by Harper Bliss
“Sure, Claire. Why don’t you call me when you’re ready.” Margot was not very good at displaying irony in her voice. She simply wasn’t that kind of person, despite Claire having given her a crash course over the past four weeks. After rising from the sofa, she stood there staring at Claire for a few moments longer. “I’m sorry for what I did. You know that. If you can’t get past it, we need to draw some conclusions.” Margot delivered the words in her typical matter-of-fact fashion, not letting any emotion taint her tone. “I’m sick of us hurting each other like this.”
That fist was back around Claire’s heart, squeezing tightly. If this really was the woman of her dreams, why was it so hard to forgive her? Claire believed she had forgiven her. That the worst was behind them and they could start over. Until they’d ended up in bed. Then resentment had taken over.
“Don’t leave like this.” Claire stretched out her hand. “Please, come here.” Because there was still so much comfort to be found in the warmth of Margot’s skin, to disappear in her arms and pretend that Inez had never come back.
Margot stepped closer, took Claire’s hand in hers and squatted next to her. “I’m here for you, babe. I really am. But you can’t keep shutting me out like this. I can’t take it for much longer.”
Claire looked into Margot’s black eyes. She’d been on the verge of meeting her parents. Margot had wooed her under the bloody Eiffel Tower. Everything had been perfect. And now they had become this.
“Nadia told me something a while ago. She said I shouldn’t expect myself to be more perfect than anyone else. I made a mistake, Claire. I hurt you and that’s something I’m going to have to accept. But I’ve learned from my mistake, and I can guarantee you, without a single doubt in my mind, that I will never hurt you like that again. You have my word.”
Claire felt tears sting behind her eyes. Another out of the ordinary experience that had become a regular occurrence of late. “Sometimes,” she took a breath before continuing because she wasn’t sure she should be saying this, “I think I could deal with it better if I got even.” She held up her free hand in self-defence. “I know it’s a destructive, silly thought, but it’s there.”
Margot gazed into her eyes, that unshakeable look etched on her face. “If that’s how you feel, then maybe you should.”
“Seriously?” Claire didn’t know if she should be offended or relieved.
“An eye for an eye.” Margot squeezed Claire’s palm very hard between her thumb and index finger. “If you believe that’s what you need.”
“Nu-huh. You’re not a game player, Margot de Hay. And I’m not buying this.”
“I’m at the end of my tether here. I don’t know how to solve this, so why would I automatically dismiss your idea?”
“Erm, because I’d be cheating on you.” Claire had trouble keeping up with the absurd route their conversation had taken, even if she had instigated it herself.
“No, you’d be getting even.” A glimmer of hurt shone in Margot’s eyes, and it touched Claire more than anything. What had she expected—or desired? For Margot to put her foot down? To lay down the law? “Maybe you should give that pilot a call.” With that, Margot pressed herself up on Claire’s knees, let Claire’s hand drop from hers, and covered her chest. “Why don’t you take the space I’m about to give you to figure it out.”
Claire knew she’d pushed it too far. She’d been pushing it too far for too long now, still, she couldn’t drum up the courage—or the fearlessness—to get up and go after Margot. What would they do if she did? Kiss and make up?
NADIA
For the third time in ten days, Nadia was woken up by Juliette screaming in her sleep.
“Babe, babe, it’s all right.” She put a hand on Juliette’s shoulder and gently shook.
Juliette opened her eyes, blinking. “What time is it?”
Nadia checked the alarm clock’s red digits on her side of the bed. “Two. Were you having a bad dream again?” She nestled herself a bit closer to Juliette, inhaling her sleepy scent.
Juliette brought her hands to her head. “Oh christ. I dreamed there was a baby in my pillow case. I’d put it there. I had to take care of it. It was all very unsettling.”
Nadia didn’t want to start the same talk they’d had for a while now in the middle of the night. “Try to get some more sleep, babe. It was just a dream.”
“Sorry for waking you, fiancée.” Juliette turned on her side and smiled at Nadia. “Will you be able to go back to sleep?” They both knew it would take Nadia at least an hour before she could snooze again. It was how her body was wired. “Maybe I can help.”
“Oh really?” Nadia grinned back. “How would you go about that?”
“I can sing you to sleep…” Juliette started trailing her hand over Nadia’s stomach. “Or tell you a story.” Her hand didn’t waste any time as her fingertips had already reached Nadia’s bush. “Or I could fuck you.” She brought her face closer to Nadia’s. “Which one do you prefer?”
Their sex life had certainly revived after Juliette had proposed. As though they’d both fallen in love with each other all over again, raging hormones and everything.
“The song, of course.” Juliette had also taken it upon herself to show much more initiative in the bedroom. “The one you sing when I make you come.” Nadia didn’t mind Juliette taking charge once in a while, but it wasn’t always easy giving up control.
“Oh babe, you’re incorrigible,” Juliette said with a moan.
“We’re both quite set in our ways, that’s all.” It was an obvious sneer at Juliette’s inability to work less hours. From the moment Juliette had made the announcement to Nadia, she’d had her doubts. But she’d played the supportive, easy-to-fool partner—because you just never knew. But there was always something going on at Barbier & Cyr. First the Dominique Laroche crisis and the subsequent slump it had pushed Steph in. Just their luck that Steph was supposed to take over some of Juliette’s duties at the office, and had failed to show up for them.
Juliette, wisely, didn’t take the bait—because she knew she was guilty, Nadia guessed—and let her fingers wander deeper.
“It’s too late to argue about who’s going to fuck who, honey. Let’s just fuck each other.” Juliette’s finger had reached Nadia’s clit. Nadia’s body was still in half-slumber, and she was slow to react. Juliette ducked her head lower, slipping herself half on top of Nadia, while trying to find her nipple. When she did she didn’t suck it into her mouth immediately, but flicked over it with the tip of her tongue, until Nadia felt it wake from sleep and grow hard.
These days, whenever she wasn’t a hundred percent down with something, she just remembered the image of Juliette falling onto her knee for her, and surprising her with that question. Nadia knew it went against everything Juliette had believed in her entire life, and that sort of love on display was something to be cherished and celebrated. It helped when Juliette came home after ten, depleted of energy, only wanting to sink against Nadia’s shoulder and fall asleep. It helped even more at the weekend, when they had more time for each other, and Juliette brought up the subject of children and said things like “I feel it here, in my heart, that I want to be a mother” while she tapped her chest.
And it helped now, when all Nadia wanted to do was topple Juliette off her and fuck her slowly and deeply, while showing her who was still really in charge in the bedroom, but instead, she let Juliette trace her finger upwards again, across Nadia’s chest, and slip it inside of her mouth. Nadia wrapped her lips around it, coating it in her saliva and, despite herself, started feeling her blood heat up in her veins.
This wouldn’t be slow and deep. It would be quick and messy, wearing Juliette out in no time, after which she would fall asleep within seconds, leaving Nadia alone in the darkness to worry about their lives. Because they’d put the infidelity behind them, but that didn’t mean it was all sunshine and roses now. And they had a wedding to plan as well.
“Do you want this, N
adz?” Juliette asked while she slipped her finger from between Nadia’s lips. “You seem so far away.”
“Lost in thought for a moment. Sorry.” Nadia refocused her attention on Juliette’s dimly lit face. Her hair was all over the place, scattered in all directions. “Talk to me,” Nadia said. “Tell me what you’re going to do to me.” She brought her own hand to Juliette’s chest and went straight for her nipple. Nadia knew how to push Juliette’s buttons so well.
“Oh fuck,” Juliette sighed, as Nadia tightened her grip on Juliette’s nipple. After another exhale, she started. “I’m going to fuck you until you come at my fingers.” Juliette was not very good at dirty talk and they both knew it. And she’d be panting uncontrollably soon, unable to speak.
“Why don’t you let me do the talking, babe.” Nadia squeezed Juliette’s other nipple before sliding her hand down Juliette’s belly and finding her thick pussy lips. “Rub my clit while I fuck you.” The two of them trying to fuck each other simultaneously wasn’t very practical, and Nadia needed more than Juliette’s fingers stroking inside of her. “And only come when I tell you to.”
Nadia shifted a little lower and pushed inside. Juliette’s wet pussy clamped itself around her fingers instantly, while Juliette obeyed her order and started drawing tiny circles around Nadia’s clit.
“That’s good, honey,” she moaned, knowing full well how her voice sounding like that would set Juliette off in no time. “Oh yeah.”
Meanwhile, Nadia found her own rhythm, and she didn’t hold back. This wasn’t supposed to be a lazy love-making session. This was a midnight shag. Quick and dirty. She curled her fingers inside of Juliette while pushing deep.
“Look at me, Jules. Yes, good girl.” And that was how Nadia got her way in the end. Juliette looked glorious, her face all focus and determination. That ever-swollen slant of her upper lip drawn into a tight expression. “A little faster.”
“Oh jesus,” Juliette groaned, her lips parting more. “I can’t hold it much—” Juliette’s finger halted its motion on Nadia’s clit, but Nadia could hardly hold it against her. “Oh fuck,” Juliette continued. “I’m sorry, babe.”
Nadia smiled at her and pecked her on the nose. “You know what to do.”
“That I do.” Juliette shot her a sly grin before sliding her body down Nadia’s torso. Nadia leaned back in lazy anticipation. She’d be getting much more than she had bargained for after all. And making Juliette climax within minutes never failed to highly arouse her.
She let Juliette push her legs wide and appreciated the rush of breath on her overheated lips. Juliette didn’t make her wait long and pressed her mouth to Nadia’s clit. Did she even realise that having children would put an automatic stop to nights like these? That instead of suffering from nightmares she’d hardly be getting any sleep at all? It seemed as though, the more Juliette got into the idea of becoming a mother, the more Nadia grew to detest even the notion. Then Nadia stopped thinking about the issues that would keep her awake again later, and enjoyed the movements of Juliette’s tongue on her clit. Juliette sucked it deep between her lips and Nadia could already feel a few fingers circling her entrance.
“Fuck me, babe,” she said, because she couldn’t help herself. And then Juliette did. She slid her fingers inside of Nadia, and took away all worries for a moment, creating a quiet blackness in Nadia’s mind. All Nadia could feel were her fiancée’s fingers in her cunt and her tongue on her clit and she was on the fast track to orgasm herself.
“Aah yes,” Nadia moaned. While Juliette always claimed that hearing the sound of her own voice when approaching climax put her off, Nadia experienced the opposite. It spurred her on to verbalise her pleasure. Tipped her right over the edge.
The climax was like the sex, quick and dirty, a momentary rupture of the peace her body had been in before. A fast thrill chasing up her spine. An instant of reconnecting with her soon-to-be-wife on a physical level.
Juliette’s pale face popped up between Nadia’s dark legs, a smug smile tugging her lips upwards.
“Was that okay for you, babe?” Juliette asked.
“Come here.” Nadia motioned for Juliette to crawl towards her. Once there, she planted her palms on either side of Juliette’s face. “Not that I don’t like your singing voice, but that was way better than a song.” She pressed a kiss to Juliette’s lips, and felt the love course through her. This beautiful, complicated, and at times difficult woman was going to be her wife. All the worries in the world could not compete with that feeling. After learning about Juliette’s stance on marriage early on in their relationship, Nadia had never considered herself in need of domestication, in need of that reassurance and acceptance by administration, but now that they were engaged, something inexplicable had changed. She couldn’t wait to call Juliette her wife.
“Oh, I can sing for you as well if you like.” Juliette grinned at her as they broke from their kiss.
“No need.” Nadia pulled her close so Juliette rested on her shoulder. “Go back to sleep. I know you have a busy day tomorrow.” Cleaning up Steph’s mess, she thought, but didn’t say out loud.
“I love you,” Juliette whispered, her voice sounding sleepy already.
“I love you too.” Nadia kissed her on the top of the head and waited for Juliette’s breath to slow down.
JULIETTE
“Is Steph not in?” Dominique asked. “I thought you’d promoted her?”
Juliette peered briefly out of her window before locking her gaze on Dominique again. The députée looked worn out. Almost tired of fighting for her spot of top dog of the MLR. “I’m sorry.” What else could Juliette possibly say? She knew Steph would not back down, not as long as she believed it was in Dominique’s best interest.
“I don’t want to drag you into this, but I need to see her.” Dominique twirled the band of her watch around her wrist nervously.
“I hate to have to be the one to say it, but you’ll need to find a way to forget about Steph.” Juliette’s stomach tightened as she spoke the words. She’d had no choice but to step in when Steph resigned from handling Dominique’s public relations—costing her a great deal in the process as well.
“I always believed she was stronger than this. That she would be by my side when I needed her most.” Dominique didn’t sound very convinced. She knew just as well as everyone involved in this mess, that Steph had done the only right thing if they were to have any chance of saving Dominique’s career.
“We’re almost at the other side of this. We’ve curbed the damage. Steph is out of the picture. You need to focus on next year’s elections now.”
“I would have given it all up for her. Maybe it didn’t come across like that at the time, but I truly believed she knew that. I still can’t get over the fact that she ditched me like that.” There was a tremor in Dominique’s voice.
“She didn’t ditch you. She saved you.”
“Puh.” Dominique made a dismissive gesture with her hand. “Let’s deal with the business at hand, shall we? Focus on my career, as you put it.” She reached for her briefcase and pulled out a folder. “I’m now being attacked by the ultra-conservative wing of my own party. By this lovely woman to be exact.” She extracted a piece of paper out of the folder and deposited it on Juliette’s desk. “I’m sure you’ve heard of Séverine Marechal. The defender of our virtues. Truth be told, I wonder why she hasn’t made the leap to the ANF yet. It seems to be all the rage these days. My guess is she’s just sticking around to hammer the last nail in my coffin.” Dominique placed the rest of the folder on the desk. “This is all I have on her. See if you can dig up some more. Time to play dirty.”
“Do you think she’s behind the leak… behind Sybille?” Juliette still had a little trouble pronouncing her ex-assistant’s name.
“That saloppe had nothing to do with this.” Dominique might remain convinced of that fact, but Juliette wasn’t so sure herself. “And is small fry compared to the damage the iron maiden Séverine can cause
me. This has been a god-sent gift for her, I’ll give you that.” Dominique shook her head. “God, I hate to say it, but if it weren’t for my father, I’d probably be ex-communicated from the party by now.”
A little dramatic, Juliette thought, but wisely kept the words to herself. Dominique had shown a more pessimistic streak since Steph had broken up with her, but, through it all, she appeared to be able to remain level-headed enough. “I’ll see what I can find.”
“Thanks.” Dominique rose. “I have to go, but…” A slight hesitation. “Could you give Stéphanie a message from me, please?” She stood there stalling for a bit, looking decidedly un-political, but all the more like the heart-broken woman she was. “Please ask her to just pick up once when I call. Only once. After that, I’ll leave her be.”
“I will.” Juliette nodded solemnly. She watched as Dominique sauntered to the door. Just before she opened it, she said, “Please don’t think this is easy on Steph.”
“I don’t.” Dominique turned around. “That’s why I want her to talk to me.”
Juliette leaned back in her chair, unable to keep her eyes off the ever-growing list of unanswered e-mails in her inbox. As soon as Dominique had closed the door, her new assistant Véro gave two quick knocks on the door and appeared in Juliette’s office. She wasn’t the safe, male assistant Juliette had initially hoped for, but she was straight as an arrow—Juliette had asked the question during the job interview, even though asking such a thing was strictly speaking against the law—and way too blonde for Juliette’s taste. And Juliette was engaged to be married. She wouldn’t become the cliché again that sleeping with her assistant had made her once already.
“Give it to me, Véro,” Juliette said, not without her own flair for the dramatic. Steph hadn’t officially resigned from Barbier & Cyr, but it sure felt like it. Juliette’s work load kept on growing and growing while Steph kept a low profile and took some of the huge amount of vacation days she’d never used up.
