she mulled over their conversation and his parting words. “Bring her to dinner tomorrow night.” Introducing Rebekiah to Adam meant integrating two worlds she worked hard to keep separate. But Rebekiah already straddled both of her worlds. And having Adam meet her might not be the worst idea Lindsey ever had.
Chapter Twenty-five
Lindsey opened her hotel suite and found Rebekiah sitting by the windows, looking at the London skyline. The s
ex in Vancouver was still fresh in her mind, so she smiled and dropped her work bag by the door. “Hey. Sorry I’m late. How was your flight?”
Rebekiah looked at her and smiled. “Good.”
Lindsey took off her jacket and hung it in the closet. She was beginning to enjoy coming home to someone and the domesticity of it. “Did you eat yet?”
When Rebekiah didn’t answer, she glanced over. Rebekiah’s expression was hard to read, and Lindsey worried that she’d done something wrong.
Rebekiah leaned back and crossed her legs. “Do you remember your safe words?”
The words sent shivers down her spine, and desire settled low, wet and waiting. Her night spread out before her. “Yes.” She moved toward her, eager to touch.
“Stop.” Rebekiah held up her hand. “Take off your clothes.”
Her tone brooked no argument, but because she evoked the safe word, Lindsey knew she could stop it at any point. Giving in to her wishes, Lindsey shimmied out of her pants.
“No, slowly.”
Surrendering all control, she swallowed and adjusted her pace to the command.
Once the last article of clothing hit the floor, Rebekiah said, “Go to the bedroom and wait for me on your hands and knees facing away from the door.”
Lindsey left her in the living area. While she waited on the bed, she listened to the soft sounds of changing clothes and the jangle of buckles. When Rebekiah finally walked in, Lindsey saw her through the window’s reflection—naked with a strap-on dangling between her legs. Her heart raced knowing it was for her. The bed dipped, and her body tensed for the anticipated touch.
“So you like it when someone tells you what to do.”
“Yes.” Lindsey’s voice came out higher expected. She cleared her throat.
“Hmm. Does it make you wet?” Rebekiah’s fingers brushed against her and dipped inside to test her theory. Wanting to hold them where they were, Lindsey clenched, but Rebekiah slipped her grasp and ran wet fingers down her back.
“Yes.” Lindsey groaned as those fingers gripped her ass before pulling away.
She heard the snick of a lube bottle opening and felt her ass being spread. Cool gel dripped down her crack, and Rebekiah worked it around her anus, pushing against the tight orifice.
Lindsey arched her back, excited and apprehensive. It wasn’t the first time Rebekiah had touched her there, but the intent felt different, a good different.
“You like that?” Rebekiah withdrew her finger and slid it back until Lindsey’s body gave way.
Lindsey gasped and dropped to her elbows.
“Hmm…you do. I wonder what you would do if I just stuffed this dildo straight up your ass?” She pulled her finger out and pressed the dildo against the hole.
Lindsey moaned and pushed back. She’d dabbled in anal play but never had anything bigger than a finger. It aroused her. The thought of that thick silicone inside her…
“Laptop, Lindsey?”
Lindsey struggled to understand. She was on all fours with a dildo lined up against her ass, and Rebekiah was asking about a computer? Oh. Right. Safe word. “No.”
Rebekiah stayed still. “You got awfully tense on me.”
Lindsey willed herself to relax and said, “I got lost in the moment.”
Rebekiah kissed the back of her neck. “Is this something you want?”
“Yes. Maybe.” What if it didn’t fit? What if she couldn’t do what Rebekiah wanted?
Rebekiah rubbed her back. “It’s hard, isn’t it? Making decisions. You like to take charge of a situation. Show them who’s boss. But tonight, you don’t have to decide. I will.”
Relief poured through Lindsey as she shed her responsibilities. She could just be, and Rebekiah would take care of her.
More lube, and Lindsey willed herself to relax as Rebekiah’s finger slipped back inside. It felt different having Rebekiah behind her and inside her ass. Once again, Rebekiah had figured out how to shut down her brain. She felt controlled and more vulnerable but also free. She moved into Rebekiah’s thrusts with less thought and more feeling.
When Rebekiah added another finger, the pressure increased, and Lindsey worried about the dildo’s size. Would it fit? But the rhythmic thrusting never slowed, and after Rebekiah began rubbing her clit, she stopped paying attention to those details.
Lindsey groaned continuously, each breath coming faster and faster. She no longer cared about fingers and size; she just wanted more. “Please.”
Rebekiah didn’t make her beg, just pulled her fingers out and moved the dildo against her. “It’s up to you to take this, baby.” Her hand rested on Lindsey’s shoulder and gently pulled while her other hand continued the assault on her clit.
Lindsey’s sphincter tightened against the larger intrusion. But the fingers on her clit proved relentless. She almost pulled back, but then a wave of arousal opened her up, and the dildo was inside her.
“That’s it. Take it, baby. Take it all in.” Rebekiah’s hand slid down her arm and palmed her breast. Her body enveloped Lindsey, one hand at her clit, the other at her breast, and her body against her back. Grounded in her arms, Lindsey felt her orgasm grow while more of the dildo slid inside.
Rebekiah rode her movements. “You can do it. Just let yourself go. Feel me inside you.”
Lindsey bucked at her words and groaned. Her pants grew harder and harder, her need to come hitting its peak as Rebekiah murmured in her ear, “Fucking your ass.”
Lindsey’s arms pushed straight, and her body went rigid. Her orgasm pushed up and over her, and she pulled Rebekiah down on top of her when she finally came.
Her whole body trembled when Rebekiah pulled out.
Lindsey turned her head to the side and muttered, “Jesus, what the fuck did you do to me?” She lifted her head and stared at Rebekiah lying next to her.
Rebekiah smiled and wiped a damp strand of hair from Lindsey’s face. “Thoroughly fucked you.”
Lindsey buried her face in her hands. “Yes, you did.”
* * *
Later, sore and satiated, Lindsey collapsed on the bed with the taste of Rebekiah still on her lips. Rebekiah lifted an arm, and Lindsey scooched closer. “I could get used to this.”
“Which part?” Rebekiah asked.
Lindsey thought for a minute and realized she wasn’t sure. It had been surprisingly easy having her around in Vancouver. Lindsey had shown her the sights and even introduced her to Adam and his family. And now that she was here in London, it felt natural to have Rebekiah by her side. She didn’t say any of that but instead said, “Fucking you in hotel rooms across the world.”
Rebekiah chuckled. “That could get expensive.”
“I could always expense it.” She smiled. “I wonder how I’d justify it.”
“Client relations?”
Lindsey laughed. “Among other things.”
Rebekiah rolled over, put her head in her hand, and said, “I meant to tell you I had a good time in Vancouver. It was nice meeting Adam.”
“Me, too. Adam liked you.” She didn’t tell her that Rebekiah was the only woman she’d ever brought to him.
“How long have you known him?” Rebekiah touched a strand of her hair.
Lindsey closed her eyes at the touch and thought for a minute. “About seven years.” She debated how much she wanted to share but finally opted for the truth. “He’s my sponsor.”
“He’s in AA?”
“Yes. We met at JP Morgan. We were both living in New York City but traveling extensively.”
“Sounds like you.”
Lindsey chuckled. “It does, doesn’t it? We were friendly colleagues. He didn’t do the party circuit at night, so I didn’t know him that well.”
“There’s a party circuit for wealth management types?”
Lindsey smiled at the memory of all the privilege and excess that came with unchecked wealth. “It’s the original jet set. Anyway, we were in Bangkok on a deal, and I missed an important meeting. Adam found me b
lacked out with some woman in my hotel room and a tourniquet twisted around my arm.”
“Shit.”
Lindsey shuddered. “Yeah, that was new. I’d never blacked out on a business trip, and I stayed away from needles. Adam cleaned me up and covered for me. Then he told me his story and offered to help.” She chuckled. “But I was stubborn, and when we got back to New York, I stayed sober for six months before I went back to it. It wasn’t until Monica left me that I realized how far things had gone, and I called him.” She stopped, a bit surprised that she’d revealed so much so easily. Only Adam knew her so well.
She glanced over, not sure what to expect, and was surprised when Rebekiah said, “Thank you.”
“For what?”
Rebekiah pulled her into her arms. “For trusting me.”
Lindsey swallowed hard. Trust. That was what she had now that all her previous relationships lacked. Physical trust and now intimate trust. Maybe she wasn’t bad at this. Maybe she’d had the wrong partners. Maybe Rebekiah was the right one. She was willing to find out.
Something shifted inside her, and she said, “Want to come to Berlin next?”
Chapter Twenty-six
Lindsey watched the first rays of sun peek over the New York City skyline while she listened to the British diplomat rattle off the historic barriers associated with working with the Chinese. She avoided rolling her eyes at his prejudices and voiced her counterpoints. She tried not to laugh as Li Jing, the fifth person on the Skype video call, succinctly put him in his place with a concise history of British imperialism in China and the ill will that had brought to the region. His face bulged with suppressed anger that gradually softened by the time Li Jing finished talking.
Lindsey’s email dinged, and Li Jing’s one-line subject, Is this idiot for real?, made her smile.
The call wrapped up ten minutes later, and Li Jing stayed on the line to check in. After a quick debrief of the call and their business, she got right to the point. “I had an interesting conversation with someone from the US Embassy last week. They showed up at my office.”
